Latest news with #MajorLeaguer
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M baseball makes first major coaching hire for 2026 season
Texas A&M baseball makes first major coaching hire for 2026 season News: Michael Earley is hiring former Texas A&M shortstop and long-time Major Leaguer Cliff Pennington as an assistant coach. He will oversee the infield defense as well as coach third base on offense. Pennington spent the last 4 seasons as an assistant at Dallas Baptist. — Ryan Brauninger (@R_Brauninger) June 4, 2025 Texas A&M head baseball coach Michael Earley has officially replaced former infield coach Will Fox with a former Aggie star and elite assistant coach from Dallas Baptist. With A&M choosing to retain Coach Earley, all eyes were on what changes would happen, especially within the coaching staff, after a disappointing 2025 baseball season. On Wednesday afternoon, Ryan Brauninger of TexAgs reported that A&M is hiring former Texas A&M All-American shortstop Cliff Pennington. After an excellent career in Aggieland, Pennington spent 11 years in Major League Baseball before joining the A&M coaching staff under Rob Childress in 2019. He later took a position at Dallas Baptist as their recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, where he earned the 2024 Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year award. This hire is universally seen as an elite move and should help reduce errors. He will oversee the infield defense and serve as the third base coach. It's a great start toward making the necessary changes, and we expect a few more before it's all said and done. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scrappers' opening night at Eastwood Field is here again for 27th season
NILES, Ohio (WKBN) – Wednesday is opening night at Eastwood Field — the Mahoning Valley Scrappers are back in action and no one is more excited than Scrappy himself. The first pitch against State College is at 7:05 p.m. but get there early for a live pregame performance by The Suns of Beaches band. The first 1,000 adults will get a free Hawaiian shirt. It's also Military Appreciation Night — get two free upper box seat tickets with a valid military ID at the box office. After the game, there will be fireworks. Tuesday night was Scrapper Fest at the Eastwood Mall — a time to get fans excited for the 27th season. Former Major Leaguer and second-year manager Quinton McCracken addressed the crowd, outlining the kind of team he'll be leading. 'We're doubling down but as far as excitement pertaining to this year's team, I mean, we've got a lot of good athletes, we got a lot of live bodies, strong kids that are looking to go out and make a name for themselves,' he said. On Thursday, you can get in the game for just $1 — plus, $1 hot dogs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Kristian Campbell collects first hit in emotional debut for Red Sox
Kristian Campbell is officially a Major Leaguer after making his debut for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The rookie battled a lot of emotions during Opening Day in Texas, but settled in nicely and had a hand in Boston's 5-2 win over the Rangers . Campbell collected his first hit in the big leagues in the ninth inning on a sharp grounder off the glove of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung. The ball ricocheted off Jung's glove and went into left field to give Boston runners on first and third with one out. The Red Sox got the milestone ball for Campbell, and two pitches later Wilyer Abreu smacked a three-run homer into the Rangers bullpen to plate the game-winning runs for Boston. However, Campbell was not on base for that blast, as David Hamilton pinch ran for him after the rookie collected his first big-league knock. That too was a first for Campbell, who said after the game he had never been pinch-run for before. (He took no issue with being replaced by the speedy Hamilton on the basepaths.) It was a day full of firsts for Campbell, who at 22 years and 272 days old became the youngest Red Sox player to make their MLB debut in the Opening Day lineup since Joe Lahoud in 1968. Campbell's family was in the stands for his pro debut, which just added to the rookie's emptions on the day. He went 1-for-3 at the plate with his single, a strikeout, and a five-pitch walk in the top of the seventh. After taking some awkward swings in his first two at-bats, he settled in nicely and showed his usual discipline at the plate. "The second half, I started settling in," Campbell said of the emotions he battled early in the game . "The first half, I was definitely emotional [and] before the game. The National Anthem, I had some tears and stuff just thinking about family and how long I've come to get it at the moment. "It's crazy. It was a lot today," he added. "It was the most people I have ever played in front of. I definitely didn't feel anything for the first half of the game. And then in the second half I was able to settle in a little bit better. It was definitely something to get used to." Campbell learned a lot about life in the big leagues over the last few days. He was unaware he got his own room at the team hotel, and didn't know the team traveled on its own plane. There was another surprise waiting for him after the game when the staff gave Campbell the ball from his first big-league hit wrapped in a sock for safe keeping. "I didn't know that was a thing," said Campbell, who planned on giving the ball to his parents. "It was just really cool. I really enjoyed it." With his MLB debut now in the rearview mirror and his emotions in check, Campbell can simply focus on going out and playing ball.
