Browsing: Texas

• 

  Michael C. WrightOct 21, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

  Close

  • Joined ESPN in 2010
  • Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com
  • Played college football at West Texas A&M

HOUSTON — IT’S LATEon a muggy October night, and Kevin Durant refuses to come to grips with reality while heading for the exit at the Toyota Center on the heels of his Rockets preseason debut, a 140-127 win over the Utah Jazz.

Entering his 19th season, Durant has won MVP, two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards to go with four Olympic gold medals and 15 trips to the NBA All-Star Game. Yet at this stage of his career, Durant doggedly pursues a goal he’ll never achieve.

Perfection.

“What you mean I never will?” Durant asks, half smiling.

Since Durant won his second ring with the Golden State Warriors in 2018, he has had stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns that came to unceremonious exits. Six seasons later, Durant finds himself in what might be his best — and final — chance at winning a third ring.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Fifty days after the Rockets walked off their home floor dejected in the wake of a Game 7 loss to the Warriors in the first round of the 2024-25 playoffs, news broke that Houston and the Suns had agreed to a trade in a deal involving seven teams that would send Durant to the Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the draft and five second-round picks.

The move instantly transformed Houston from a team on the rise — it was coming off its first 50-win season since 2018-19 and has 10 players on the roster age 28 or younger — to a contender with Durant powering the offensive engine. The veteran signed to a two-year, $90 million extension on Sunday that includes a player option for 2027-28.

“Kevin has always been a problem,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka told ESPN. “He elevates our whole group.”

Durant, for his part, sees Houston as his best chance at capturing a third ring. But more than that, he likes that this staff “lets me be me.”

“I won’t consistently play perfect games,” Durant said. “But my jump shot is pretty solid. My handles are pretty solid. It’s just a challenge that I enjoy: perfecting something. Well, you’ll never be perfect. But trying to get there in the small amount of time that I’ve got left in this game, why not?”

General manager Rafael Stone sat in his glass-walled office at the Memorial Hermann Houston Rockets training center overlooking his team’s practice and pondered whether the club’s new star, who was set to make his Rockets debut the following night, would ever reach his elusive goal.

“You can’t,” Stone said. “But you should try. It’s a really good lesson for how to approach the game for our younger guys. He’s very interested in the craft and very uninterested, at this stage, in the things that come along with it.

“There are so many things that come with being a star NBA player. At this stage, the one he’s most interested in by orders of magnitude is perfecting the craft. We’re pretty committed to keeping the main thing the main thing. So, we want him to be the player on the court that he can be. We’re not going to ask of him anything else.”

Houston opened the preseason Oct. 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, and Durant watched from the bench in a grey hoodie as the Rockets captured a 122-113 win. An hour and 45 minutes before tipoff that night, Udoka announced Durant would take the night off.

Minutes later, the 37-year-old trotted onto the court in uniform, wearing mismatched socks and white tights and pulled the hood of a black sweatshirt over his head. Running through a near-game-speed warmup, Durant missed his first three shots from the corner before knocking down several in a row. For several minutes, he grunted audibly while swiftly changing direction on crossover dribbles that turned into midrange buckets.

Durant wasn’t playing that night, but inactivity wasn’t halting an opportunity to ply the trade.

“That’s my peaceful place,” he said. “Trying to perfect my craft.”

Kevin Durant played college basketball at the University of Texas during the 2006-07 season before declaring for the NBA draft, where he was the No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics. Frank Franklin II/AP Photo

UDOKA QUICKLY GATHERED the Rockets in the wake of veteran Fred VanVleet’s season-ending torn right ACL in late September and emphasized a point the team expects to prove in 2025-26 with Durant taking a lead role.

The coach played the team a clip from the hip-hop cult classic film “Paid in Full.”

The main character in the film, Ace, suffers a gunshot wound to his head during a robbery, leaving him contemplating whether to continue his crew’s criminal enterprise. One of Ace’s business partners, Rico, wants the group to continue.

Udoka saw a parallel in VanVleet’s injury.

“If you’ve seen the movie ‘Paid in Full,’ he says, ‘[People] get shot every day, B. You’ll be all right,'” Udoka said. “I showed that clip to the team. I said, ‘People get hurt every day. We’ll be all right.’ We’ll figure out a different way to do it. That’s the message. You’ve got to figure it out, and we’re capable. That’s where our depth and versatility come into play. We can go several different ways: super big lineups, small lineups and everything in between.”

Durant figures prominently in all those scenarios as an offensive facilitator in the absence of the club’s veteran point guard. Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun will take turns assuming the role, too.

Having played for five franchises in 19 NBA seasons for several coaches, Durant appreciated Udoka’s confidence in the face of difficult circumstances. Several within the organization credit VanVleet, a 2022 All-Star, with playing a foundational role in building Houston’s culture under Udoka.

“It just shows how in touch Ime is with sports, music, entertainment, culture; how he can connect with the guys on other things outside of basketball,” Durant said. “Those messages in those movies, those metaphors, they can help our team. That’s just somebody that cares about his team and is trying to use unique ways to get messages through to the guys.”

Breaking News from Shams Charania

Download the ESPN app and enable Shams Charania’s news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here.

As a player, Udoka often drew the responsibility of guarding Durant. Head-to-head, Udoka and Durant finished deadlocked at 5-5 in regular-season games. Once Udoka joined Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich’s Spurs staff in 2012, he found himself devising game plans to stop Durant.

When Durant agreed in 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors, Udoka was part of the San Antonio contingent in the Hamptons recruiting the forward, who took a meeting with the Spurs out of respect for Popovich.

Udoka also coached Durant with Team USA. They’d finally join forces in the NBA during the 2020-21 season while Udoka worked in Brooklyn as an assistant under Steve Nash.

Durant described the move to Texas as “organic.”

“We know who he is and we’re also not asking him to be something he’s not,” Udoka said. “We understand the way that he leads is not how everybody may prefer him to. But we understand the importance of his everyday approach, his professionalism, work ethic, and all those things rub off on a young group of guys. They want you to be a certain way, vocal or whatever. He talks more than people think. He’s not a rah-rah guy out in front of everything. But some of the people that have the most profound words are the ones who say less and say things at the right time.”

Durant’s comfort and familiarity extend beyond the ties with Udoka, who enters his third season at the helm in Houston. University of Texas teammate and close friend Dexter Pittman works on the Rockets’ staff as an intern, and former Longhorn teammate D.J. Augustin holds a role in the front office.

Durant’s close friend Royal Ivey, who also played at Texas and was Durant’s teammate on the Thunder, is a Rockets assistant.

“There’s a lot of Longhorns in the building I guess,” Udoka told ESPN.

Rockets veteran Jeff Green, 39, entered the league in 2007 with Durant as a Seattle SuperSonic, and they also played together in Brooklyn and Oklahoma City. Big man Steven Adams was a Thunder teammate of Durant’s for three seasons, and shooting guard Josh Okogie played with the 2013-14 MVP in Phoenix.

Green said Durant hasn’t changed.

“It was a new world for both of us back then, and we got to experience that together,” Green said. “We were always together, spent a lot of time together in and out of the gym. I always tell people that he’s stayed true to himself. He’s never tried to be somebody he’s not. People get it misunderstood about who he is because how he’s portrayed in the media. I think that’s a little unfair. But Kevin has always kept to himself, put his head down, and let the basketball do the talking. He’s a workaholic. And he’s been a close, close friend, a brother of mine since day one.”

Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors in July 2016. Durant won two titles in three seasons with the Warriors before leaving in free agency to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

TWO DAYS AFTER Golden State’s Buddy Hield dropped 33 points in Game 7 to eliminate Houston on its home floor in the first round of the playoffs, Udoka and Stone strolled side by side into an empty practice gym at Toyota Center seemingly content to run it back this season with that same team.

Arms folded in a cream sweater sitting to Udoka’s left, Stone seemed resolute.

“I will give you an inside betting tip that I think continuity is very, very likely,” he said May 6.

Then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t because of Phoenix’s steadily sinking asking price over the summer for a generational talent in Durant. In a sense, Houston was chasing perfection, too, at the cost of draft picks and a pair of its culture builders in Jalen Green and Brooks.

As the No. 2 seed in the West last season, Houston dripped confidence heading into its opening-round series against the seventh-seeded Warriors. Still, the question lingered internally of whether the Rockets needed to acquire an offensive engine to vault themselves to the next level. The postseason would serve as the ultimate proving ground for Houston’s young players.

Jalen Green held his own as the Rockets’ leading scorer throughout the regular season, averaging 21 points with Sengun adding 19.1 points, followed by VanVleet and Thompson at 14.1 points apiece. But over the four losses in that first-round series, Green averaged 8 points on 13-of-42 shooting for a Houston team that failed to reach the century mark in three of those contests.

Play Fantasy Basketball this season

• Sign up and play for free!
• Fantasy draft guide: rankings, mock drafts, more
• Ultimate Draft Board: Best picks for every round
• Sleepers, breakouts and busts
• “Do Draft” list | “Do Not Draft” list

VanVleet and Sengun raised their scoring averages to 20.9 points and 18.7 points, respectively, in that series. But that wasn’t enough to carry Houston past a veteran-laden Warriors squad led by Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry.

Even after the disappointment of the first-round exit, “nobody was trying to move guys,” Stone told ESPN, because the organization believed it could still realistically chase titles as the young roster developed.

“If Kevin didn’t want to come and wasn’t available, we would’ve been fine coming back with the same team,” Udoka said. “We went into the playoffs looking at the big picture, like, ‘Let’s see what we’ve got with our young guys.’ The plan was to win that series and get more experience. But once we didn’t and were disappointed by it, we still took the positives from it and the plan was to come back with that same group.”

Durant’s availability changed everything.

“Jalen and Dillon, we love those guys,” Stone said. “Everybody does. Not a single person on this team felt they needed to be moved out. And you’re never trying to give away the 10th pick of the draft because that’s still a really good player. We did it because of the opportunity. Kevin’s a very unique player. His archetype is unique. He’s this high-volume efficient scorer who doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands 24-7. In that sense, he’s kind of a unicorn. He’s also a two-way player. There just aren’t a whole lot of Kevin Durants. We’ll just have to see how he ultimately fits.”

Houston ranked 27th last season in effective field goal percentage (43.8%) on off-the-dribble jumpers, according to GeniusIQ, and 24th in effective field goal percentage on all jumpers. Durant knocked down 50.9% of his off-the-dribble jump shots last season, good for second best in a season since player tracking began in 2013-14. His 49.7% on all jumpers that season ranked best in the NBA for players with a minimum of 50 such attempts, according to Genius IQ.

One of the most dangerous iso players in the league, Durant also led the NBA last season in points per direct isolation among players to execute at least 200 isolations. The Rockets finished last season ranked seventh in isolations per game but 27th in points per direct isolation, according to ESPN Research.

Including the regular season and playoffs, Durant has connected on 82 tying or go-ahead shots in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime, according to ESPN Research. That ranks No. 3 since play-by-play data was first tracked (1996-97), trailing LeBron James (111) and Kobe Bryant (101).

“Since I got here, we’ve taken jumps from 22 to 41 wins, and then 52 last year,” Udoka said. “You’re playing to win. You’re playing to advance in the playoffs and do some things for the first time. Well, the expectation goes way up when you get a player like Kevin here.”

Durant is on his fifth NBA team in the Houston Rockets. He has not reached the Finals since winning his second ring — and second Finals MVP — with the Warriors in 2018. Mike Stewart/AP Photo

DURANT’S QUEST FOR perfection seemingly disintegrated just 27 seconds into his preseason debut in Houston, when he fell to the floor after a 16-footer over Jusuf Nurkic rimmed out. Fifty-six seconds later, Durant squeezed past a screen set by Sengun, only for his 7-footer to clang off the right side of the rim.

Durant missed his first three shots as Utah built a quick 10-point lead.

“It’s always a balance every game trying to figure out where I can inject myself into the offense and defense,” he said. “I feel like I got some good looks early on, and they rimmed in and out. I just stayed patient and knew if those shots came around again, I’d be more focused and knock them down.”

Durant drilled his next seven shots to finish with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with two rebounds, one assist and a steal in 23 minutes. Perfection eventually arrived after an imperfect start.

Five days later in Birmingham, Alabama, Durant snagged two rebounds before even taking his first shot — a miss — nearly five minutes into a 130-128 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He missed his first four attempts before connecting on 4 of 5 in the second quarter for 10 points on the way to finishing with 15 points.

ESPN’s NBA Basketball Power Index

Who is No. 1 in the latest NBA Basketball Power Index? Go to Ratings

Interestingly, Durant started that game at guard in a gigantic starting lineup that also featured Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Sengun and Adams. The last time Durant started at guard in the regular season was Jan. 9, 2009, coincidentally against the Rockets, according to ESPN Research.

Like everybody else, Udoka understands Durant will never perfect the craft of basketball, no matter how hard he tries. But the coach believes teammates will eventually join Durant in those efforts.

That’s part of the reason the team traded for Durant.

“No, he won’t ever be perfect. But that love for the game is what it’s all about,” Udoka said. “He just has an old-school mentality when it comes to hooping. You love that about somebody who has accomplished as much as he has, that he’s not satisfied. He wants to continue to build and grow. That’s what drives him. You can tell every day he comes to the gym he’s going 100%, which is not always the case with people. There are certain people that chase the limelight and everything else. He’s not that.”

During their time together in Brooklyn and with Team USA, Udoka watched players marvel every day at Durant’s individual workouts at full game speed after long, grueling full-team practices. Just as Durant would start to transition into his individual workout, “you would see all the guys watching and a lot of them were seeing this for the first time,” Udoka told ESPN.

Count third-year veteran Thompson among the latest to witness Durant’s rigorous routine.

“The best thing I’ve learned from KD is just his work ethic,” Thompson said during the cooldown portion of a Rockets training camp workout. “Sometimes, I would think I’m going hard. Then, you watch KD. He’s damn near 40 and he’s going harder. He’s going super hard. He’s like [at] game speed. I try to incorporate that in my stuff even when I’m not working out with him. I’m just doing game [speed] reps because that’s what he does.”

Walking down the hall alone at Toyota Center after his Rockets preseason debut, Durant briefly stopped as Udoka tapped the forward on the left shoulder to congratulate him for a job well done.

On this warm night in Houston, hope hangs heavy in the thick air as summer transitions into fall. Having already participated in two ring ceremonies with the Warriors, Durant wants the focus Tuesday to be on the Thunder coming off their first championship, not his return to Oklahoma City.

Durant figures his journey toward perfection finally ends in Houston.

“I can see myself retiring here and being a Rocket until it’s over with,” Durant said. “And I hate saying this. I don’t know what’s going to happen on down the line. But as of today, yeah, that’s how I feel. I just feel like I’m at a good point in my career where I know what I do is effective on the court. Why not try to keep getting better at it, keep maintaining and keep focusing on new things to get better?”

Source link

Pro golf is returning to Austin, Texas — and it’s bringing the YouTube generation along with it.

On Monday morning, the PGA Tour announced its return to Austin for the Good Good Championship, a PGA Tour fall season event that will debut in 2026 and be title-sponsored by the popular YouTube golf brand. Like most other PGA Tour fall season events, the Good Good Championship will be aired on Golf Channel and ESPN+, will feature a field of 120 players and will award 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner, in line with regular-season Tour events.

The announcement marks pro golf’s return to a market in which it has long flourished, and to a city from which many were sad to see the sport depart when the WGC Match Play was discontinued in 2023. Events that overlap with the NFL season (the inaugural Good Good Championship will be played from Nov. 12-15) might not generate as many headlines or as much revenue as regular-season events, but they still help the Tour reap a chunk of its $700 million per year in TV rights agreements, and many millions more in title-sponsorship deals like Good Good’s.

For the title-sponsors of thisevent, the news is a strong indicator of the growth of YouTube golf into a golf-industry bonafide. The Tour title sponsorship marks the latest expansion for Good Good across the golf space following a $45 million fundraising round in the spring. While the biggest focus for the Good Good brand from that fundraising round appeared to be the expansion of its prolific YouTube and e-commerce businesses, the Tour sponsorship represents a swing of a different kind. From a brand awareness standpoint, it might be Good Good’s biggest move to date, fully bridging the gap between YouTube golf and its establishment friends at the Tour.

While the cost of the Good Good sponsorship was not disclosed, title sponsorships for full-field PGA Tour events reportedly run between $12-15 million per event — though fall events, which typically draw weaker fields than those in the regular season, may cost less. According to the release, the deal is a “multi-year partnership.”

The Tour’s continued reimagining of its competitive calendar has led to questions about the sustainability of events outside of the Tour’s main sprint from January through late-August. Today, the fall season is the preferred spot for Tour lifers and youngsters fighting for status, though the low-wattage nature of those tournaments relative to the rest of the season has made it easy to envision changes. The Tour’s new “Future Competition Committee” was created in large part to find long-term solutions for pieces of the Tour business like the fall season, even if that chunk of the schedule remains entrenched for the time being. (Golf Channel will handle linear TV coverage of the Good Good Championship, per the Tour’s release.)

The new Tour event also will welcome a new tournament host: the Omni Barton Creek, which will take over hosting duties from Austin Country Club, the longtime host site of the WGC Match Play.

Arch Manning and the No. 21 Texas Longhorns narrowly escaped with a 16-13 overtime road win over Kentucky on Saturday, capped by a game-winning field goal.

Despite a sluggish offensive performance, the Longhorns improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in SEC play, while the Wildcats dropped to 3-3 and remain winless in the conference at 0-4.

Manning struggled to spark the offense, completing 12-of-27 passes for 132 yards with no touchdowns and posting negative rushing yards. Quentrevion Wisner accounted for Texas’ lone touchdown on the ground.

Manning and Texas left fans underwhelmed with their performance on Saturday despite pulling off the overtime victory.

In overtime, a gutsy fourth-and-goal miss by Kansas allowed Texas to win with a walk-off field goal, with fans praising the Longhorns’ defense for the goal-line stop.

One touchdown in the second quarter, a field goal in the third and late field goal highlighted Texas’ offensive struggles, as the Longhorns managed just eight first downs and 171 total yards during regulation.

Heading into Saturday’s game, Manning had completed 63 percent of his passes, totaling 1,317 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, while taking 10 sacks on the season.

They opened the AP preseason poll as the No. 1 ranked team in college football before a Week 1 loss to Ohio State. A 29-21 defeat to unranked Florida dropped them out of the rankings entirely, but a gutsy win over No. 6 Oklahoma the following week helped them climb back in at No. 21.

With a narrow overtime win over Kentucky, it would not be a surprise to see them bounced from the top 25 rankings once more.Â

Texas will hit the road to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs next Saturday.

Source link

Texas Tech’s hopes of an undefeated season came to an end on Saturday as the No. 7 Red Raiders fell short against Arizona State in upset fashion, 26-22.

Texas Tech had been dominant all season up until Saturday’s matchup, but being without starting quarterback Behren Morton proved to be detrimental. Morton was available only in an emergency while dealing with a leg injury.

His replacement, Will Hammond, had just 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

After trailing by double digits for most of the fourth quarter, the Red Raiders managed to find the end zone and make it a five-point game with just under four minutes. They then got the stop they needed on defense before a punt return gave them great field position.

Texas Tech made the most of it, scoring at the two-minute mark to make it a 22-19 game following a two-point conversion.

The Red Raiders needed just one stop to escape with a win, but the Sun Devils had other plans. Sam Leavitt led Arizona State down the field, converting a 4th-and-2 to keep the drive alive.

From there, the Sun Devils got to the goal line on a defensive pass interference call, and running back Raleek Brown punched it in for what would be the game-winning touchdown. The Red Raiders could not respond with a game-winning drive on the other end.

The upset win stunned college football fans.

The loss is by no means detrimental to Texas Tech’s College Football Playoff hopes. The Red Raiders are still in the mix for the Big 12 Championship and could realistically still get an at-large bid to the CFP if they win out.

They’ll try to right the ship against Oklahoma State next week.

Source link

As fall practices continue across the country, more storylines are emerging across the college baseball landscape. Below, you can find Baseball Americaâ€s latest fall ball notes from Jacob Rudner.

Liam Peterson Makes Changes Ahead Of Draft Season

Two years into his college career, Liam Peterson still doesnâ€t consider himself accomplished. His freshman and sophomore seasons, he says, were “steps along the wayâ€â€”more progress reports than proof of concept.

As a freshman in 2024, Peterson showed premium stuff but erratic command, posting a 6.43 ERA with 77 strikeouts and 44 walks across 63 innings. His sophomore season brought refinement, and he pitched to a 4.28 ERA with 96 strikeouts and just 32 walks in 69.1 innings while cutting his home runs allowed total from 15 to nine.

Now, the Florida ace enters 2026 as the No. 1 college pitching prospect in the 2026 draft, a title he is both aware of and eager to live up to.Â

Standing 6-foot-6, Peterson spent the offseason adding 8-10 pounds of muscle—particularly in his lower half—aiming for a more stable base and smoother delivery while allowing his high-velocity arsenal to play with less effort. Peterson posted 14.6% and 10.5% walk rates in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and feels he can achieve an even lower number thanks to his strength gains.

Peterson has also made tangible changes to his operation. His arm slot—previously a blend of over-the-top and very high three-quarters—is now fully vertical, giving his fastball a steeper plane and helping him sync his upper and lower halves.Â

The new look was immediately apparent when he made his fall debut in Gainesville on Tuesday.

“Mechanically, I think I found something more repeatable,†Peterson said before his one-inning outing, during which his refined, more vertical arm slot was immediately visible.

He also tinkered with his pitch mix.

After studying two seasons of data, Peterson introduced a two-seam fastball to complement his four-seamerâ€s elite ride. He didnâ€t throw the new offering Tuesday, as it’s only a month or so old, but he told Baseball America itâ€s a pitch he thinks heâ€ll go to later in the fall and during the upcoming season.

“We thought it would give a different look off my fastball,†Peterson said. “My fastball is kind of a little more of a ride-vert kind of thing, so this will give hitters something different to think about.â€

Texas Arms To Watch

A year after Dylan Volantis became the highest-placing freshman on Baseball Americaâ€s College All-America teams and claimed Freshman of the Year honors, Texas looks poised to keep its youth movement rolling.

Now in year two under coach Jim Schlossnagle, the Longhorns havenâ€t hesitated to trust their newest arms, and several freshmen have already delivered. Righthanders Sam Cozart, Michael Winter, Brody Walls and Brett Crossland, along with lefthander Jack McKernan, all impressed in their first collegiate fall, combining to allow no runs in scrimmages against Texas Tech and Lamar.

Schlossnagle called the group “awesome, with high-end stuff and strikes.” It’s a promising sign for a staff that continues to blend frontline velocity with depth and more experienced players with brand new ones.

A handful of players impressed at the plate, too.

Notre Dame transfer Carson Tinney has shown standout exit velocities and a disciplined offensive approach that could make him one of the most dangerous catchers in the nation in 2026. Returners Aiden Robbins and Ethan Mendoza have also drawn strong reviews this fall, giving Texas a mix of proven experience and immediate-impact freshmen as it pushes deeper into the Schlossnagle era.

Troy Looking For A Rebound

Few programs have carried their near-miss from 2025 harder than Troy, and coach Skylar Meade hasnâ€t hidden his frustration. After narrowly being left out of the NCAA tournament, Meade has been open about his obsession with getting the Trojans back to the postseason for the first time since 2023.

This fall, that pursuit has centered on fundamentals—tightening defense, cutting strikeouts and executing small ball when the moment demands it. Just over two weeks into fall camp, Meade says heâ€s seeing tangible progress.

Offensively, several players have made early statements:

• Jabe Boroff has launched two home runs and produced eight batted balls over 100 mph (topping at 115.1) in 24 at-bats.
• Gavin Schrader has three home runs traveling 418, 434 and 453 feet.
• Jimmy Janickiowns a .429 average, 3.6% strikeout rate and a home run, all while drawing praise for his receiving work behind the plate—“such a dude,†Meade said.
• Aaron Piaseckihasnâ€t swung and missed at a strike and has looked dependable defensively at shortstop and second.
• Blake Cavill has continued to hit, carrying a .375 average and on-base percentage north of .500.

On the mound, the velocity has been loud.

Lefties Zach Crotchfelt and Ben Stubbs and righties Dylan Alonso and Dylan King have all touched 95 mph or better, while lefty Hayden Smith and righties Cooper Ellingworth, Tate Farquhar, Matteo Pare, Noah Thigpen, Blake Dean, Tommy Egan and freshman Brady Richardson have each reached 94 mph.Â

Egan has piled up 14 strikeouts to one walk, Farquhar has generated a 44% whiff rate on his fastball and Crotchfelt has drawn swings and misses on 38% of his strikes in the zone.

Meade also highlighted Dillon Kuehl for his consistent at-bats, while Drew Nelson and King both showed improved stuff and command. Freshman Caden Reeves has made a strong early impression, and Josh Pyne and Steven Meier, though sidelined by injuries, are expected to be key contributors once healthy.

The Sun Belt has become a power conference in baseball with Coastal Carolina reaching the national championship series in 2025. Even so, Troy is confident it will be able to once again compete at the top of the conference in 2026.

Cameron Flukey To Go Slow This Fall

As Liam Peterson settles into his status as the No. 1 college pitching prospect for 2026, Cameron Flukey has already emerged as a legitimate challenger for that spot. In the early stages of the draft cycle, the Coastal Carolina righthander is viewed by many evaluators as every bit Peterson’s equal—if not the favorite—to be the first college arm off the board next July.

Flukey turned in a dominant 2025 season, posting a 3.19 ERA over 101.2 innings with 118 strikeouts to just 24 walks. He combined upper-tier velocity with advanced command and poise, giving him both the stuff and polish of a projected early first-rounder.

Coastal sees him as the unquestioned ace of its 2026 staff as it aims for back-to-back trips to Omaha for the first time in program history. But to ensure Flukey stays fresh for the long haul, the Chanticleers have chosen to manage his workload conservatively this fall. Heâ€ll make only light maintenance outings rather than full scrimmage appearances.

After surpassing 100 innings a season ago, itâ€s a calculated move that aligns with modern load management. And it’s one that should keep Coastalâ€s power righty primed for another big spring.

More Fall Ball Notes

• After batting .274/.433/.402 with four home runs, 11 doubles and 48 walks to 28 strikeouts in his first season at NC State last year, outfielder Ty Head has made plenty of noise this fall. His performance is attracting attention from the scouting community, with one evaluator telling Baseball America he views Head as “one of the top breakout candidates in the country†for 2026. Headâ€s plate discipline has long been a calling card, but his improved strength and consistent loud contact this fall suggest a more complete offensive profile is emerging—one that could anchor the Wolfpack lineup next spring.

• Florida outfielder Kyle Jones has been nearly cleared for full baseball activities after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. Jones told Baseball America heâ€s now able to do everything but slide headfirst into bases—a small restriction after months of rehab. The former Stetson transfer played just four games for the Gators in 2025 before the injury cut his season short. Since then, heâ€s focused on building strength and using it to generate more loft in his swing. Jones remains a no-doubt plus defender in center field with top-of-scale speed and a hit-over-power offensive profile. Multiple evaluators told Baseball America they see Jones as an early-round talent if he can stay healthy and continue to grow physically. If so, it should give Florida another potential impact piece in a lineup already rich with athleticism.

• Stanford transfer Joey Volchko has brought his electric arsenal to Georgia, and early returns in Athens have turned heads. The righthander has touched 99 mph with his fastball this fall and continues to show the pitch shapes that have long intrigued scouts and pro evaluators, who still see untapped upside in his profile. Volchko enters the season with a 5.89 career ERA and 109 strikeouts to 72 walks across 113 collegiate innings—a resume that reflects both his immense potential and ongoing search for consistency. If he can refine his command and settle into a rhythm under Georgia coach Wes Johnson, Volchko has the talent to emerge as the Bulldogs†2026 ace and even insert himself into the conversation alongside the top college arms in next summerâ€s draft class.

• UC Santa Barbara kicked off intrasquad scrimmages Thursday afternoon as it begins preparations for what could be a rebound season in 2026. After a rare NCAA Tournament miss last spring, the Gauchos enter fall camp intent on returning to form under coach Andrew Checketts. Their rotation will be anchored by righthander Jackson Flora, who is one of the premier arms in the 2026 draft class. Floraâ€s combination of command, competitiveness and swing-and-miss stuff gives UCSB a true front-line presence as it looks to reassert itself among the West Coastâ€s elite programs.

• LSU is beginning to ramp up fall activity as it prepares for its second national title defense in three years. The Tigers are easing back key contributors like Casan Evans, whoâ€s set to resume throwing to hitters next week, while also getting an early look at several intriguing newcomers. Among them is lefthander Santiago Garcia, a transfer from Oregon whoâ€s already drawn praise for his competitiveness and flashy arsenal. With the roster still taking shape, more clarity on roles will come in the weeks ahead as LSU works toward its first fall scrimmage against outside competition in early November.

Source link

Texas is feeling good after watching Arch Manning lead the Longhorns to a 23-6 Red River Rivalry win over No. 6 Oklahoma.

The Longhorns athletics department posted a screenshot Saturday night of an account reporting Oklahoma for impersonating “a good football team.”

Oklahoma was ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll. The Sooners had climbed to No. 6 ahead of Saturday’s matchup after opening the season with five straight wins, including victories over ranked opponents in Michigan and Auburn.

Hype surrounding Manning’s first season as starter meanwhile drove Texas to the top of the preseason poll. The Longhorns have since slipped down the rankings, eventually falling out of the top 25 for the first time since 2022 following last weekend’s SEC-opening loss at Florida.

Texas’ struggles continued in the first half of Saturday’s rivalry matchup as the Longhorns went into the halftime break trailing 6-3 despite picking off two passes from Sooners quarterback John Mateer.

Manning then began the third quarter with a go-ahead touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr., kicking off a dominant second half in which the Texas defense kept Oklahoma off the scoreboard entirely.

Texas will now look to ride the momentum from the rivalry win into next Saturday’s road game at Kentucky.

Later this season, Manning and the Longhorns are set to face three more currently-ranked opponents in No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Georgia and No. 5 Texas A&M.

Source link

Texas football enjoyed an emphatic 23-6 win over arch rival (and No. 6 ranked) Oklahoma 23-6 on Saturday afternoon.

Any victory for Texas in the Red River Rivalry should be a cherished one, but this was a huge win for the program after the Longhorns fell 29-21 last week to Florida, who was 1-3 going into the game.

To their credit, Texas shut out any outside noise, worked hard and got the job done, and head coach Steve Sarkisian was thrilled with the process and result.

Sarkisian talked about the team’s resiliency and response more broadly in his opening statement after the victory.

Texas began the season as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press preseason poll. However, that lasted only one week after Ohio State shut down the Texas offense en route to a 14-7 victory.

The Longhorns then rolled off three straight wins by a combined score of 120-17 over San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston.

The UTEP game did cause some concern, as Texas’ passing game didn’t really get going, with quarterback Arch Manning connecting on just 11-of-25 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Still, Texas was on a three-game win streak going into its first SEC game. However, Florida took control of that game early and never really relented, with the team out-gaining Texas 457-341 and possessing the ball for 34 minutes.

That loss knocked Texas out of the AP poll entirely, so it’s clear folks were negative on the Longhorns, especially after their high expectations.

To their credit, though, the Longhorns bounced back strong on Saturday in all three phases. The defense stepped up, intercepting starting quarterback John Mateer three times and holding the Sooners to just 48 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Texas’ offense played clean, efficient and turnover-free football. Manning went 21-of-27 for 166 yards and a touchdown, and running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries.

And then the special teams excelled courtesy of Ryan Niblett, who returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to help give Texas a 20-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Texas will look to keep the positive momentum rolling on Saturday when the team visits Kentucky.

Source link

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

For most wrestling fans, the story of AEW All In, held in Arlington, Texas’ Globe Life Field back in July, will be “Hangman” Adam Page overcoming Jon Moxley and the Death Riders to capture the AEW World Championship. But there was plenty more to analyze about the event, especially from the business side of things. And today, more information has come to light about All In’s funding, attendance, and other happenings from that weekend.

Wrestlenomics reports that AEW is expected to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in reimbursements from Arlington, less so than the $1 million initially expected because of “overestimated attendance.” This is due to the funding for All In accounting for an attendance of 33,490, including 32,500 spectators. According to documentation submitted by city officials on July 12, attendance for All In was 29% less than that, at 23,759 attendees, with 21,973 tickets being scanned at the turnstile gate. Arlington city manager Trey Yelverton confirmed it is state law that when a show’s anticipated attendance is 25% lower than the actual attendance, “a proportional reduction” is triggered in the reimbursement process.

No attendance number had been confirmed for All In previously, though Wrestletix’s final estimate had suggested 27,245 tickets had been distributed. It was noted that, while that number differs from the data provided by Arlington officials, it is “not unusual” for the turnstile count to be lower than the actual amount of tickets distributed. Regardless, Yelverton stated he was pleased AEW ran the show at Globe Life Field and for the number of people outside the area that attended the show, while confirming AEW would receive their reimbursement over the next six to twelve months, as the payments are finalized.

Events From International Promotions Were Reportedly Planned For All In Weekend

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Other information revealed about All In weekend shows that there were originally several more events planned beyond All In and Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor. An application notice lists what appears to be an original plan for All In weekend, which featured “AEW Dynamite” on Wednesday from the Curtis Caldwell Center, followed by an event for CMLL, called Lucha Libre Resurgence, held on Thursday evening from the Arlington eSports Arena. Lucha Libre Resurgence would’ve represented a rare US show for CMLL, which primarily runs shows out of Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Puebla.

Those events would’ve been followed by an AEW music showcase on Friday out of Kratom Backyard, and would’ve featured Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy and Swerve Strickland. More events were scheduled prior to All In on Saturday, including New Japan Strong Style, held Saturday morning in the eSports Arena, and a special “AEW Collision” episode to go along with the AEW Fan Fest at Kratom Backyard.Â

Ultimately, “Collision” took place on Thursday night, in the slot that CMLL would’ve occupied, leaving AEW TV, the fan fest, the Starrcast convention, Supercard of Honor, and All In as the marquee attractions.No reason was given for why the originally listed events didn’t take place, and Wrestlenomics couldn’t confirm whether ticket sales for All In itself led to AEW scrapping other shows due to lower ticket demand.

Source link

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers†search for Bruce Bochyâ€s replacement is centered on Skip Schumaker, a former NL Manager of the Year who has worked in their organization for the past year.

“We have a lead candidate internally that weâ€re focused on,†Chris Young, the teamâ€s president of baseball operations, said Friday.

Young acknowledged that he had begun what he would consider a formal interview process, and that there were not yet any external candidates.

“At this point, we havenâ€t focused there yet,†he said. “Our hope is that we donâ€t have to.â€

Schumaker, a special advisor for the Rangers, was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year when Miami went 84-78 and made the fourth postseason appearance in club history. That was the same year Texas, with Bochy in his debut there, won its first World Series championship.

The Rangers and the 70-year-old Bochy, a four-time World Series champion who was baseballâ€s winningest active manager, mutually agreed Monday to end his managerial stint. That was the day after Texas finished 81-81 for its second non-winning record since its championship. Bochy was at the end of his three-year contract.

The Marlins slipped to 62-100 in 2024 after changes in the front office and a roster decimated by trades and injuries. Schumaker and the team mutually agreed that he wouldnâ€t return for this season.

Texas hired Schumaker last November, a move viewed by many as making him the heir apparent for Bochy. Schumaker remains under contract with the organization through the end of October.

There are seven other MLB teams also looking for new managers. Young wouldnâ€t say if any other teams had requested permission to speak with the 45-year-old Shumaker about their openings.

When asked if there was worry about Schumaker in relation to those other openings, Young said: “Iâ€m not overly concerned at this point.â€

Before going to Miami, Schumaker was a bench coach for St. Louis, where he played for the Cardinals during their 2011 World Series win over Texas. He played 11 big league seasons with St. Louis (2005-12), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati (2014-15).

Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said while Schumaker lives on the West Coast, he has been very involved with the team in his advisory role.

“Heâ€d spend time with us and many different folks in the front office, add his perspective, his wisdom. He was around and available a lot,†Fenstermaker said. “We probably talked to him every few days, if not daily, throughout the course of the year and bounce ideas off him and get his perspective.â€

Bochy has been offered an advisory role in the Rangers front office. He also could be in line for such a position with the San Francisco Giants, though he isnâ€t a candidate for the managerial opening of the team he led to three World Series titles from 2010-14.

With 2,252 wins, Bochy is sixth among all managers, with the five ahead of him all in the Hall of Fame.

Source link

Bruce Bochyâ€s time managing the Texas Rangers has come to an end.

The Rangers and Bochy parted ways Monday, the team announced. The decision was mutual, according to the team’s statement. The Rangers said Bochy was offered a chance to remain with the organization as an adviser in the front office, though itâ€s unclear if he will do so.

“Bruce Bochy is one of the greatest managers in baseball history and he will forever hold a place in the hearts of Ranger fans after bringing home the first World Series title in franchise history in 2023,†Rangers president Chris Young said in a statement. “Boch brought class and respect to our club in his return to the dugout and we will always take pride in being part of his Hall of Fame career. We are grateful for everything he has given to the organization over the past few seasons and hopeful he can continue to impact the Rangers for many years to come.â€

Bochy signed a three-year deal with the Rangers when he was hired in October 2022, so his contract was due to expire this fall. His departure from the Rangers’ dugout wasn’t unexpected, as the 70-year-old manager had just finished his third season leading the team.

Advertisement

Only two years removed from a World Series victory, Bochy and the Rangers had a disappointing season after entering with playoff aspirations, ending with an 81-81 record and finishing third in the AL West.

[Get more Rangers news: Texas team feed]

That marked the second straight season that Texas missed the playoffs following the team’s World Series title in 2023, the first in franchise history, in Bochy’s first season at the helm. A combination of injuries and an unexpected drop-off in play from key contributors led to the team’s decline the past two seasons.

Bochy finishes with a 249-237 record with the organization, which marked his third managerial stop in Major League Baseball. He spent a dozen seasons with the San Diego Padres and 13 with the San Francisco Giants before he retired and then came back to lead the Rangers in 2023. Bochy is currently sixth on MLB’s all-time manager wins list, with 2,252, which is 1,479 shy of all-time leader Connie Mack. Bochy is one of six managers in MLB history to win at least four World Series titles, three of which came with the Giants.

Advertisement

The move to split with Bochy came just one day after the end of the regular season. There are already two open manager roles, as the Giants fired Bob Melvin and the Minnesota Twins dismissed Rocco Baldelli earlier Monday. It’s unclear at this time if Bochy wants to keep working as a manager in the league or if the Giants would be interested in bringing him back.

Source link