Austin, TX
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.
There was a significant reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2025, according to a national Jewish advocacy group.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 26 antisemitic incidents in the state last year. That’s down from the 52 incidents counted by the group in 2024.
Samantha Joseph, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a big reason for the reduction is a steep decline in antisemitism on college campuses.
“It shows that campus administrators are taking their responsibilities very seriously to provide a safe environment for all of their students,” said Joseph.
Brown University had over $500 million in federal funding frozen by the Trump administration last year following investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The funding was restored after Brown reached a settlement with the administration.
The reduction in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island reflects a wider trend in New England as a whole. According to the ADL’s report, there were 400 antisemitic incidents in the region in 2025, compared to 638 the previous year.
While she’s pleased about the overall drop in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island, Joseph says a number of concerning trends continue to persist. In particular, the state is still seeing more anti-Jewish incidents than it did prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel that launched the Gaza War in 2023.
Joseph is also concerned about the violent nature of local incidents of antisemitism.
“Even though overall incidents are down, assaults are up and assaults with a deadly weapon are up significantly,” said Joseph. “Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe thunderstorms are possible Sunday evening as a cold front arrives in Central Texas. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team will keep you updated on the weather coverage.
Risks to be aware of are damaging wind gusts that could reach as high as 60 to 75 mph and large hail up to quarter size.
Weather Resources:
Live Updates:
5:22 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued for all counties except for Milam County.
3:51 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Mason, San Saba, and Lampasas County until 9:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.: The primary risk for Sunday’s severe weather is damaging wind gusts which could cause power outages.
3:26 p.m.: Storms will likely move toward the I-35 corridor around 6 p.m. Most of the storms will enter the Hill Country around 6 p.m. and the Austin metro counties after 8 p.m.
Video of new Texas Tech System chancellor home at historic Lubbock property
The Texas Tech System is acquiring the historic Tudor Revival ‘English Home’ in Lubbock to serve as the new chancellor’s residence.
Money and rankings don’t make a great university. Providing opportunities for disadvantaged students and protecting academic freedom, however, do.
Case in point: Michael and Susan Dell recently surpassed $1 billion in giving to the University of Texas at Austin, launching a plan to build a new medical center and advanced research campus in north Austin.
To be sure, this is a magnanimous gift that will fund important initiatives. While enormously grateful for this contribution, I am disappointed that this gift was not accompanied with a strong message from Michael Dell admonishing the University for gutting DEI and infringing upon academic freedom.
As a colleague of mine astutely observed: “Good luck recruiting doctors and med students. The attacks on DEI and political climates will mean a lot more than rankings and money long-term.”
UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, referencing the Dell gift, is right: “We are transforming this site into a new campus the world has never seen before.” Yes, never seen, but in a very negative and dangerous way!
Last week, I received a message from the Texas Exes: “This is your last chance to show your support during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, UT Austin’s Texas-sized fundraising event. Can we count on you?”
My answer: “No, absolutely not. I won’t give one dime to a university that no longer is committed to diversity and preserving academic freedom.”
Having proudly taught at UT for 41 years, I am sad to say this.
– Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D. is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication and Founding Director, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) at The University of Texas at Austin.
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