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South Bay meets Southern Hospitality: What Los Gatos baseball team learned from trip to rural Tennessee

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South Bay meets Southern Hospitality: What Los Gatos baseball team learned from trip to rural Tennessee


Like many baseball teams in the Bay Area, Los Gatos spent a week away from home playing non-league teams. 

But instead of taking on other opponents from the West Coast, the Wildcats traveled down to middle Tennessee, playing unfamiliar programs like Friendship Christian and Overton in a small town called Lebanon.

Located around 45 minutes east of the state capitol and a world away from what the South Bay natives were used to, the teenagers grew to appreciate the state that coach Mike Minkel spent his college years.

“They saw a lot of respect for strangers and people you’ve never met before,” said Minkel, who went to school at Cumberland in Lebanon. “A lot of time spent holding doors for people and going out of your way to be kind when you don’t have to be.”

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Despite both graduating from the same NAIA program in the 2000’s, both Minkel and his assistant coach Eric Mull still have plenty of friends in the area, making it possible to plan games and put together events with help from locals. 

Los Gatos won all three games in the Volunteer state, including a 10-5 victory in Nashville over Mookie Betts’ alma mater Overton High. 

They might have been 2,000 miles from temperate Los Gatos, but Brayden Smith and Lucas Carlisle led an offense that looked comfortable in the southeastern humidity. Each junior hit a home run against the Nashville powerhouse, which is 9-1 in league play. 

Los Gatos’ Carter Johnstone (2), shown here in a file photo, has helped Los Gatos win 18 games so far this season (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

The 18-3 Wildcats stayed focused between the lines, but their coaches made sure they also had fun on their trip. 

With several of his players both avid country music and college baseball fans, they also enjoyed a day in the genre’s mecca and caught a Vanderbilt game too. 

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The Wildcats even got to see the South’s party bus and hot chicken epicenter of Broadway Street, albeit from a distance. 

“They got to see what Broadway looked like at night,” Minkel said, who then laughed and added, “Although obviously, we all stayed in the car and drove them around, because there’s not much you can do walking around there at 16.”

But it wasn’t the baseball or the big events that the coach enjoyed the most – It was a quiet team BBQ on the Cumberland river. 

“They’re out doing their thing, they’re engaged in nature and off of their phones,” Minkel remembered. “It was refreshing to see and be a part of it. It was an instance where I didn’t really want to leave there and do the next thing.” 

He hoped that his team took a new appreciation for that region of the country, and the people who live there, back with them to the South Bay. 

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“You take all the politics out of everything, and when you come together and sit down, with us from California and them from Tennessee, we’re all just human beings who care about each other,” Minkel said. 



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Tracking severe weather for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky

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Tracking severe weather for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky


FOX 17 News is in a Code Red weather alert for potential severe weather on Saturday.

Severe thunderstorms impacted Southern Kentucky late this morning and additional storms are possible throughout the day.

The storms should reach the Nashville area between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and continue moving east, reaching the Plateau by near dinner time.

The worst of the weather is expected to clear the Plateau by 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Severe weather outlook for Saturday March 7, 2026. (WZTV)

Portions of Middle Tennessee are under a slight risk (level 2/5). Eastern Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky are under a marginal risk (level 1/5).

Damaging with and potential flooding are the primary concerns with this line of thunderstorms.

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While the tornado threat is very low, it cannot be completely ruled out.



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Tennessee Baseball Walks Off Wright State in Game One

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Tennessee Baseball Walks Off Wright State in Game One


The Tennessee Volunteers played against the Wright State Raiders in the first of their three game series this weekend. Here is how the game played out.

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Tennessee vs. Wright State Recap

Tegan Kuhns against Wright State on March 6 (2026) | Dale Dowden – Vols on SI

Wright State got started very early on, as they scored on an RBI double. This came within the first inning of the game, and the Raiders were looking good. They ultimately didn’t get anywhere in the second inning, which led to the Vols coming up to bat in their second set of batters.

The Vols couldn’t get anything going within the first innings of the game. That was until both teams scored in the third inning. The Vols scored off the bat of Henry Ford, who hit an RBI single.

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Kuhns was later hit deep on a home run to right field. This extended the lead, as he started to show some signs of struggling. Brady Frederick began to warm up for the Vols around this time. They looked to get the bats going, as they would have Blake Grimmer up to bat to start the inning. Nothing going for the Vols at that time though, as they were held hitless in the inning.

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Kuhns continued to pitch through the fifth inning with Frederick remaining in the bullpen. He pushed through the fifth, but it looked as if his day was done following his final at bat of the inning being taken to the warning track. After multiple at bats didn’t go the way Tennessee wanted Kuhns would remain in the dugout, as Brandon Arvidson stepped in for the starter during the sixth inning.

Some early struggles for the reliever was revealed. He was put into a trick position with two on (both on the corners) with one out. Arvidson and the Vols were able to get out of that pickle, but they needed their bats to get going. That is exactly what happened as a home run from Blake Grimmer brought the game within one yet again They still trailed entering the seventh inning. Arvidson was able to escape the inning, but the Vols would get the equalizing run across home off the bat of Ford, who hit an RBI double. The player who scored was Abernathy. This was huge.

Arvidson had a huge eighth inning, as he finished with a massive strikeout in the inning. If the Vols were to get a run across, they would have the chance to put the game away with three more outs if they continued to play well. Arvidson’s day ended, just for Frederick to come into the game ahead of the ninth inning. Frederick picked up two strikeouts and escaped with little to no damage.

The Vols were in walk-off territory. A lead off double for Garrett Wright got the Vols started in the ninth. The Vols won the game on a lead off hit from Manny Marin.

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US immigration authorities arrest Spanish-language news reporter in Tennessee

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US immigration authorities arrest Spanish-language news reporter in Tennessee


U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee but agents didn’t have a warrant, according to court documents filed by this week her lawyer.

Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for Spanish-language news outlet Nashville Noticias who has done stories critical of ICE, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop and is being detained by ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, according to documents filed in federal court in Nashville. Her lawyers called for her immediate release.

Rodriguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the U.S lawfully and has been living in the U.S. for the past five years, court records filed by her lawyer show. She has a valid work permit, and she has applied for political asylum and legal status though her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.

Rodriguez was with her husband in a marked Nashville Noticias vehicle when it was surrounded by several other vehicles and she was taken to a detention center, the news outlet said in a statement.

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ICE did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

ICE scheduled a meeting with Rodriguez on her case but it was rescheduled twice, first because the office was closed during a winter storm and the second time because an agent couldn’t find her appointment in the system, her lawyers said in court documents.

A new meeting was then set for March 17.

When she was arrested, Rodriguez was not shown any arrest warrant, only an immigration document telling her to appear before ICE. Her lawyer, Joel Coxander, has spoken to an ICE agent who indicated that there was no arrest warrant for her at the time of her arrest, her lawyer said in court documents.

Rodriguez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022, covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, the news outlet’s statement said.

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“She needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law,” the statement said.

Read the full statement:

“Official Statement from Nashville Noticias Regarding the Detention of Our Colleague Reporter Estefany Rodríguez by ICE Agents

On March 4, Estefany Rodríguez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 Nashville, was with her husband, Alejandro Medina III, outside the gym located at 2615 Murfreesboro Pike, when the vehicle they were traveling in (marked with the Nashville Noticias logo) was surrounded by several other vehicles. Several men got out and demanded that our colleague be taken into custody for reasons that the legal team will specify at a later date.

Estefany Rodríguez was taken to a detention center.

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Estefany Rodríguez holds a degree in journalism from Colombia, her native country, where she has worked for several years at various news outlets. She joined the Nashville Noticias team in 2022, covering social, family, health, police, and immigration issues.

Nashville Noticias LLC expresses its respect for the laws of the United States and hopes that this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague so that she can be released soon, as she needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law. Her legal team at MIRA Legal, as well as the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (TIRRC), are providing legal representation in the case and will have details on the progress and responses from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Federal Court.

Nashville Noticias will also be providing updates on its social media platforms and website, nashvillenoticias.com.

We trust in the justice system of the United States of America.

Respectfully,

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Nashville Noticias LLC

March 5 2026″



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