Chief selector George Bailey praised uncapped opener Jake Weatherald as “impressive” after the 31-year-old was named in Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test. Bailey highlighted Weatherald’s attributes, saying he possesses all the qualities needed for the role.

Marnus Labuschagne was recalled to the squad, while young opener Sam Konstas was dropped from the 15-man roster. Steve Smith will captain the side in Pat Cummins’s absence due to injury.

If selected to face Ben Stokes’s England in Perth on November 21, Weatherald would become Usman Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner’s early retirement last year.

Previous experiments with Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head, Labuschagne, and Konstas had not yielded long-term success.

Bailey did not confirm whether Weatherald would make his debut in the XI. “No, not confirmed in the XI,” he said.

“We still have 14 of our 15-man squad playing round four of the Sheffield Shield, so there’s more information to gather. Cameron Green returning to the bowling crease will also influence selections.”

All-rounder Green has been batting only since returning mid-year following back surgery 13 months ago, having bowled just a handful of overs this season.

If he proves fit to handle sufficient bowling workload, Green would likely bat at six, allowing Weatherald to open with Khawaja.

In that case, Labuschagne would return to his preferred number three position, after scoring five centuries in eight innings this season.

If Green is still struggling with his bowling, Labuschagne could open alongside Khawaja, with Green at three and Beau Webster retaining his spot at six.

Renshaw left out

Tasmanian left-hander Weatherald has been a top performing opener in domestic ranks over the past few years.

He put himself on the Ashes radar by clobbering 183 for Australia A during a red-ball series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin this year, with his form continuing in the Sheffield Shield.

“I think if you look at his performance over 18 to 24 months it’s been really solid and then there’s a method there that I think we like and is complementary to those other players around him in the squad,” Bailey said.

“He scores at a good rate. The way he goes about building his innings, it’s been impressive.”

His inclusion meant disappointment for Matt Renshaw, who had been tipped to get the nod as Konstas has struggled for form.

Smith takes charge because Cummins, who will travel with the squad to Perth, has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

The day-night second Test in Brisbane from December 4 is a tentative target for Cummins to return.

The ever-reliable Scott Boland will replace Cummins in the seam attack alongside quick bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Nathan Lyon provides the spin option in his 140th Test, where he can surpass Glenn McGrath to become the sixth-highest wicket-taker in history by claiming two more victims.

Uncapped Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott were included as the back-up fast bowlers and Josh Inglis will provide cover for wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Following Perth, the five-Test series moves to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

England drew 2-2 on home turf in the most recent Ashes series in 2023, but have not won in Australia since 2010-2011.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

LAS VEGAS — Arizona freshman Koa Peat had a chip on his shoulder before making his college debut Monday.

Feeling a bit neglected in Switzerland while playing for the USA 19-and-under team, the three-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year said he was going to remind people that he was one of the best incoming freshmen, despite not playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game or at the Nike Hoop Summit.

“I feel like I’ve been kind of forgotten,” Peat said during an earlier interview with Hoops HQ. “I’m just trying to remind people and show them what I’m about.”

And that’s exactly what he did Monday, announcing his presence in college basketball with authority during No. 13 Arizona’s 93-87 win over third-ranked and reigning champion Florida in the Hall of Fame Series inside the jam-packed T-Mobile Arena.

“It was a coming out party for him, so to speak,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Everyone’s known about him, but no one’s really, really studied him and watched him, and he’s a special player.”

The 18-year-old defied his freshman status in his nationally televised collegiate debut, leading all scorers with 30 points and adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He became the second Big 12 freshman to debut with 30 or more points, joining Kansas State‘s Michael Beasley, who had 32 in his debut in 2007.

Jaden Bradley was also impressive, scoring 27 points, including 11 of Arizona’s final 18 points, to help seal the win. He added five assists, making him and Peat the second pair of Arizona teammates in the past 30 seasons to each have at least 25 points and five assists in the same game. They join Chase Budinger and Nic Wise, who did it against Stanford on March 7, 2009.

Peat is a part of a family that has produced seven Division I athletes. He’s the son of Todd Peat, a guard in the NFL for nine seasons, and his brother, Andrus, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who spent much of his time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Koa Peat’s athleticism was on full display late in the second half with the score tied at 70-all when he delivered back-to-back thunderous dunks, sending the crowd of 16,704 into a frenzy and giving Arizona a 74-70 lead. He gave the Wildcats momentum for a game-ending 23-17 run to provide the difference.

Peat said spending his summer playing for Lloyd while representing Team USA with the 19-and-under World Cup team that won gold in Switzerland helped prepare him for his first season at the collegiate level.

“He ran some of the same sets at USA, so coming to U of A in the fall, it was pretty easy to adapt to those,” said Peat, who was the national team’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder. “I think what really helped me [tonight] was just the practices. We practiced really hard throughout the week, leading up to this game. And I’m just grateful to have coaches and teammates that put me in positions to be good, and especially [Bradley]. He just makes my game so easy … he’s one of the best point guards in the country, if not the best point guard in the country.”

Thomas Haugh led Florida with 27 points, Xaivian Lee scored 14, and Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten each had 11.

Ivan Kharchenkov, who shook off an injury late in the first half that sent him to the locker room, finished with 12 points for the Wildcats.

Arizona shot 49.2% (30-of-61) from the field, while Florida’s poor second-half shooting (14-of-38, 36.8%) sealed its fate in becoming the first reigning champion to lose its season opener since Syracuse in 2003-04.

The Gators opened the game strong, pushing their lead to 12 points after hitting 11 of their first 16 shots. But the Wildcats clamped down on defense and held Florida to 5-for-16 shooting the rest of the half while going on a 32-16 run by hitting 11 of 18 shots down the stretch.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

What an MLB postseason!

After a thrilling month of playoff action — so thrilling, in fact, that it stretched into early November — it’s time for our 2025 MLB All-October team.

Though Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors for his incredible performance during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ seven-game triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the month. So to honor the best from every stage of the postseason, let’s hand out hardware to a roster of October stars.

From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position along with some award hardware for the brightest stars of October.

2025 All-October Team

Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

Why he’s here: Raleigh’s record-setting regular season continued right into October as he belted five home runs and posted a 1.081 OPS before Seattle’s postseason run ended in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Honorable mentions: Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays; Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: If the Blue Jays would have won one more game during the World Series, the introduction of this story would have been all about Guerrero and his incredible October exploits. The Blue Jays’ superstar hit an incredible .412 with a 1.330 OPS during the postseason, delivering signature moment after signature moment while leading Toronto to where it hadn’t been in three decades.

Honorable mentions: Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs; Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

2B: Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

Why he’s here: In a down year for the position, Hoerner had the highest OPS (.973) of all second baseman during the postseason while playing stellar defense as the Cubs dispatched the Padres and went on to force a Game 5 against the Brewers in the NLDS.

How little production did second basemen provide this October? One voter chose Miguel Rojas as his pick for the position solely based on one all-important Game 7 swing.

Honorable mentions: Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners; Miguel Rojas, Los Angeles Dodgers

3B: Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: Clement was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ run, providing consistent production at the plate and solid defense on the field. His 1.032 postseason OPS topped all third baseman and his 30 hits were not only the most of any player this October but set a major league record for most hits in a single postseason.

Honorable mention: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians

SS: Andres Gimenez, Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: The pickings were pretty slim at shortstop and Gimenez earned this spot more for his clutch hits than his overall numbers.

Honorable mention: Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox

OF: Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays
OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF: Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

Why they’re here: If you didn’t know the name Addison Barger before this, you do now. The 25-year-old, who was called up from the majors in mid-April, had a breakout postseason, slashing .367/.411/.583 with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.025 OPS while also making a number of diving catches in right field. But the moment that will ensure Barger’s name is remembered? His pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series — which came after he had slept on a teammate’s pullout couch the night before.

Judge’s postseason performances had long been under scrutiny because of his checkered playoff history compared to his stellar regular-season numbers. But that should all be put to rest after this year, as he accumulated 13 hits in 26 at-bats over seven games and finally met his October moment in the form of a monster three-run, tying home run in a crucial ALDS Game 3 to keep New York’s season alive.

The 21-year-old Chourio came out swinging this October, helping Milwaukee to a hard-won NLDS victory over the Cubs, with a double and two-run single in the first game and a three-run home run — which he hit off a 101.4 mph fastball, the fastest pitch for a postseason home run in the pitch tracking era — to cement another victory in Game 2. Though he didn’t light the world on fire when the top-seeded Brewers were swept in the NLCS, Chourio did hit their lone home run and drove in half of their runs in the series.

Honorable mention: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners; Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers

DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: It was something of a mixed October for Ohtani, with his .254/.397/.714 playoff slash line heavily carried by a couple of standout games. But those performances just so happened to be two of the best single-game showings in the history of October baseball: a three-home run game (while pitching a gem on the mound) in L.A.’s NLCS clincher and an all-time World Series Game 3 in which he got on base nine times in the Dodgers’ 18-inning triumph.

Honorable mention: George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

SP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays

Why they’re here: There was simply no better pitcher in the sport than Yamamoto this October, as the Dodgers ace authored one of the best postseasons in recent history. Before he won World Series MVP honors by winning three games in the Fall Classic, Yamamoto was masterful in a complete-game NLCS Game 2 gem against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesavage bursted onto the scene this October in a way rarely seen before, becoming the World Series Game 1 starter just six weeks after making his MLB debut. He provided Toronto with two of the best starts of the postseason — Game 2 against the Yankees and Game 5 against the Dodgers.

Honorable mentions: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers; Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers; Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers; Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees; Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

RP: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
RP: Will Vest, Detroit Tigers

Why they’re here: Misiorowski played a crucial role on the mound for Milwaukee as a starter coming out of the pen to throw bulk innings of high-leverage relief — with his first eight career postseason pitches clocking in at 102 mph or faster. In 12 innings over three games, he totaled 16 strikeouts while giving up six hits and three runs (two earned) and issuing three walks.

Vest was nearly unhittable in October as Detroit’s primary closer, giving up only two hits — and zero runs, for a 0.00 postseason ERA — and striking out nine over eight innings to help the Tigers beat Cleveland in the wild-card round and stay competitive against Seattle in the ALDS before they ultimately lost in a 15-inning Game 5.

Honorable mentions: Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers; Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners; Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays

All-October award winners

October MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pitcher of the month: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Best October introduction: Trey Yesavage, Addison Barger

Clutch performer: Yamamoto