Tracking Brevard's stars: A's call up Beau; Jordan overseas; Horschel, Harris, Stengel heat up

Hillard Grossman
Florida Today

A glance at Brevard's sports stars:

Beau Taylor

Beau Taylor: The former Rockledge High and UCF catcher got his first taste of the major leagues by being called up to the playoff-contending Oakland A's. He's 0-for-1 so far after hitting .248 with three homers and 39 RBI in 90 games with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League. In his minor league career, he has 33 homers and 302 RBI. 

Taylor Jordan: The last time we saw the former Merritt Island High star, he was pitching on national TV for the Washington Nationals after spending spring training in Viera. Times have changed. The 29-year-old former major leaguer went 10-2 with a 3.29 ERA for the Independent Double-A Sioux City Explorers and now is playing in the four-team Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan for the Fubon Guardians. 

Brian Johnson: The former Cocoa Beach High standout is now 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA this season for the major league-leading Boston Red Sox. In his last seven games, he is 3-1 with a 6.28 ERA, the latest game against the White Sox being his downfall, allowing four earned runs and seven hits in 1.1 innings. His career stats: 6-5, 4.50 ERA with 104 strikeouts.

 

Dustin Geiger: The former Merritt Island baseball star is batting .351 with the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Triple-A Mexican Baseball League. After making the All-Star team with a first-half batting average of .351, with Durango, he hasn't let up with his new team after a trade. He has six home runs and six doubles in 17 games and is hitting .382 in his last 10 games. Overall this season, he has 15 homers and 39 RBI.

 

Orlando goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris talks to the media after the Price's 2-0 win over Seattle.

Ashlyn Harris: The former Satellite High standout goalkeeper got the start Tuesday night for Team USA in a friendly against Chile, a World Cup qualifier. Harris didn't need to expend much energy, facing just one shot on target and four shots overall in a 4-0 win.  She also earned Save of the Week honors in the National Women's Soccer League in Week 22, when she stopped a shot by Chicago's Sam Kerr. It was Harris' second straight league Save of the Week.

 

Billy Horschel lines up a putt on the 14th green during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Aronimink GC.

Billy Horschel: As golf's FedEx Cup Playoffs heat up, so does Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion. Three weeks ago, the former Bayside High golfer tied for third in the Northern Trust event in Parasmus, N.J., at 13-under par, but then had to withdraw after the first round in the Dell Technologies event with reported sinus issues. This weekend in the BMW Championship in Newtown Square, Pa., he has been a fixture among the leaders, entering the final round, suspended until Monday, tied for seventh at 13-under par. He is ranked 15th in the FedEx standings.

Los Angeles Rams running back John Kelly (42) scores on a 0-yard fumble recovery as Oakland Raiders cornerback Antonio Hamilton (32) and safety Reggie Nelson (27) defend in the second quarter during a preseason game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Reggie Nelson and Marcus Maye: The former Florida Gators from Brevard did well in the NFL preseason. Nelson had five total tackles with the Raiders, while Maye had four with the Jets. The Jets open the season against the Lions on Monday night at 7:10, while the Raiders follow against the Rams at 10:20 p.m. 

Caroline Marks had a point total of 16.43 (out of a possible 20.00) after her Qualifying Run 1 and Run 2 at the 2018 Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, CA, USA.
11X World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) has a heat total of 14.57 points (out of a possible 20.00) after his Qualifying Run 1 and 2 at the 2018 Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, CA, USA.

Caroline Marks and Kelly Slater:  Both surfers were on national TV this weekend competing in the World Surf League's Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, Calif., the first time for the tour on artificial waves. Slater, of Cocoa Beach, led the men's field after the first round of qualifying and finished third in only his second event of the year. Gabriel Medina overtook fellow Brazilian Filipe Toledo for top honors. Marks, of Melbourne Beach, placed fourth on the women's side. Carissa Moore of Hawaii won the event over Stephanie Gilmore. "Overall, I'm stoked with my performance," Marks said. 

Hahn
Michaela Hahn

Michaela Hahn: The former Titusville High and FSU star soccer player, 24, who spent three seasons in the National Women's Soccer League (Houston Dash this year), announced her retirement three weeks ago in order to pursue a Masters degree in Sports Management at Florida State University, according to reports. Hahn, a midfielder, once was a member of the USA Under-23 squad. This season, she scored one goal in 14 games, eight of those starts. She will also assist the Seminoles' women’s soccer team this fall. In a Tweet, she wrote: "Thank you @HoustonDash for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams. I will miss everyone so much!"

Katie Stengel: The former Viera High soccer standout scored the winning goal on a header Saturday as the Utah Royals FC posted a 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars in NWSL action in Sandy, Utah. The team finished fifth, one spot out of the playoffs, in its inaugural season with a 9-7-8 record. The three-time All-American from Wake Forest led the team with six goals.  

More:Tracking Brevard's stars: Parrish blanks Cuba; Geiger traded

David McKay: The former Viera High pitcher pitched for three minor league teams this season (Seattle Mariners), posting a 6-2 mark with a 2.58 ERA in 42 games, all in relief. He had 85 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.  His minor league career totals: 15-10, 4.70 with 205 strikeouts in 192.1 innings.

More:Tracking Brevard's stars: Johnson, Denaburg, Geiger, Kretschman big hits

More:Tracking Brevard's sports stars: Slater returns to surf tour

Mason Denaburg: The former Merritt Island High standout pitcher, 19, was assigned the jersey No. 16 on the Gulf Coast League Nationals after being drafted in the first round by the parent club. The Nationals finished 23-33 in the second half.

Ryan McKay: The former Satellite High pitcher went 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA for the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League (Miami Marlins). It was his third minor league team this season, when he finished 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA overall, all in relief. In four seasons, he is 4-11, 4.89.

Matt Rose: Playing with Birmingham (Class Double-A Southern League, White Sox), the former Palm Bay High standout batted .183 with 18 doubles, 16 homers and 54 RBI in 115 games. His career minor league stats: .225 average with 55 homers and 211 RBI. 

Tracking Brevard's Sports Stars appears twice monthly in FLORIDA TODAY. Have a star to track? Email hgrossma16@yahoo.com or leave a message at 321-242-3676.