Austin, TX

Austin-area products help spur Texas A&M baseball in College World Series

Published

2 years ago

June 19, 2024

Austin-area products help spur Texas A&M baseball in College World Series

Texas A&M’s success in the College World Series has been the ultimate nod to Austin-area high school baseball.

Whether it’s been for most of the season in the case of Travis Chestnut (Pflugerville), becoming a postseason hero like Kaeden Kent (Lake Travis) or simply closing out a win as Josh Stewart (Savio) did Monday against Kentucky, locals have played a big part in the Aggies’ chase for a national title.

Here’s a look at the Austin-area players spurring the Aggies:

A constant grind has propelled Pflugerville’s Chestnut

Chestnut, who starred for Pflugerville from 2017-2020, has been a starter since early April.

The senior played second base until the super regional, when an injury to outfielder Braden Montgomery forced him to center field, where he’s played the last four games, which have all been Texas A&M wins.

Under-recruited out of high school after losing most of his senior season to the pandemic, Chestnut spent two years at Temple College before transferring to Texas A&M prior to last season.

He had an RBI single in Saturday’s win over Florida to start the CWS and Monday walked twice and stole a base vs. Kentucky. Pflugerville coach Dale Waggoner said he’s not surprised by what his former player has done for the Aggies.

“When he was a freshman he started at shortstop for us,” said Waggoner, who is one of the longest-tenured baseball coaches in the Austin area. “You saw how athletic he was and there was something different about him. That stuff you can’t coach. When he played for us, I always knew he had a chance to play somewhere big.”

More: ‘We’re just a hard-nosed team:’ Pflugerville grinds out playoff win

Mostly known for his defense as a dynamic middle infielder, Chestnut has still contributed with his bat. He’s hitting .268 and has driven in 13 runs — his highlight was going 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs in a win over Georgia in late April — while making an impact on the base paths with 17 steals.

That’s where Waggoner said he excels and thinks gives him a chance to get looked at for the minor leagues later this summer.

But first, Waggoner will be following Chestnut and Texas A&M’s every move the rest of their time in Omaha.

“It’s been pretty exciting watching him,” he said. “Just seeing all the work he’s put in having paid off is awesome. He always wanted to go somewhere where he could go to the College World Series, and we still communicate pretty regularly.”

Kent now a household name

Ironically, Kent replaced Chestnut at second base in the super regional and has burst onto the national scene ever since.

Though he played plenty during the regular season and had a hit and scored a run in the Aggies’ win over Texas in the regional tournament, it’s been a meteoric rise for Kent the last 10 days.

He went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, double and five RBIs to lead A&M in Game 2 vs. Oregon to sweep the super regional, then Monday finished 2-for-4 with two runs driven in during the CWS win over Kentucky.

In the postseason, Kent — who the son of former MLB player Jeff Kent and was the Statesman’s All-Central Texas player of the year in 2022 — is hitting over .450.

More: As son of an MLB stalwart, Lake Travis shortstop Kaeden Kent leads area’s top 6A team

Like Waggoner, Lake Travis coach Ryan Rogers said he expected his former player to do big things at the next level.

“There was a maturity about him from day one here,” said Rogers, who was an assistant during Kaeden Kent’s time with the Cavs and has since been promoted to be Lake Travis’ head coach. “You look at the way he works at it and is focused — he’s almost like a professional the way he goes about it. You knew he’d be successful once he got the opportunity.”

Stewart finishes Kentucky

Stewart made the most of his first appearance of the NCAA tournament.

Originally from Georgetown who excelled at Savio last decade, the junior struck out three and recorded the final seven outs Monday vs. the Wildcats.

Oh, and he also spent his freshman year at Texas in 2022 before transferring to join the Aggies.

Stewart has made 22 appearances this year, including tossing three shutout innings in a win over USC.

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Austin, TX

Austin Police Department updates procedures after controversial deportation

Published

5 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Austin Police Department updates procedures after controversial deportation

AUSTIN, Texas — An update to the Austin Police Department’s (APD) procedures outlines that officers are not required to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when a person is found to have an ICE administrative warrant if they have no other arrestable charge.

The update follows a controversial deportation from January, when a woman’s disturbance call to APD led to her detainment, alongside her 5-year-old child, who is a U.S. citizen.

The incident led to questions from the community regarding the way APD is supposed to interact with ICE.

In a March 4 memo, APD Police Chief Lisa Davis said that the directives provided by ICE administrative warrants could be confusing in their wording.

According to Davis, officers have not historically regularly encountered administrative warrants while using the National Crime Information Center database, which is used to conduct identity checks. However, in 2025, federal agencies began entering a large volume of administrative warrants into the system.

According to the memo, administrative warrants are formatted in a way that looks similar to criminal warrants in the system.

The APD General Orders have been updated to clearly define the difference between criminal warrants and ICE administrative warrants, as well as specific instructions for how ICE administrative warrants should be handled moving forward.

“APD recognizes the sensitivity of this issue, not only within our city but across the nation. These policies were updated to provide clarity to our officers, ensure compliance with state law, and maintain officer discretion guided by supervisory oversight and operational consideration,” Davis said in the memo.

The updated procedures instruct officers to contact their supervisor when a person is found to have only an ICE administrative warrant, but no other arrestable criminal charge. From there, the officer or their supervisor may contact ICE, but is not required to.

“Austin Police and City of Austin leadership share a paramount goal for Austin to be a safe city for everyone who lives, works, or visits here,” Davis said in the memo. “We particularly want to ensure that anyone who witnesses or is the victim of a crime feels secure in contacting the police for help.”

According to the memo, the entire APD staff will be required to complete new training regarding these updates.

“In concert with the policy updates, APD is launching a public webpage to help people understand their rights and provide links to resources available from the City of Austin and community organizations, such as Know Your Rights training,” Davis said in the memo. “The webpage will also include information on the option of using APD Victim Services as an alternative to calling 9-1-1, when appropriate, and links to all general orders and policies related to immigration.”

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Austin, TX

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Published

17 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” […]

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Austin, TX

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts.

Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average.

Texas, though, is a different story.

For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal.

“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.”

It all depends on the weather

How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.

Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather.

If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.

How can you treat allergies in Austin?

If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them:

Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication.
Take a shower before going to bed.
Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen.

Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:

Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
Vacuum and sweep regularly.
Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly.
Keep doors and windows closed.
Clean out the vents in your home.
Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.
Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.

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