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MWSU tennis adds four players to 2013 recruiting class

Missouri Western women’s tennis coach Ron Selkirk has announced the signing of four more student athletes to the National Letter of Intent for the 2013 season. The Griffons welcome Denise Chiao of Kansas City, Mo., Kelly Cochran of Buckner, Mo., Shayla Roath of Hutchinson, Kan. and Lindsay Beger of Overland Park, Kan. to next year’s squad. They join Meara Smith, Alyssa Dougan and Joey Goers next season as those three signed back in December.

Chiao from Kansas City, Mo. played her high school tennis at Notre Dame de Sion high school. She played all four years for her high school team. The person that has had the greatest impact on her athletic career is her brother Darren who played tennis at UMKC. She is also a solid student who plans on majoring in marketing and digital animation at Western.

“Denise is a high ranking Missouri Valley junior that has continued to move up the rankings and should play in our top 3,” commented Selkirk. “She was also one of the key players on Notre Dame de Sion state championship team,” stated Selkirk.

Cochran from Buckner, Mo. played her high school tennis at Fort Osage High School in Independence, Mo. She had a very accomplished tennis career player playing in the #1 position on her varsity team for three years. She was a sectional qualifier and earned first team all-District honors. She was voted her teams most improved player twice. She is very involved in the community earning numerous awards as well as being in the National Honors Society. She plans on majoring in mathematics at Western.

“Kelly Cochran was the #1 player for Fort Osage High school and a tremendous student (ACT 32) she is an up and coming player that will benefit from the upgrade in competition and should be one our top 6 players next year” commented coach Selkirk.

Roath from Hutchinson, Kan. played her high school tennis at Buhler High School in Buhler, Kan. She has an outstanding tennis career finishing 1st at regionals to go along with two 6th place and a 9th place finish at state. She is also a solid student being on the honor roll. She plans on majoring in physical education at Western.

“Shayla was one of the top high school players in Kansas last year finishing in the top 8 at state and will also benefit from having good practice partners and good competition,” stated Coach Selkirk.

Beger from Overland Park, Kan. played her high school tennis at Shawnee Mission North High School. She lettered in tennis four seasons and soccer one. She was a solid student being a scholar athlete twice. Her greatest sports moment was making the 6A State tournament her senior season. She plans on majoring in elementary education at Western.

“She was the #1 player for Shawnee Mission North, taking over that spot from Ceara Boldridge,” said Coach Selkirk. “She has improved tremendously over the last year and should be fighting for a top 6 spot on our team next year,” stated Selkirk.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Royals call up RHP Tommy Hottovy from Omaha

The Kansas City Royals selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Tommy Hottovy from Triple-A Omaha Wednesday and optioned right-handed pitcher Jeremy Jeffress to Omaha. With the selection of Hottovy, who is expected to be in uniform Wednesday (#46) in Cleveland, the Royals 40-man roster stands at 40.  In addition, the club returned outfielder Lorenzo Cain from his rehab assignment with Northwest Arkansas (AA).  Cain remains on the 15-day D.L.

Hottovy, 30, was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in seven relief appearances with the Storm Chasers.  The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder had allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 10.0 innings, walking five and striking out 17.  A Kansas City, Mo., native, Hottovy made his Major League debut for the Boston Red Sox last season, recording no record and a 6.75 ERA (4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO) in eight relief outings.  Hottovy graduated from Park Hill South High School in Riverside, Mo., and Wichita State University.

Jeffress, 24, combined to toss 1.0 scoreless inning over two relief appearances for the Royals, allowing four hits and walking two.

Cain, who has been on the Disabled List since April 13 with a left groin strain, made three rehab starts for the Naturals and was 1-for-9 at the plate. He exited last night’s game and is currently being re-evaluated by the Royals medical staff in Kansas City.

— Royals Media Relations —

Griffon softball drops to No. 21 in latest NFCA Top 25 poll

The Missouri Western softball team fell from 17th to 21st in this weeks NFCA Division II Coaches poll which was released Wednesday morning.

The Griffons went 2-2 last week and ended its regular season with a 38-9 record.

Western enters this weeks MIAA Tournament as the #2 seed and will take on the #7 seed Northwest Missouri State at 6:00 pm in the opening round in Overland Park, Kan. at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex.

The Griffons will play the second round at 8:00 pm against either #3 Fort Hays State or #6 Pittsburg State at 8:00 pm.
Both games will be on broadcasted on the radio as Dave Riggert will be doing the play-by-play. You can hear all the action on ESPN 1550 AM.

— MWSU Sports Information —

NWMSU’s Kellogg brings Kristen Mattio with him from Fort Lewis

Mark Kellogg, Northwest Missouri State head women’s basketball coach, announced the addition of Kristen Mattio to his staff on Wednesday. The two recently spent the previous five seasons together at Fort Lewis College.

“Kristen has been the backbone to our success over the past five seasons,” Kellogg said. “I am completely thrilled that she has decided to join me at Northwest Missouri State. We complement each other extremely well and she will be a huge asset in building this women’s basketball program on and off the court.”

Mattio will rejoin Kellogg after five seasons on the Skyhawk bench as his top assistant where she saw Fort Lewis College (FLC) go 143-20 and 93-8 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Together they captured three straight RMAC regular season titles and two RMAC tournament championships in 2010-11 and in 2011-12.

During her tenure at FLC, the Skyhawks made a trip to the NCAA Division II tournament in each season. The highlight was the 2009-10 squad which saw the Skyhawks go 35-4 and advance to the national championship game where they fell to MIAA member Emporia State.

While at FLC, Mattio played an important role in the academic success of the Skyhawks earning Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll accolades three straight seasons. The 2010-11 team not only finished with the highest team GPA in NCAA Division II, but was the top ranked team in all five levels – Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college – of women’s basketball.

She also played a vital role in the national emergence of Fort Lewis. Her main duties included coaching guards, assisting in recruiting, scouting opponents, academics, and community relations.

Prior to coming to Fort Lewis, she spent one season as the assistant at Memphis Central High School in Memphis, Tenn., leading her team to a 25-8 record. While in Memphis, Mattio also worked with and coached youth at Memphis Athletic Ministries.

She previously served as an assistant coach at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn.

Mattio first worked with Kellogg at Montana State University during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, where they were both assistant coaches. While at Montana State, Mattio was responsible for the Bobcats’ academics, film exchange, recruiting, and community affairs.

Mattio also spent one season as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Evangel University, in Springfield, Mo., where her team reached the elite eight in the NAIA Division II National Championships and posted a 29-9 record.

She was the point guard and team captain for the Lady Crusaders and played an instrumental role in leading Evangel to the NAIA II Sweet Sixteen. She led her team to two NAIA tournament appearances and three Heart of America Conference titles (2000-01, 2000-02, 2002-03). She was a two-time all-conference selection. As a freshman, Mattio played at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn.

She graduated from Evangel in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing/Management. In 2006, she earned her Master of Science degree in Sports and Wellness Leadership from Austin Peay.

Mattio prepped at Dickson High School in Dickson, Tenn., and led her team to the state tournament twice.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

KU announces activities around Saturday’s spring game

Kansas Athletics has planned a full day of events and activities for the annual Kansas Football Spring Game this Saturday, April 28. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., on Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium and admission is free.

The game will be televised live on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area and on Kansas 22 throughout the rest of Kansas. It will also be broadcast live across the state of Kansas on the Jayhawk Radio Network on stations in Lawrence, Wichita, Hutchinson, Hays and Liberal. Additionally, it will be broadcast on tape-delay in Kansas City on 610 Sports. The game will also be streamed live on AT&T Jayhawk All-Access.

The day will begin with the ‘Train Like A Jayhawk’ clinic for kids grades 1-6 on the football practice fields adjacent to the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium. The clinic, in which stations will be directed by KU football players, will go from 10-11 a.m.

The Hy-Vee Hawk Zone will then open at 11 a.m., in lot 91 just south of the football practice fields and feature inflatable games for children. The fourth annual Bike Rodeo will also begin at 11 a.m., in lot 91. The Bike Rodeo will feature a bicycle course and free bike inspections, courtesy of Douglas County Fire and Medical. In addition, kids 15 and younger will be custom-fitted with a free bicycle helmet (while supplies last) as they learn about bicycle rules of the road, trail etiquette and pool safety.

The University of Kansas and the City of Lawrence will rename stretches of two streets after former KU football coach and player Don Fambrough. The ceremony, which will feature KU officials, Lawrence City Commissioner Hugh Carter and Fambrough’s son Preston, will take place at 11:15 a.m., at what is now the intersection of 11th and Maine Streets.

Gates to Memorial Stadium open at noon and fans can receive a free 2012 commemorative schedule poster, magnets and schedule cards. In addition, Kansas Athletics will distribute bracelets as part of the halftime drug-free pledge children and their parents can make with head coach Charlie Weis and senior quarterback Dayne Crist. Additionally, 1910 Jayhawk lapel pins will be available while supplies last and Axe Deodorant will be distributing samples at the entrance gates.

The KU Store will be open at three locations. Stands on both the east and west concourses will be open from noon until the end of the game, while the store location on the south side of the stadium at the bottom of Campanile Hill will be open from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. All store locations will have all items on sale for 50% off.

Kansas Athletics and the Williams Fund U Hawks Nest have partnered with Coca Cola and KU Catering to provide a free tailgate for KU students before the Spring Game. Prior to kick-off KU students can enjoy pregame tailgating on Campanile Hill beginning at 11:30 a.m. Coca Cola and KU Catering will provide free hot dogs and drinks to the first 1,000 KU students in attendance.

Located on Campanile Hill the tailgate will also include a variety of tailgating games. In addition Williams Fund U Hawks Nest members in attendance will have the opportunity to win one of three prizes including a tailgating kit, a football autographed by Kansas Football head coach Charlie Weis, and the grand prize flat panel television.

With the entire stadium open for seating, fans will be allowed to enter the stadium at the NE, SE, NW, SW and west ramps as well as the suite elevators. Kansas Athletics and KU Parking and Transit have announced that they will accept donations of non-perishable food items to benefit Just Food.

Parking for the Spring Game is free. KU Parking and Transit, however, will be on hand to assist fans with questions about open parking and to accept food donations. Fans can donate food at the entrances to Lot 94 east of Memorial Stadium and Lot 59 on the west side of the stadium. Donations will also be accepted in lots 50 and 52 with entrances off of West Campus Road and 11th Street. Lot 91 will be reserved for the bike rodeo.

KU will begin the 2012 season on September 1 vs. South Dakota State. The Jayhawks will also host non-conference opponent Rice (Sept. 8) before Big 12 rivals TCU (Sept. 15), Oklahoma State (Oct. 13) Texas (Oct. 27/Homecoming, K-Club Weekend, Parents Weekend) and Iowa State (Nov. 17) visit Lawrence.

Season tickets for the six-game home schedule are now on sale for as low as $199. The Family Plan, which includes two youth and two adult general admission tickets, is $350.

Fans can purchase their season tickets at the Spring Game at ticket tables throughout the concourse and in sections 3 and 9 inside the stadium seating area. Season tickets may also be purchased in the ticket office located on the west side of Memorial Stadium. Additionally, tickets are available online at www.kuathletics.com, by calling 800-34-HAWKS or in-person at the Allen Fieldhouse ticket office.

— KU Sports Information —

Western names Roger Smith assistant women’s basketball coach

Missouri Western State University Director of Athletics, Kurt McGuffin has announced Roger Smith as assistant women’s basketball coach. Smith was an assistant at Oklahoma City for one season under current Western coach Rob Edmisson.

Smith served as Oklahoma City’s video coordinator, managed a large part of scouting and assisted in daily practices. During his one season at OCU the Stars went 35-1 winning the 2011-2012 NAIA National Championship.

“Roger is one of the best coaches I have ever been around in regards to instructing and teaching kids on the floor,” commented Edmisson. “His detail with film work and game planning was a huge factor in our run last year to the NAIA National Championship,” stated Edmisson.

Previously, Smith spent a season as assistant coach for the OCU men’s basketball program in 2009-2010. The Stars went 17-10, finished third place in the Sooner Athletic Conference and advanced to the NAIA Division I Tournament.

Smith has experience coaching in the Oklahoma City area on the high-school level, winning a state championship while on the staff at Putnam City High School. Roger served as the head coach at Casady School (2008-2009) and Little Axe High School (2005-2006). While on the staff at John Marshall High School (2007-2008) the team made it to the state semifinals and was on the staff at Okarche High School, which made the state tournament in 2010-2011.

“I am very excited to get the chance to continue coaching under Edmisson,” commented Smith. “We share a similar philosophy when it comes to both ends of the floor. We feel comfortable with each other as he gives me a lot of freedom when it comes to scouting and breaking down film. We will play an exciting brand of basketball that is fun to watch,” said Smith.

Roger has been married for 17 years (Cristina) and has three children – Isabella (9), Griffin (7) and Price (2).

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcat men’s tennis earns 7th straight NCAA tournament appearance

The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team will compete in the NCAA South Central Region for the seventh straight year announced by the NCAA Tuesday evening. The Bearcats will travel to top seed Abilene Christian for a rematch with the Wildcats Tuesday, May 1.

The No. 26 Bearcats enter postseason play with a 19-4 record while No. 16 ACU stands at 19-8 on the year. It will be the first meeting between the two schools in the NCAA tournament although they both met during the regular season with the Wildcats taking a 7-2 win.

Northwest is coming off its third consecutive MIAA Championship after knocking off No. 29 Southwest Baptist 5-4 on Sunday. This will be the 16th postseason appearance for the Bearcats who are looking for their fifth ever trip to the Round of 16.

Abilene Christian is also coming off a conference title as the Wildcats claimed their fourth straight Lone Star Conference Championship with a 5-1 win over Incarnate Word last Saturday.

The winner of Tuesday’s NCAA Preliminary Regional round will advance to the Round of 16 May 16-19 in Louisville, Ky. Times have not yet been announced.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Losing skid now at 12 after Royals fall in opener at Cleveland

Kansas City manager Ned Yost insists the Royals are playing too well to have lost 12 straight.

The Royals matched their third longest losing streak in team history on Tuesday night when Cleveland’s Derek Lowe allowed one run over six innings in the Indians’ 4-3 win.

“We were one hit shy, but golly we were into it to the very end,” Yost said.

Kansas City scored once in the ninth inning and had the go-ahead run at the plate against closer Chris Perez, who got his seventh save when he got Jeff Francoeur to bounce into a game-ending forceout.

“One hit away, that seems to be the name of the game right now,” Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said.

“It looks bad, 12 in a row, but we’re playing good baseball, playing the game the right way. We just need to find a way to get that one hit that breaks it for us.”

The Royals also lost 12 straight in 1997 and 2008. Kansas City lost 13 straight in 2006 and had a team-record 19 consecutive losses in 2005.

“We’ll break through,” Yost said. “I find it hard to believe we’ve lost 12 in a row, the way we are battling to the very end. That’s a good sign with a young team.”

The Royals have been outscored 73-44 during the streak, though five of the losses have been by one run.

Cleveland built upon a recently completed 7-2 trip by returning to Progressive Field and earning their second home win in six games. They did it with starting center fielder Michael Brantley resting a sore right wrist until he was used as a defensive replacement. Manager Manny Acta said right fielder Shin-Soo Choo left in the ninth with a tight left hamstring and will be evaluated Wednesday.

Lowe (3-1) gave up eight hits and struck out five. The right-hander used a good sinker to get nine outs on grounders as he bounced back from a 4-1 loss at Seattle in which he walked six without a strikeout on April 18. In addition, the pitcher’s home in Florida was recently burglarized. Among items taken were his 2004 World Series ring, earned with the Boston Red Sox. The losses were estimated at $90,000.

“It was obviously a tough week,” Lowe said. “Anytime you have something like that happen and not being there, it’s tough. That’s what law enforcement is there for. Major League Baseball knows about it. The good thing is there’s nothing you can’t replace. Luckily, no family members were there.”

Jack Hannahan had a two-run double in Cleveland’s three-run fifth against Jonathan Sanchez (1-1), who struggled to command his fastball.

Beforehand, the Royals continued to try anything to get out of their funk. On Monday, they vented frustrations in a closed-door pregame meeting in which voices were raised in anger. Before opening a three-game series in Cleveland, players gathered around a clubhouse television to play a baseball video game.

That didn’t help either, though Yost liked the idea.

“It was good to see them relaxing and enjoying themselves,” Yost said. “That’s a good sign. Our kids need that right now.

“When they step on that field, they’re playing the game extremely hard. They’re all trying to break out of this slump. We’re trying to get them to try easier. We get runners on base and our numbers drop pretty dramatically.”

Mitch Maier had an RBI single for Kansas City in the fourth and doubled home a run in the eighth. Overall, the Royals went 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position. The Royals are 13 for 73 (.178) in that situation over their last eight games.

Sanchez hit Indians leadoff batter Jason Kipnis in the hand with his fifth pitch. Kipnis eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Santana to put Cleveland ahead 1-0.

On April 14, Sanchez hit Choo with a pitch. Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez retaliated the next inning by plunking Moustakas, leading to a brief bench-clearing scuffle. Gomez drew a five-game suspension and was suspended. Hannahan and Acta also were ejected and fined.

A year ago with San Francisco, Sanchez broke Choo’s left thumb with a pitch. The Royals acquired him in a trade for outfielder Melky Cabrera in November.

Sanchez walked the bases loaded in the second, but got Kipnis on a first-pitch popout, followed by a double-play grounder by Asdrubal Cabrera.

“We’ve seen that before, Sanchez getting out of bases-loaded jams,” Yost said. “He had no fastball command, but a good breaking ball. He starts to command that fastball and he’s going to be in great shape.”

The left-hander also loaded the bases with walks in the fifth. One run scored on a sacrifice fly by Shelley Duncan. Hannahan followed with a double to right-center to make it 4-1 and finish Sanchez.

Sanchez walked seven over 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and four hits. He threw 115 pitches, only 56 for strikes.

Kansas City closed to 4-3 in the ninth. Chris Getz doubled and later scored on a groundout by Billy Butler.

— Associated Press —

Kansas announces 2012 football captains

Following a team vote, Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced here today that seniors Dayne Crist, Tanner Hawkinson and Toben Opurum had been appointed permanent team captains for the 2012 season. Crist and Hawkinson earned the honor for the first time in their Kansas careers, while Opurum served as a team captain during the 2011 campaign.

Crist, a quarterback from Canoga Park, Calif., is entering his first year with the KU program after transferring from Notre Dame in January. The former five-start prospect played three seasons and made 10 starts for Notre Dame from 2008-11. During his time with the Irish, he threw for 2,327 yards, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while earning 10 starts. Upon arriving in Lawrence in January, Crist immediately gained the respect of his teammates with his knowledge of Weis’ offense on the field and his outgoing demeanor off it.

Hawkinson, a standout on the offensive line from McPherson, Kan., has started every game of his Jayhawk career. After spending time as a tight end and a defensive end during his redshirt season, Hawkinson was permanently moved to the offensive line where he has more than found a home. He earned Freshman All-America honors from both the Sporting News and CollegeFootballNews.com playing at left tackle. Hawkinson was moved to right tackle during his junior season, garnering All-Big 12 Third Team honors by Phil Steele’s Midseason report. He has since returned to left tackle, where he will lead a veteran offensive line in his final season at KU.

Opurum, a defensive lineman from Richardson, Texas, is entering his third season on the defensive side of the ball after starting his Kansas career at running back. After leading the Jayhawks in rushing with 554 yards and nine TDs as a freshman, Opurum has since found his niche stopping the opposing team’s offense. He recorded 45 tackles as a junior, including a team-best 10.5 TFLs for minus 55 yards. Opurum also led the Kansas defense in 2011 with four sacks and seven quarterback hurries.

Weis also divulged that a fourth special teams captain would be named on a game-by-game basis based on the previous week’s performance.

— KU Sports Information —

St. Louis blows another ninth-inning lead in loss to Chicago

Alfonso Soriano hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis 3-2 on Wednesday night, ending the Cardinals’ run of 13 consecutive winning series.

Tony Campana sparked the winning rally with a one-out single off Fernando Salas (0-1). Campana then stole second in a close call that led to the first ejection for Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.

After Starlin Castro struck out, Bryan LaHair was walked intentionally before Soriano hit a full-count pitch off second baseman Tyler Greene and into the outfield. Campana scored easily to give the Cubs their second consecutive dramatic victory against the Cardinals

James Russell (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning to get the win.

Chicago led 1-0 before Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer off Carlos Marmol with two out in the eighth inning. LaHair then tied it with a leadoff drive off Marc Rzepczynski in the ninth.

The Cubs also beat the Cardinals 3-2 on Monday night on Joe Mather’s game-ending, two-run single. They will go for the three-game sweep Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis won its last seven series in the regular season last year, then stormed through the playoffs to the World Series title. It opened this season with six more series wins before running into the slumping Cubs, who had dropped seven of eight before the Cards came to town.

It was St. Louis’ first series loss since it dropped two of three against Cincinnati from Sept. 2-4. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 2002 Braves were the last team to put together a 13-series streak.

The Cardinals had just four hits before Holliday drove a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center for his fourth homer. Rafael Furcal set up the go-ahead drive with a one-out walk against Rafael Dolis, who retired Skip Schumaker before first-year manager Dale Sveum went to his closer with Holliday coming to the plate.

Carlos Beltran then walked and move to third on Marmol’s errant pickoff attempt before David Freese flied out to end the inning. The erratic closer was jeered by the Wrigley Field crowd of 38,894 as he made his way to the dugout.

Chicago nearly wasted a terrific outing by Jeff Samardzija, who struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander yielded just four hits and two walks in his second start against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals in 11 days.

Samardzija pitched five shaky innings at St. Louis on April 13, but the Cubs roughed up Wainwright in a 9-5 victory.

This one was much different.

Wainwright allowed one run and six hits over six innings in his best start since he had elbow-ligament replacement surgery last February, sidelining him for the 2011 season. The 6-foot-7 right-hander struck out seven and walked one, but remained winless in four starts this year.

Chicago grabbed the lead in the first. David DeJesus drove a leadoff double into the right-field corner and advanced on Tony Campana’s sacrifice. Starlin Castro then lofted a fly ball to right, leading to a disputed call at home.

Beltran settled under Castro’s ball and made a strong throw to the first-base side, forcing Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina to dive across the plate with his glove. Molina was right there as DeJesus stuck his left arm out while sliding past home on the dugout side, drawing a safe call from umpire Chris Conroy.

DeJesus clapped his hands and scurried back to the dugout as Molina popped up and began arguing with Conroy. Matheny popped out of the dugout and got between Molina and Conroy before continuing the argument with the umpire. Looking at the TV replays, it was unclear whether DeJesus ever touched home, but Matheny eventually left the field after a short argument.

It was a busy night for Molina, who had two hits, made a rare throwing error and picked DeJesus off second after a leadoff double in the fifth.

The Cubs had a chance to add to their lead in the fourth, putting runners on second and third with no outs. But Wainwright wiggled out of the jam, showing the moxie that made him one of baseball’s best pitchers before the elbow injury.

Ian Stewart and Darwin Barney struck out swinging, the latter on three pitches, before Wainwright issued an intentional walk to Geovany Soto. Samardzija then popped out to end the inning.

— Associated Press —

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