Returning from the All-Star break, the Texas Rangers opened the second half of the regular season with a 2-0 win against the Detroit Tigers on Friday at Globe Life Field. The Rangers went into the break with a 2-1 series win against the Houston Astros. The team holds a third-place standing in the American League West and is pegged at 17th in the MLB. Over the break, history was made at the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, with Cal Raleigh being the first ever catcher to win a derby Monday in Atlanta, Georgia. The following day, the MLB showcased the league's finest in the 95th annual All-Star Game on Tuesday. Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom, the team’s lone nomination, earned his fifth All-Star nod but did not take to the mound in his first as a Ranger. Ahead of the trade deadline, the Rangers sent pitcher Dane Dunning to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitcher José Ruiz and cash considerations. Ruiz was optioned to Round Rock Express following the deal. The Rangers leaned on their minor league affiliates to manage their 40-man roster before their opening game against the Tigers. The team selected contracts for Round Rock Express first baseman Rowdy Tellez and infielder Cody Freeman after outfielder Sam Haggerty was placed on the 10-day injured list. Defensive efficiency defined the early innings of the game, as both teams managed only four combined hits and stranded five runners over the first four innings. Pitching was the definitive doorstop for halting both teams’ offenses. The opening pitchers recorded six strikeouts each, with the relievers adding several to total 18 strikeouts throughout the game for both teams. “I can’t say enough about what our pitching did tonight, it’s a tough lineup and well-played game, but it’s good to get off to a start like this,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. The earliest action for the Rangers came from an error produced by Detroit’s shortstop Javier Báez, which allowed Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka to reach third and catcher Jonah Heim to first. Both were left on base after a strikeout from shortstop Corey Seager ended the third inning. Approaching the final stretch, Seager drove it down center field to net a double RBI in the bottom of the eighth that landed him at second base. A flyout by second baseman Marcus Semien left Seager on base and ended the inning 2-0. The Tigers looked for a hole in the Rangers' defense in their final at-bats in the top of the ninth, but a groundout and two strikeouts by reliever Robert Garcia earned him the save and a Ranger win. “It’s good for these guys, we’re doing some good things here offensively,” Bochy said. “Didn’t score a lot of runs today, but when you get to that mark, you keep losing that one game to get you [over .500]. These guys should feel good about it.” The Rangers resume their nine-game homestand with the mid-series match against the Tigers on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. at Globe Life Field. The team will only see one off day during their trio of series. Streaming for the series is available on Rangers Sports Network and Victory+. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Women’s Volleyball Nations League wrapped up its final week of preliminaries with a 3-2 loss for No. 8 Team USA against No. 5 China on Sunday at College Park Center. China snapped Team USA’s five-game run while extending its own to four. The victory marked China’s ninth win in the 2025 VNL. With multiple core rotation changes and several new players on the roster, Team USA faced tribulations early in the preliminary round. After rallying in week two, the team finished week three 3-1 and closed out the phase with seven wins in 12 matches. “Obviously when you make changes, you expect maybe the flow to change a little bit,” head coach Erik Sullivan said. “I thought our players did a good job of staying in our systems and competing real hard.” China stumbled early in the game, letting Team USA quickly take control and win the first two sets. Miscommunication and errors put China in an early hole. The U.S. used its size and power to overwhelm China with strong serves and aggressive net play, deepening China’s early deficit further. By set three, Team USA had conditioned China to expect heavy spikes, creating gaps in coverage that allowed well-placed dinks to land. However, China looked refreshed after the break and cut down on errors. They took the next two sets to even the match, but Team USA held firm as they battled through the fifth set in search of a win. Setter Rachel Fairbanks said China has a unique play style compared to other teams they recently faced. Even with scouting, she said it's up to them to compete against every team. Point-defining blocks and diving saves fueled a back-and-forth battle, drawing shouts from fans with each rally. The arena shook with energy as the match reached a fever pitch. With the fifth set tied at 16, China gained the upper hand and drove in the dagger that sent Team USA into the final plunge to end the set 18-16. Women’s VNL play ramps up for the final week as Team USA and 17 other national teams head into the elimination round in Łódź, Poland. The quarterfinals begin July 23 with the semifinals starting July 26 and the finals happening the following day to wrap up the week. The quarterfinals opening game will have Team USA challenge defending champions No. 1 Italy. The elimination bracket match-ups are available to view on Volleyball World, with all matches set to be available for streaming on VBTV. “We’ll go back to Anaheim and start training, work through some kinks,” libero Morgan Hentz said. “There’s definitely things we can get better at and focus on, so I think it's just that mindset of trying to get 1% better every day.” @kaleivie_

The final leg of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase began as Team USA took to the stage with five other national teams set to play Wednesday through Sunday at College Park Center. To begin the tournament in Arlington, the VNL opened day one with a 3-2 win by No. 7 Germany over No. 15 Canada. After a disheartening 3-1 finish to start the preliminary phase in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Team USA bounced back with a 3-1 overall in week two at Belgrade, Serbia. The team has returned to home soil with an No. 8 standing to kick off week three. Team USA opened this week with a 3-1 win over No. 17 Thailand in the final match of the tournament’s first day at 7:30 p.m. at College Park Center. The victory marked the team’s third straight win in the tournament. Team USA has undergone significant roster changes and additions to the tournament team, with 10 week one VNL debuts and four returning players. “I think the players are getting more comfortable on the competition court,” said Erik Sullivan, Team USA head coach. “The systems that we’ve put in place and been working on for the last month, month and a half, are starting to tighten up and be better.” The first three sets were tightly contested, but Team USA maintained the upper hand and found steady momentum, leading for most of the match. The team held a clear size advantage over Thailand and used it to their benefit throughout the series. Blocked spikes and hard-driven serves helped set the team up for success, but Thailand stayed within reach using set pieces and coordinated plays to keep pressure on USA. “They run a very fast and complex offense, which when they’re in system can be really hard to defend,” Team USA libero Lexi Rodriguez said. “I think it took us the first two sets to adjust to their speed, their style of play and it tests you to be a little bit more disciplined and patient.” Thailand took the second set, but USA held off a late rally to win the third. With momentum on its side, Team USA closed out the match in dominant fashion, taking the fourth set 25-15. The team held at least a seven-point lead throughout the latter half of the final frame and had two 4-0 runs. Team USA setter Jordyn Poulter said Thailand is a scrappy and unique team to face. She called the victory a “total team win” and said she was proud of the team’s ability to stay composed and not get caught up in the opponent’s style of play. The tournament will continue with Team USA facing off against No. 11 Dominican Republic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. The U.S. will play two more matches to close out the women’s preliminary phase, facing Canada at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and No. 6 China at 7 p.m. Sunday. All games are available to stream on VBTV. @kaleivie_

The Dallas Wings (6-13) secured a dominant 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury (12-6) on Thursday at packed College Park Center. The match marked a two game win streak for the Wings, coming off a 79-71 victory over the Mystics. It was also the team’s fourth home game win. On Thursday, Wings guard Paige Bueckers was named June’s Rookie of the Month. She averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.7 steals. Additionally, Bueckers was named a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game alongside former No. 1 overall pick and this year’s All-Star captain, Catlin Clark. This game also featured the return of center Teaira McCowan and center Luisa Geiselsöder, who were across seas for the FIBA Eurobasket that took place June 18-29 across Germany, Greece, Czechia and Italy. From the first tip-off, the crowd and the Wings were explosive, shown through cheering fans whenever the Wings broke into a fast break or found a bucket. Early in the game, the Mercury played physical against Buecker in an attempt to slow her down. The team resorted to doubling and pressuring the No. 1 overall pick throughout the game. Other players took this as an opportunity to show out and take over. “I’m human, sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, just in terms of all the physicality that's let go, but I gotta get used to it, gotta embrace it. That's every night in this league,” Bueckers said. In the first quarter, the Wings went on a 16-5 run, stifling the Mercury’s offense. Guard JJ Quinerly led the charge going 3-4 and 50% from range. The Wings ended the first quarter hot with a 32-20 lead. In the second half, guard Aziaha James and Bueckers dominated. James scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half and finished the game with a career-high. The two scored 34 combined points. “One of my areas I need to work on is just being patient, I feel like I was being patient tonight and just allowing my shots to come to me,” James said. In the second half, the Wings came out slow with multiple fouls called on them which allowed Mercury guard Kahleah Copper to gain momentum. Copper went 10 for 17 on field goal attempts and scored nine free throws to record 33 points. “Proud of our team for sticking to a game plan and executing. Wasn’t perfect, still fouling too much,” head coach Chris Koclanes said. “We’re putting teams to the free throw line, but I thought we did a lot of really positive things.” The Wings had 38 rebounds over the Mercurys' 26. Li Yueru was a main contributor, recording 11 rebounds. The game added her fourth career double-double and third with the Wings. The Wings will go on the road for a rematch against the Phoenix Mercury at 9 p.m. Monday. This game will be available to stream on WNBA League Pass and broadcast on KFAA. @tracysansomjr sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Volleyball Nations League comes to Arlington on July 9 with matches hosted at College Park Center. The Volleyball Nations League is an annual international volleyball tournament organized by the International Volleyball Federation. The tournament hosts men’s and women’s national teams in various cities around the world. The women’s tournament began June 3 and will run through July 27, when the finals are held in Łódź, Poland. The tournament opened with a 3-1 win by Turkey over France. The men’s competition started on June 11, with Poland defeating the Netherlands 3-1, and will conclude Aug. 3 in Ningbo, China. For the third year in a row, Arlington is playing a key role in the women’s group of the Volleyball Nations League. The city hosted the women’s finals in 2023 and week two of the preliminary phase in 2024. This year, Arlington will host week three games of the women’s preliminary round. The second week of the women’s preliminary round ended June 22, with the most recent match a 3-1 win by Poland over Serbia. Italy currently holds the top spot with eight wins and 22 points, followed closely by Poland with seven wins and 21 points. To start week three, Arlington spectators can expect to see matches from the United States, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Germany and Thailand teams. The remaining women’s teams will compete in Apeldoorn, Netherlands and Chiba, Japan. This year’s Volleyball Nations League tournament features a new competitive format, expanding the number of teams and matches. In each gender, 18 teams will compete in 116 matches. Last year’s tournament included 16 teams and 104 matches per gender. In the preliminary round, teams play 12 matches spread across three weeks. There are three pools per week played at three different venues. Each pool includes six teams. The tournament picks back up July 8 with a match between Brazil and Bulgaria in Chiba, Japan. To start its hosting stint, Arlington will host a day full of matches starting with a game between Canada and Germany at 12:30 p.m. July 9 at College Park Center. All matches are available to stream on VBTV. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Texas Rangers (41-43) dropped their series finale 6-4 in extra innings against the Seattle Mariners (43-40) on Sunday at Globe Life Field. The Rangers opened the series against the Mariners with a 7-6 loss Friday, then bounced back with a 3-2 win Saturday. Every game in the series went into extra innings. Earlier in the series, former shortstop Elvis Andrus — who signed a one day contract to retire with the Rangers last September — was inducted into the Rangers’ Hall of Fame. Andrus debuted with the Rangers in 2009 and spent 12 of his 15 MLB seasons in Arlington. Additionally, there was a moment of silence before the first pitch Sunday for three-time Golden Glove winner Dave Parker, who died Saturday from Parkinson’s disease. Parker will be posthumously inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27. Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter said that trial and error has gone into his game, but he is trying to keep it as simple as possible. Leiter recorded six innings and delivered seven strikeouts while on the mound. “There’s so many little things you could think about as a starting pitcher in this game. You can dive into all the little nuances or you can keep it as simple as possible; I’ve seen it done both ways,” he said. The Rangers opened the scoring in the second inning off an RBI from third baseman Josh Jung, who ran in outfielder Evan Carter. The Rangers were then held scoreless for seven innings. Mariners catcher Mitch Garver tied the game in the sixth inning with an RBI single. Seattle added two more runs to open extra innings and took the lead. In response, Rangers shortstop Corey Seager smashed a two-run home run over left center field, running in catcher Kyle Higashioka and tying the game. Seager recorded three RBIs and one hit in four at-bats, and tallied his 10th home run of the 2025 season. After a scoreless 11th inning, the Mariners broke through in the 12th inning on a sacrifice fly, running in outfielder Luke Raley. Immediately after, Garver hit his second home run of the game, sending a left-center field hit over the wall that scored outfielder Randy Arozarena. The Rangers managed one more run off a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th, but could not overcome the deficit. A pop out by Ranger’s second baseman Marcus Semien secured the game and the series for the Mariners. Despite the overall outcome, Leiter was pleased with what he saw from the team. “Obviously wish we could’ve gotten a win, gotta shout out [Jacob] Latz and Luke [Jackson] and Cole [Winn]. The bullpen has been great all year and those guys kept us in it,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch everybody in the bullpen work.” The Rangers revisit the Baltimore Orioles at home, having just won a three-game away series against the team earlier in the week. Texas will host Baltimore at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Globe Life Field. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu