News

Notes: Alexandria Aces dominate All-Star selections with 11 players named to South Division Team

Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Wednesday, July 9, the 190th day of 2025. There are 175 days left in the year.

⛈️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 101. Calm wind becoming south around six mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Showers and thunderstorms tonight before 2 a.m., then scattered showers between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Patchy fog after 10 p.m. Low around 72. South wind around five mph, becoming calm in the evening. The chance of precipitation is 80%—new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible.

🚨 You need to know

The Alexandria Aces are having a standout 2025 season, earning recognition with an impressive 11 players selected to the South Division All-Star team – the most of any team in their division. The Blue and White’s dominance on the field has translated into All-Star honors, with the team positioned to potentially finish the first half of the regular season atop the division standings following Tuesday night’s matchup against second-place Southern Maryland.

Leading the charge for the Aces is infielder Derek Almeda (#1), who has been a statistical powerhouse this season. The Rancho Cucamonga, California native and Chaffey Community College player boasts a .370 batting average (second-best in the CRCBL), along with team-leading numbers in slugging percentage (.425), OPS (.914), hits (27), and stolen bases (10). Almeda entered Tuesday’s game riding a five-game hitting streak, cementing his status as one of the league’s premier offensive threats.

The Aces’ All-Star contingent showcases both offensive and pitching talent. Outfielder Cooper Hums (#3) from Western Michigan University has been a versatile contributor, ranking among the team’s top base stealers with 10 stolen bases. On the mound, left-handed pitcher Mason Christopher (#11) from Seton Hall University has been particularly effective, posting the lowest ERA (2.01) among Aces pitchers with more than 15 innings pitched while holding opponents to just a .229 batting average.

Other notable All-Star selections include infielder Toby Hueber (#12) from George Mason University, who leads the team with a .500 on-base percentage, and catcher Diego Pena (#28) from Western Michigan University, who has made the most of his limited opportunities with a .303 batting average and .415 on-base percentage in just 10 games. The annual Mid-Summer Classic will take place Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field, where the North and South divisions will face off in the traditional All-Star Game format.

The All-Star news comes just days after Alexandria Aces right-handed pitcher Connor Hutchinson etched his name into franchise history, throwing the first no-hitter in the team’s 20-year existence during a 7-0 victory over the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (12-13) at Blair Baseball Stadium.

Here’s what else you should know

🚨 An employee at Inova Alexandria Hospital has been fired, and the Alexandria Police Department is investigating after a patient’s credit cards were stolen from a room at the hospital and used at a nearby store.

🩺 A new report is shedding light on the state of health in the City of Alexandria. On Tuesday night, the Alexandria Health Department hosted a community meeting at the Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center to unveil its “State of Health in Alexandria” report. WUSA9 reports.

🏆 Alexandria has reached its highest position ever on Travel + Leisure’s annual “Best Cities in the U.S.” list, claiming the fifth spot in the magazine’s 2025 “World’s Best Awards” survey results announced Tuesday.

👉 The Alexandria City School Board will host a School Board Organizational Meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The Board will elect a School Board Chair and School Board Vice Chair for the 2025-25 School Year, adopt the 2025-26 School Board Calendar, and discuss a number of other items. Agenda

🍔 The next Community Cookout is set for this evening from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Andrew Adkins Public Housing Community. Join RPCA for free food, games, activities, giveaways, connect with city resources, and more!

📈 Tuesday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for July 8, 2025.

  1. Police: Suspect in fatal Huntington stabbing lived in a storage unit in Alexandria
  2. Inova Alexandria Hospital employee fired after patient’s credit cards stolen, used at Target
  3. Metro card data led police to suspect in Alexandria assaults
  4. Diamond necklace, cash stolen in armed Carlyle robbery
  5. Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Alexandria as triple weather threat targets region

📅 Upcoming events

Here’s what’s happening today in Alexandria, as per our event calendar.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment
  • 219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
  • Augie’s Mussel House: Live music at 5 p.m.
  • Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
  • Laporta’s Restaurant: Ken Kilpatrick at 6 p.m.
  • Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
  • O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
  • Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
  • The Birchmere: Big Ba Voodoo Daddy at 7:30 p.m.

City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings

About the Author

  • This is the staff byline for ALXnow, used by editors and other full-time staff. Launched in October 2019, ALXnow is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Alexandria, Virginia.