Brigham Young Hands UC A Third Straight Loss

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

The Brigham Young University Cougars took a leap forward toward a Big 12 title with a 26-14 win over the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. It was Cincinnati's third straight loss in the conference.

The Cougars 10-1 (7-1 Big 12) and (11 AP) came to Nippert Stadium Saturday night with a chance to clinch a spot in the 2025 Edward Jones Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, Texas on December 6 at noon Eastern on ABC.

The Cougars needed a win over the Bearcats 7-4 (5-3 Big 12) and a loss by Arizona State to Colorado, tonight. Utah's 51-47 win over Kansas State, helped the BYU cause.

"We went toe-to-toe with those guys and didn't play our best ball," Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said. "We missed three field goals. We got fourth and one inside the five and don't get it. It comes down to execution. We didn't make enough plays."

The Bearcats stopped the Cougars on the first possession forcing a punt from the Cincinnati 46 yard line.

The Cougars got the ball back at midfield and drove 50 yards in 10 plays to score with 4:39 in the first quarter. Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier carried to ball over the goal line from six yards out. Will Ferrin converted from placement.

Cincinnati fell short of the BYU two yard line on two tries to turn the ball over on downs on the first play of the second quarter.

"The have a real good red zone defense," Satterfield as his team scored just once on three red zone chances.

The Bearcats forced a punt from inside the Cougars 10 and took over on the BYU 47 with 12:58 left in the half.

Stephen Rusnak missed a 42-yard field goal attempt after a third down pass to Noah Jennings was ruled incomplete on review.

The Bearcats forced a punt and Manny Covey returned it 57 yards to the BYU 33. Two plays later Brendan Sorsby found Cyrus Allen in the endzone with a game-tying 33-yard touchdown pass with 6:34 in the first half. It was Allen's conference leading 11th touchdown catch.

Ferrin kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:56 left to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead.

Rusnak missed a 40-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds in the first half as BYU took a three-point lead into halftime.

Sorsby was intercepted by Tanner Wall at the Cougar 34 yard line. BYU drove 66 yards on 10 plays with LJ Martin scoring from a yard out to extend its lead to 17-7 with 8:26 left in the third quarter.

Rusnak, who kicked 22 straight field goals to begin the season, missed his third field goal when 48-yard attempt with 5:15 in the third quarter was wide left.

"Stephen missed one field goal in 10 games and missed three tonight," Satterfield said. "We get nine more points tonight it is a little bit different there when we're calling plays and they're calling plays. I have a lot of confidence in Stephen. I watch him kick in practice. He usually doesn't let anything bother him."

Cincinnati held BYU to a fouth and three but Marquavious Saboor was offside on the punt, giving the Cougars a first down.

Ferrin capped a 12-play, 56-yard scoring drive that ate over six minutes with a 32-yard field goal to increase BYU's lead to 20-7 with 14:07 left in the game.

Cincinnati closed to within a touchdown at 4:37 when Sorsby completed a 19-yard pass to Jeff Caldwell to complete an 86-yard drive in eight plays in 3:14.

Martin finished the scoring with a 33-yard run. The two-point try failed. Martin finished with 223 yards on 32 carries.

Brigham Young Could Clinch A Spot In The Big 12 Title Game With A Win Over UC

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Brigham Young University took a big step toward the Big 12 Championship by sending the University of Cincinnati Bearcats to its third straight loss, 20-7.

A win by number 11 Brigham Young 10-1, 7-1 Big 12)could clinch their spot in the 2025 Edward Jones Big 12 Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The win over Cincinnati (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) tonight and losses by Arizona State coupled with Utah's 51-47 win over Kanas State will clinch a birth for the Cougars from Provo, Utah. They could also clinch with a win over Cincinnati, an Arizona State loss combined with Houston's 17-14 loss to TCU this afternoon.

Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) will clinch with a BYU win over the Bearcats and a loss by Arizona State to Colorado, tonight.

The Raiders, who are idle this week, can get in if Arizona State, BYU loss to Cincinnati. Utah's 51-47 win over Kansas State, extends the suspense for another week.

Cincinnati Bearcats Fall To The Arizona Wildcats In First Ever Meeting

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

The Cincinnati Bearcat #25 and Arizona Wildcats played each other for the first time. The Wildcats held on for a 30-24 win by running the last 5:04 off the clock and Michael Salgano-Medina kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:34 left in the game.

Cincinnati (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) came into the game on top of the Big 12 while Arizona (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) had momentum with wins in its last two games."

Tawee Walker rushed for 119 yards but Brendan Sorsby had one of his worst passing days of the season and threw two interceptions. He also rolled his ankle late in the third quarter. Sorsby ended with 154d yards passing but only had 75 through the third quarter.

"We didn't make enough plays," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "We missed some tackles, too. Give Arizona credit. They took some things away from us. They doubled Joe Royer and we can't force it to him. There has to be someone one-on-one when they do that. We had some drops and they just made more plays than we did."

The Bearcats were without running back Evan Pryor and wide receiver Caleb Goodie. Both should be ready for Brigham Young University, next Saturday. True freshman running back, Zion Johnson from Covington, Georgia, emerged from the scout team to contribute 42 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

"I haven't done a good job against one-on-one coverage the last two weeks," Sorsby said. "We have to figure it out because that's what we're going to see the rest of the way. Goodie can stretch the defense and is really fast but we have to figure it out with who we have."

The loss hurts the Bearcats chances of playing for the Big 12 title but they have BYU next week, face-to-face to take care of that aspiration.

"There are a lot of good teams in this conference," nose tackle, Dontay Corleone said. "Last year everyone had two losses at the end."

Sorsby threw an interception on the first play from . Jay'Vion Cole picked off the pass and returned it to the Cincinnati 26. Two plays later, Ismail Mahdi scored on a 27-yard run. Michael Salgado-Medina converted from placement for the extra point with 14:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Tawee Walker broke free on a 39-yard run and Zion Johnson ran for 21 yards. Those plays set up a three-yard touchdown run by Sorsby. Stephen Rusnak kicked the extra point to tie the game with 11:07 left in the quarter.

The Bearcats stopped Arizona on the next series. The Bearcats took five plays to cover 74 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Walker picked up 54 yards on the ground on the first play from scrimmage. Sorsby connected with Jeff Caldwell for a seven-yard score.

Cincinnati survived a 50-yard field goal attempt by Salgado-Medina with 3:48 left in the quarter.

The Bearcats went three and out. Arizona got the ball back on the 50 after Cincinnati interfered with the fair catch. 

Mathew McDoom interfered with Noah Fifta's pass to give the Wildcats a first down on the Cincinnati 35. The quarter ended with Arizona's first and 10 from Cincinnati's 11-yard line. Logan Wilson blocked Arizona's 34-yard attempt. It was the first blocked field goal since 2022 by Jawon Briggs against Navy.

Sorsby threw his second interception of the half. Dalton Johnson intercepted Sorsby's pass intended for Cyress Allen at the Arizona 36. Sorsby did not turn the ball over at all in the Bearcats first eight games but has now thrown three interceptions in the last two games.

Cincinnati held Arizona to a 24-yard field goal by Salgado-Medina to cut the Bearcats lead to 14-10 at halftime. 

Arizona took the first possession of the second half to the Cincinnati seven. The Bearcats defense held and Salgado-Medina kicked a 25-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 68-yard drive to cut the Cincinnati lead to 14-13.

Cincinnati went three and out on its first possession of the second half but punter Max Fletcher pinned to Wildcats on their out one with 7:49 left in the third quarter. 

The Wildcats drove 99 yards in six plays. Fifita completed a 30-yard pass to Chris Hunter on a third and five. Kedrick Reescano ran for a 50-yard score to give Arizona a 20-14 lead with 5:21 left in the third quarter.

Sorsby threw a 37-yard pass to Allen to set up Rusnak's 28-yard field goal to cut the Wildcats' lead to 20-17 at the end of the quarter.

The Wildcats took a 27-17 lead with a 75-yard, nine-play scoring drive. Fifita threw 15 yards to Gio Richardson in the endzone. There were 10:53 left in the game.

Cincinnati converted on a fourth and one with a four-yard pass to Caldwell. Johnson capped the drive with a one-yard plunge with 6:38 to play,

Reds Roster Undergoes Housekeeping

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

On November 6, The Reds made the following roster moves.

The Reds reinstated RHP Julian Aguiar, INF Tyler Callihan, RHP Rhett Lowder, RHP Carson Spiers, LHP Brandon Williamson, from the 60-day injured list.

They sent RHP Sam Benschoter outright to AAA-Louisville.

The team selected the contract of RHP Jose Franco from AAA-Louisville.

Cincinnati claimed RHP Roddery Muñoz (pronounced "rah-duh-ree MOON-yohs") off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.

LHP Reiver Sanmartin was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants.

Aguiar is a 24-year old from Long Beach, California. He was taken by the Reds in the 12th round of the 2021 draft out of Cypress College. The Reds brought him to the big leagues in 2024. He started against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 19 and pitched four innings allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out two in a 6-3 Reds’ win. He was the winning pitcher against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 24. Aguiar worked six innings allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out four. The Reds won all of the first six games he started, including his 6 ⅓ inning effort against the Minnesota Twins on September 13. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, striking out four. The last game Aguier pitched was on September 19. He lasted four innings but surrendered seven runs in a 15-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. He suffered a right elbow strain and had surgery on October 24, 2024. He will compete for a starting rotation spot this spring.

Callihan was the Reds third round draft pick in 2019 from the Providence School of Jacksonville. The 25-year old made his first big league appearance in the first game of a doubleheader on April 30 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Callihan got his first hit and RBI on May 3 against the Washington Nationals. He started the May 5th game in Atlanta when he had multiple serious injuries trying to make a catch on a fly ball down the left field line by Matt Olson. The play resulted in an inside-the-park home run in a 4-0 loss to the Braves. Callihan had a broken left forearm and had wrist surgery on May 6.

Lowder (No. 5 prospect) right forearm strain/left oblique strain missed spring training and rehabbed the entire 2025 season. He is pitching in the Arizona Fall League. An innings expectation wasn't known, but the club wants Lowder to have a normal offseason heading into Spring Training 2026.

Williamson is recovering from a torn left UCL. He had  “Tommy John”  surgery in September 2024. He was expected to complete his rehab throwing program in October and have a full offseason before returning to compete for a rotation spot in 2026.

Spiers, another pitcher competing for a rotation spot, earned it this spring while Andrew Abbott was on the mend and Graham Ashcraft was moved on to the bullpen. Spiers was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. He also had Tommy John surgery performed by Dr. Keith Meister.

Franco, 24, split the 2025 campaign between double A Chattanooga and triple A Louisville, pitching to a 10-4 record with a 3.11 ERA across 31 appearances (26 starts). This past season, he paced all Reds farmhands in wins and also ranked among the organization's minor-league leaders in starts (T1st), strikeouts (118, 2nd), and innings pitched (110, 4th). Originally signed by the Reds as a minor league free agent on 10/16/18, Franco has pitched in parts of five seasons in the Reds organization.

Muñoz, 25, has pitched in 27 games (17 starts) across parts of two Major League seasons with the Miami Marlins (2024) and St. Louis Cardinals (2025). He spent most of the 2025 campaign with the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, where he pitched to a 4-3 record with a 3.28 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 38 appearances (all in relief).

On November 2 OF/DH Miguel Andujar, RHP Emilio Pagán elected free agency, LHP Wade Miley, RHP Zack Littell and RHP Nick Martinez elected free agency

 

Reds Decline Three Options and Sign Keegan Thompson

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall announced the signing of free-agent RHP Keegan Thompson to a 1-year Major League contract through the 2026 season on November 4.

Thompson, 30, spent the entire 2025 campaign with the AAA-Iowa Cubs after being designated for assignment by Chicago on March 17. Thompson made 35 appearances (two starts) with the club, he pitched to a 6-2 record with a 4.50 ERA (64ip, 33r/32er).

Selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2017 first-year player draft, Thompson made 104 appearances (23 starts) in parts of 4 Major League seasons with the team. He made his Major League debut against the Reds on May 2, 2021, at Great American Ball Park.

Today, November 5 the Reds declined their options on Scott Barlow, Brent Suter and Austin Hays making them free agents. 

The Reds have 32 players on the roster, including Thompson.

Cuban National Team Highlights The Reds 2026 Cactus League Schedule

Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

The Reds will host the Cuban National team at Goodyear Ballpark on March 4.

The Reds announced its spring training schedule that includes this game in advance of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Other highlights include two meetings with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers on March 5 in Goodyear and March 12 in Glendale, Arizona at the Dodgers facility at Camelback Ranch.

The Cactus League opens with the Cleveland Guardians hosting the Reds on February 21. The spring training version of the Ohio Cup will continue with the Reds the home team on what has become a tradition on St. Patrick’s day on March 17. The Reds break camp against Cleveland on March 22 before making a stop over in Milwaukee to play the defending Central Division Champion Brewers on March 23 and 24. The teams meet twice in Arizona with the Reds at Maryvale on February 28 and in Goodyear on March 11.

The Reds play the Chicago Cubs on March 2 in Goodyear and March 20 in Mesa at Sloan Park.

The schedule includes split squads on March 8 Arizona home and San Diego up the road in Peoria, March 13 San Francisco at home and in Scottsdale and March 18 Colorado at home and Los Angeles Angels in Tempe.

Off days are scheduled on February 23, March 3 and 19.

After the Reds finish the two game set in Milwaukee they will have a workout day at Great American Ball Park and open the season against the Boston Red Sox on March 26.

 

Reds Clear Space On Roster Add To Coaching Staff

 

 

 

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

The Reds cleared three 40-man roster spots in the first three days of November.

Infielder Santiago Espinal and right handed relief pitcher Ian Gibaut were assigned outright to Louisville. Espinal will likely elect free agency. Gibaut missed most of the season with a right shoulder impingement which required surgery in August. Espinal, an All-Star for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, was an important role player for the Reds the last two seasons.

Both players elected free agency.

The Reds traded outfielder Ryan Vilade to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. The Reds claimed Vilade on waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a good offensive season, slashing .290/.378/.511 with 29 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs with 66 RBI. He was blocked by Rece Hinds, Blake Dunn and Wil Benson.

The spots are necessary to allow the Reds’ to protect, shortstop Edwin Arroyo, outfielder Hector Rodriguez and infielder Leo Balcazar from the Rule V draft. November 18 is the deadline for that decision. 

On the coaching front, Brad Mills retired as one of Terry Francona’s two bench coaches. Mills retires after 42 seasons in professional baseball, 22 seasons as a Major League coach or manager. He had been on Francona's coaching staff for 18 seasons, including with Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Mills managed Houston from 2010-12. He played professionally from 1979-86, including parts of 4 seasons from 1980-83 with Montreal.

Mills and Francona have been friends since they were road roommates on the Arizona Wildcats baseball team. They were teammates in Montreal too.

Mills was a bench coach for Francona in Cleveland but left his staff in 2020 when Mills’ son Beau suffered the death of his son. Francona brought Mills back as his bench coach this season and shared duties with long time Reds coach Freddie Benevides.

“He knows what I’m thinking before I do,” Francona said often of Mills. 

Mike Napoli will replace Mills on the Reds’ staff. Napoli was a late addition to the Reds’ staff. Francona managed Napoli in Cleveland. Napoli was a key player on the World Series team in 2016. 

Napoli was a Major League Staff Assistant for five seasons (2020-24), Mike was a member of the Cubs major league coaching staff, the last 3 seasons as first base coach and the first 2 seasons as quality assurance coach. Napoli had a 12-year major league playing career, where he hit .246 (1,125-for-4,572) with 224 doubles, 267 homers and 744 RBI in 1,392 career games with the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and Indians. He was named an A.L. All-Star in 2012 with the Rangers. Mike was a member of the 2013 World Champion Boston Red Sox and also reached the World Series with Texas in 2011 as well.             

Reds’ third base coach the last seven seasons, JR House, took a job with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Reds’ chose Willie Harris to replace House.

Harris last season was the Manager at A-Daytona. From 2021-24 he was the Chicago Cubs’ third base coach. He spent the 2020 season as Cincinnati’s minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator. From 2018-19, Harris was the manager for Class AA Richmond in the Giants’ organization. 

Harris also served as a manager during the 2019 Arizona Fall League season. He began his coaching career in 2016 as the hitting coach for Great Falls, a White Sox rookie affiliate. He spent the following season as the manager of the White Sox’ Class A affiliate in Winston-Salem. 

Harris enjoyed a 12-year Major League playing career, with stops in Baltimore, Chicago White Sox, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, NY Mets, and Cincinnati (2012). He scored the lone run in the White Sox’ World Series-clinching victory at Houston in 2005.

House also coached the Reds’ catchers.

Bill Hasselman will take over that role on the staff.

Haselman has played professional baseball or coached for 35 seasons. He has spent the last 4 seasons in Angels organization, the last 2 seasons as minor league catching coordinator and previous 2 seasons as Angels Major League third base coach in 2023 and catching coach in 2022. 

Also in 2022, he was acting manager for 2 games (0-2) against Houston and Miami while Phil Nevin was serving a suspension. From 2004-06, Bill was a member of Francona’s Red Sox coaching staff. He held various coaching positions at the Major League level with the Red Sox. 

Haselman was a 13-year Major League veteran, compiled a .259 (416/1606) lifetime average with 47 home runs and 210 RBI with the Rangers, Mariners, Red Sox and Tigers primarily as a catcher.