New "old" home for Stratton; former ETSU slugger Sisneros dealt

Hunter Stratton is back where it started. The former Sullivan East pitching ace was recently traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is where Stratton's professional career began in 2017. Stratton, who was traded to the Braves by the Pirates last season, returned to Pittsburgh in a deal on June 18 with Atlanta receiving catcher Joey Bart in return. Stratton, who had posted a 2-4 record with two saves in 21 appearances at AAA Gwinnett, was assigned to and has appeared in two games for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Stratton, who is 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 60 MLB appearances with the Braves and Pirates, appeared in one game this season for Atlanta. Former East Tennessee State slugger Cameron Sisneros, 14th round selection by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, has also found a new home, having recently been dealt to the Houston Astros in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray. He is batting .267 with seven home runs and 38 runs batted in this season for Cubs' farm teams in Knoxville and South Bend, and is now with the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks. Former Science Hill and ETSU pitcher Landon Knack made his first regular season appearance of the season on Wednesday for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets. Sidelined since March with an intercostal (ribcage) strain, Knack worked 1.1 innings for the Comets, allowing five hits, two runs, striking out two and walking one. Evan Carter, a second round selection by the Texas Rangers from Elizabethton in 2020, remains on the 10-day injured list for a right oblique strain. Carter, who was key to the Rangers' winning the World Series in 2023, is batting .176 with six home runs, 21 RBIs and 26 runs scored in 66 games this season. Former Tennessee High and Virginia Tech slugger Gavin Cross is hitting .198 with three home runs and 16 RBIs for the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers. The ninth overall selection by the Kansas City Royals in 2022, Cross has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts this season, along with 26 runs scored, five doubles and two triples. Josh Owens, a third round selection from Providence Academy by the Texas Rangers last season, continues to play both ways in the Arizona Complex League. Owen is batting .293 with seven home runs, 21 RBIs, 19 runs scored and a .377 on-base percentage. He has also pitched in seven games, including three starts, with a 1.42 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 12.2 innings the mound. Former ETSU shortstop Cody Miller, a third round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2025, is currently batting .205 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs and 33 stolen bases for the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets. In addition, ETSU's Austin Emener has posted a 2-0 record with a 2.87 ERA in 16 appearances for the High-A Fresno Grizzlies. A 16th round selection by the Colorado Rockies in 2023, Emener, who is a southpaw, has struck out 50 batters in 37.2 innings. On the coaching side, former King University assistant Peter Larson is currently the pitching coach for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders, the Triple-A affiliate for the New York Yankees. Larson, who served as an assistant coach at King for Blaine Brown — who is now the athletic director at Tennessee High — served as a pitching coach in the Minnesota Twins' organization for six seasons before joining the Yankees in 2025. Moving to basketball, former Greeneville and University of Tennessee basketball standout Ja'Kobi Gillespie was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday by the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs. The 42th overall selection, Gillespie, who also played at Belmont and Maryland, became the first draftee from Northeast Tennessee since former Science Hill standout Gary Carter, who was selected out of Tennessee by the San Diego Clippers in the fifth round in 1982. Two other Tennessee players were taken, including Nate Ament, who was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Miami Heat and then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Felix Oxpara was a second round selection and 47 overall pick by the Orlando Magic, and later traded to the Washington Wizards. The last player selected in the NBA Draft from Southwest Virginia was Clarence Hanley from Marion, who was drafted in the fifth round in 1986 out of Old Dominion by the Detroit Pistons. Two other players of note taken in the second round were Isaiah Evans and Tyler Nickel. Evans, who wound up with the Minnesota Timberwolves, played in The Classic for North Mecklenburg (NC). Nickel (North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt), who landed with the New York Knicks, scored 2,909 points at East Rockingham High School, breaking the VHSL record of 2,801 that had been held by Mac McClung of Gate City. Former Dobyns-Bennett and Carson-Newman standout Jack Browder continues to thrive with the Perry Lakes Hawks in Australia, leading the NBA1 in scoring with 32.4 points a contest in 11 games. As for the pitch, former Johnson City resident Maddie Padelski has appearances in four games and tried two shots for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League.