Dave Riggert – Page 1097 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Cardinals sign Molina to five-year contract extension

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday the signing of All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to a new five-year contract that extends from 2013 through the 2017 season. The new pact also includes a mutual option for 2018.

Molina, 29, is a four-time (2008-11) Rawlings Gold Glove award recipient and a three-time (2009-11) National League All-Star. He was also voted the recipient of the Rawlings Platinum Glove award in 2011, recognizing him as the top defensive player among all players in the National League.

Yadier posted a career-high .305 batting average last season, leading the team and ranking 8th in the National League. He became the first catcher to pace the team in batting since Ted Simmons did so in 1973 and he was just the fifth Cardinals catcher to collect 30 or more doubles in a single season. Appearing in 139 games, Molina also had career-highs for home runs (14) and RBI (65) in 2011 and was a key contributor down the stretch for the Redbirds, batting .342 in August and .341 in September.

“Yadier possesses game-changing ability both in the field and at the plate,” said Cardinals’ Senior Vice President/General Manager John Mozeliak, who made the announcement at the team’s Spring Training headquarters in Jupiter, Fla. “From his dramatic homer in the 2006 NLCS, to his handling of pitchers and controlling the opponent’s running game, Yadier has proven to be a special talent when it comes to the all-important challenges of the catcher position. We look forward to having Yadier continue to serve as a cornerstone for our ballclub.”

Drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, Molina has established himself amongst the top all-around catchers in the game. Molina leads all Major League catchers in both catcher’s stolen base pct. (39%) and pick-offs (38) since 2005, and he ranks among the National League’s top clutch-hitting catchers in that time span; posting a .297 (1st in N.L.) batting mark with runners in scoring position.

Molina’s career totals include a .274 batting average, 55 HR’s and 390 RBI in 944 games. He ranks 4th all-time among Cardinals in games played at catcher (928), trailing only Ted Simmons (1,440), Del Rice (1,018) and Tim McCarver (960).

The right-handed hitting Molina ranks 4th on the Cardinals all-time list for World Series leaders in batting (.341) and he’s 2nd among franchise batting leaders in League Championship Series play with a .329 career mark.

Molina continued his postseason success during the Cardinals 2011 run to a World Series title, batting .299 with 12 RBI. His 20 hits in the postseason were the most by a catcher since 2003 (Ivan Rodriguez, 21) and his 9 RBI in the World Series were the most by a catcher since 1997 when the Cleveland Indians Sandy Alomar, Jr. had 10.

— Cardinals Media Relations —

Griffon softball moves up to No. 15 in NFCA Top 25 poll

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

After winning 10 of their last 11 games and going 5-1 last weekend the Griffons have moved up four sports to 15th in the latest NFCA Division II National Poll. After starting the season 4-2 the Griffons have went 10-1 compiling an 14-3 overall record.

Jackie Bishop has led the charge on the mound starting the season 8-0 with a 0.95 ERA with 88 strikeouts. At the plate freshman Breanna Fleschner is batting .455 with 10 hits in 22 at bats. Maegan Reommich, Keri Lorbert, Taylor Anding and Kat Steponovich are all batting over .300 for Western.

The Griffons will open up the home portion of their 2012 schedule on Tuesday, March 6 with a doubleheader against GLVC opponent Quincy University. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 pm from the Griffon Softball Field at the Spring Sports Complex.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Central falls to Lee’s Summit West in Class 5 Sectional

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

The Central High School boys’ basketball team had its season come to an end Wednesday night in the Class 5 Sectionals at the Independence Events Center as they fell to Lee’s Summit West, 86-67.

The Indians end their record-breaking season 21-6, which is the most wins in a season for Central since 1976.

Central and Lee’s Summit West went back-and-forth in the opening quarter before the Titans took a 21-15 lead at the end of one. The second quarter started the same way as it was 26-22 early on, but then the Titans used a 17-3 run to take an 18-point lead and they led 48-27 at halftime.

West led by as many as 26 points in the third quarter before Central rallied to pull within 13, 72-59, but that was as close as they’d get.

Lee’s Summit West shot 67 percent (31-for-47) for the game and made 22 out of 29 free throws, while Central finished just 45 percent (24-for-53) and went 14-for-25 from the foul line.

Shun Williams led four Indians in double-figures with 15 points. Cordell Bell added 13 points, while Darrin Dudley and Elijah Lee added 11 each.

This was also the final game for Central head coach Neal Hook as he is stepping down at the end of the school year to become the Indians’ Athletics Director. He has spent 22 season on the Central coaching staff, including the last 12 as the head coach.

Lee’s Summit West improves to 25-3 and they’ll play Blue Springs South in the Class 5 Quarterfinals on Saturday.

OTHER SCORES

CLASS 4 BOYS SECTIONAL @ LIBERTY

Liberty North 39, Savannah 30

CLASS 1 GIRLS DISTRICT 14 SEMIFINALS @ NORTH ANDREW

St. Joseph Christian 49, Rock Port 37

Missouri rallies past Iowa State, 78-72

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

Missouri seemed to be caught up in the emotions of senior night Wednesday, its porous defense allowing a flurry of 3-pointers by Iowa State that had the Tigers (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) trailing for most of the game.

But when Missouri’s Steve Moore dived to corral a rebound midway through the second half, it provided a spark the Tigers would capitalize on en route to a 78-72 victory that clinched the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament.

Moore’s pass found Michael Dixon who then made a half-court pass to Kim English for an easy layup with 12:12 remaining that gave Missouri a 53-52 lead, its first since 8:50 left in the first half.

“I don’t know if we were winning the effort game, and that play right there was a sign of us getting back to who we are,” Missouri coach Frank Haith said. “And that was a hell of a play.”

“You just want to get a little window where you can get a little cushion,” English said.

Dixon scored 21 points to lead five Missouri players in double figures.

Dixon’s driving layup with 3:36 left gave Missouri (26-4, 13-4) a 66-64 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Marcus Denmon followed with a 3-pointer and Phil Pressey had a steal and layup with 1:23 remaining to cap a 7-0 run for the Tigers.

It was Missouri’s 13th Big 12 win, the most in school history as it prepares to leave for the Southeastern Conference next season. Finishing in second place would be the Tigers’ best regular-season performance since coach Norm Stewart’s final season, 1998-99.

But Haith won’t allow his team to look past the next game, insisting on maintaining the same “process” that’s produced consistent success this season, his first at Missouri. But the team clearly looked relieved after the game, with many seniors grabbing the stadium’s microphone to thank their families while English and Denmon walked into the postgame news conference with blow-up cutouts of their heads.

Missouri entered the game on its first two-game losing streak of the season, including an emotional 87-86 overtime loss at No. 3 Kansas on Saturday.

“We want to give these guys a win every time we step out on the floor,” Dixon said, “not just on senior night.”

English quickly added that Dixon and Pressey are the only non-seniors playing this season for Missouri.

Scott Christopherson scored eight points in the final minute, including a 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds remaining to close the deficit to 76-72. Dixon added two free throws with 15 seconds left.

Royce White led Iowa State (21-9, 11-6) with 20 points and nine assists.

Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg thought his team played more aggressively in the first half but lost its rhythm once the Tigers put bigger defenders on White.

“There’s some things we could have done better,” White said. “Personally, I turned the ball over way too much. I just have to be strong and realize that we’re not going to get as many calls on the road. We did the best we could and we look forward to seeing them again.”

Iowa State continued its hot shooting from behind the arc, draining 12 3-pointers after entering the game leading the Big 12 by averaging 8.9 per game. The Cyclones hit six in the first half and led 40-36 at halftime after trailing 7-0 to start the game.

After Missouri’s early lead, Bubu Palo’s layup with 8:50 remaining in the first half gave the Cyclones a 22-21 lead they kept until Dixon made a half-court pass to English for an easy layup with 12:12 left in the game.

Christopherson had 15 points for the Cyclones, who lost for the ninth consecutive time to Missouri. The team shot only 39 percent from the field, but kept pace with the Tigers by taking 15 more shots from the field.

Iowa State held a 39-28 advantage on the boards, its seventh consecutive game outrebounding an opponent.

Ricardo Ratliffe added 16 points for Missouri and Pressey had four assists, giving him 183 for the season and breaking the tie with Anthony Peeler for most in a season for Missouri.

The Tigers honored their eight-man senior class before the game, complete with fireworks that caused a delay early in the first half when residue needed to be mopped off the court. The class has won 103 games, most of any in school history.

“It’s the end of a chapter,” Haith said. “These guys have had some special moments over four years and I’m just proud that I’ve been able to come along for the ride this last year.”

— Associated Press —

Bearcats move up to No. 4 in regional rankings

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

After claiming a share of its 12th MIAA regular season title, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men’s basketball team moved to No. 4 in the NCAA South Central Region Rankings Wednesday announced by the rankings committee.

The Bearcats jumped three spots to No. 4 after sitting at No. 7 last week. Northwest stands at 21-5 heading into this week’s MIAA Men’s Basketball Championships as the No. 3 seed. Northwest takes on Southwest Baptist in the first-round at 8:15 p.m. Friday.

Midwestern State held onto the No. 1 spot after claiming a share of the Lone Star Conference regular season title and earning the 1-seed at this week’s LSC Championships.

Tarleton State also remained at No. 2 as Arkansas Tech held steady at No. 3 for the third week in a row.

Co-MIAA Champion Washburn checks in at No. 5 behind Northwest with Missouri Southern at No. 6, West Texas A&M at No. 7 and Co-MIAA Champion Central Missouri rounding out the top eight.

Texas A&M-International sits at No. 9 while Cameron joins the top 10 for the first time.

The South Central Region is made up of teams from the MIAA, Lone Star Conference, Heartland Conference and Great American Conference. Conference tournaments are this week for all four conferences. The winners of the MIAA, LSC and Heartland receive automatic bids to the eight-team NCAA South Central Region tournament, and the remaining five seeds are filled by at-large bids based on NCAA rankings. The newly-formed GAC does not have an automatic bid.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

KU’s Robinson named to Naismith Midseason Watch List

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson has been named to the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Midseason Watch List it was announced Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Robinson is one of 30 players from around the country named to the prestigious watch list.

The Naismith Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Award presented by AT&T Midseason 30 Watch List was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the 2011-12 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy, presented by AT&T, will be awarded at the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.

Robinson adds to his already impressive list of accolades for the season. Earlier this week he was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season. The four Big 12 Player of the Week honors for Robinson in 2011-12 are tied for the third-most in a season in conference history. The list of four-time honorees includes former KU great Drew Gooden in 2001-02, Texas’ Kevin Durant (2006-07) and P.J. Tucker (2005-06) and Iowa State’s Marcus Fizer (1999-00). All of the previous four-time honorees were later named the Big 12 Player of the Year. Robinson was also named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Dec. 11.

For the season, Robinson’s 17.8 points lead the Jayhawks and rank third in the Big 12, while his 21 double-doubles and 11.8 rebounds per game rank first in the conference and second nationally. The 6-10 power forward is tied for third with former KU great Raef LaFrentz, with 21 double-doubles in a single season. He needs only five more to pass Drew Gooden for first all-time. Robinson had career highs with 30 points and 21 rebounds against North Dakota (12/31).

Against eight ranked opponents this season, Robinson is averaging 19.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 55.6 FG percentage and a 76.2 FT percentage. He has recorded seven double-doubles and four 20-point games.

The Washington, D.C. native, helped Kansas record its eighth-straight Big 12 Championship on Monday at Oklahoma State. Kansas wraps up the regular season on Saturday, March 3, when the Jayhawks host the Texas Longhorns on Senior Night.

— KU Sports Information —

Western’s Douglas, Johnson earn All-MIAA honors

Posted on February 28, 2012February 28, 2012

Two Missouri Western men’s basketball players earn All-MIAA honors as announced today by the league office. Lavonte Douglas was selected to the third team while TJ Johnson earned honorable mention.

Douglas, a third team selection had a solid season accumlating six double-doubles and scoring in double figures 18 times including his last 13 games. He snared a career high 17 rebounds against Southwest Baptist on January 17 in Bolivar. Ten of those rebounds came on the offensive end. He scored a career high 26 points in his final game as a Griffon on Saturday connecting on a career best 9-of-13 field goals against SBU. He shot 54.2-percent (141-260) from the field and averaged 8.1 rebounds per contest.

Douglas finished the regular season ranking 6th in the MIAA in scoring (13.1), 3rd in rebouinding (8.1), 2nd in field goal percentage (54.2), 12thi n blocked shots (0.7), 3rd in offensive rebounds (3.2) and 4th in defensive rebounds (4.9).

Johnson, an honorable mention selection played well for the Griffons averaging 12.3 points per game and 3.2 assists. Johnson scored in double figures in 15 of the 23 games he played in including scoring a career hig 23 points against Lincoln on January 7, 2012 in St. Joseph. He scored 20 or more points four times this season. Johnson had one double-double on the season snaring 10 rebounds and dumping in 22 points against Truman State on January 11, 2012.

Johnson finished the regular season ranking 12th in the MIAA in scoring (12.3), 20th in rebouinding (4.7), 8th in assists (3.2), 11th in steals (1.3), 8th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and 3rd in minutes played (33.0).

The Griffons finished the 2011-2012 season with a 9-17 overall and 4-16 in MIAA play.

— MWSU Sports Information —

NWMSU’s McCollum named MIAA Coach of the Year; 4 others honored

Posted on February 28, 2012

After leading Northwest Missouri State to a share of the MIAA regular season championship, head coach Ben McCollum was named MIAA Coach of the Year as all-conference honors were announced by the league office on Tuesday.

McCollum, in his third-year at the helm of the Bearcats, earned his first Coach of the Year honors, leading Northwest to a 21-5 record overall and a 15-5 finish in the conference.

Along with McCollum, junior guard DeShaun Cooper was named to the All-MIAA First-Team after leading the league in free throw shooting. Cooper also led Northwest in scoring, steals and assists, helping guide the Bearcats to their 12th league title and first since the 2006-07 season.

Senior Jake Reinders was named to the All-MIAA Second Team. Reinders shot over 60 percent from the field and averaged over six rebounds per game. Reinders was also named to the All-MIAA Defensive Team finishing with 24 blocks on the season.

DeAngelo Hailey and Kyle Haake were named to the Honorable Mention All-MIAA Team – the first conference honors for both. Haake was near the top of the league in three-point shooting and free throw percentage while Hailey shot 83 percent from the free throw line and 42 percent from behind the three-point line.

The league’s leading scorer Keane Thomann was named Player of the Year while Matt Simmons of Fort Hays State was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Seth Jackson of Truman State earned Freshman of the Year accolades to round out the player of the year awards.

Missouri Southern and Northwest Missouri led the league with four All-MIAA selections apiece, followed by Central Missouri, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and Washburn with three each, Missouri Western, Southwest Baptist and Truman with two each, and Emporia State and Lincoln with one apiece.

The MIAA Centennial Basketball Championships begin Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Downtown Kansas City, with the men taking the floor on Friday. Men’s award winners and All-MIAA First Team selections will be recognized prior to the 6 p.m. game Friday evening.

2011-12 ALL-MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Keane Thomann, Sr., C, Missouri Southern

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Matt Simmons, Sr., C, Fort Hays State

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Seth Jackson, G, Truman

COACH OF THE YEAR
Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri

FIRST TEAM
Keane Thomann, Sr., C, Missouri Southern**
Will McNeill, Jr., G, Washburn**
DeShaun Cooper, Jr., G, Northwest Missouri
Ryan Dougherty, Sr., G, Southwest Baptist
Jason Adams, Sr., G/F, Missouri Southern [r1]

**Unanimous Selection
[r1] – Repeat first team selection from last season

SECOND TEAM
Dominique Long,Jr., F, Central Missouri
Boo Hunter, Sr., G, Central Missouri
Jake Reinders, Sr., F, Northwest Missouri
Andra Bailey, Sr., F, Pittsburg State
Matt Simmons, Sr., C, Fort Hays State

THIRD TEAM
Karron McKenzie, Sr., G/F, Fort Hays State
Lavonte Douglas, Sr., F, Missouri Western
Moses Dayee, Sr., G/F, Fort Hays State
Marquis Addison, So., G, Missouri Southern
Eric Ray, Sr., G, Pittsburg State

HONORABLE MENTION

Widgett Washington, Jr., G, Central Missouri
Tola Lawal, Sr., G, Emporia State
Cedric Ridle, Jr., G, Lincoln
Jordan Talbert, So., F, Missouri Southern
TJ Johnson, Sr., G, Missouri Western
Kyle Haake, Sr., G, Northwest Missouri
DeAngelo Hailey, Jr., G, Northwest Missouri
Javon McGee, Jr., C, Pittsburg State
Robson Memnon, Sr., F, Southwest Baptist
Seth Jackson, Fr., G, Truman
Tom Norton, Jr., G, Truman
Martin Mitchell, Jr., G, Washburn
Bobby Chipman, Jr., F, Washburn

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Matt Simmons, Sr., C, Fort Hays State
Ryan Dougherty, Sr., G, Southwest Baptist
Will McNeill, Jr., G, Washburn
Jake Reinders, Sr., F, Northwest Missouri
Andra Bailey, Sr., F, Pittsburg State

— NWMSU Sports Information —

McGruder leads Kansas State to win at A&M

Posted on February 28, 2012February 28, 2012

Rodney McGruder scored 26 points with five 3-pointers to lead Kansas State to a 76-70 win over struggling Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

Texas A&M used a 6-0 run, capped by a jump shot by Dash Harris, to cut Kansas State’s lead to 66-63 with about 3 minutes left.

McGruder responded with a 3-pointer before a layup by Harris on the other end. A put-back dunk by Jordan Henriquez and a pair of free throws by Angel Rodriguez stretched the lead to 73-65 with less than a minute remaining.

The victory gave Kansas State (20-9, 9-8 Big 12) 20 wins for the sixth straight season and 25th time in school history.

Elston Turner had 22 points for Texas A&M (13-16, 4-13), which has dropped four in a row.

— Associated Press —

Griffons sweep weekly MIAA softball awards

Posted on February 28, 2012February 29, 2012

Missouri Western softball players Leah Steele and Jackie Bishop have been named MIAA Softball Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of Feb. 21-27, as selected by a conference SID panel.

MIAA SOFTBALL HITTER OF THE WEEK

Leah Steele, 1B, Missouri Western

Steele has been on fire as of late getting a hit in 11 straight games which includes all six last weekend. The senior from Greenwood, Mo., knocked in five runs on the week, including blasting a two run homer against Missouri S&T giving Western the 2-0 lead. She also went 2-for-4 against North Alabama with two runs scored and one RBI. In the Griffons last game, she got the big two RBI double putting Western up 2-0 against a good Monticello team. On the week she hit .350 going 7-20 with four runs and five RBI.

MIAA SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Jackie Bishop, RHP, Missouri Western

Bishop continued her dominance this past weekend pitching three more complete games including her second shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory over the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State. The senior from Kirksville, Mo., had 28 strikeouts in three games and has struck out 10 or more in seven of her eight games. She walked just four on the week. She sits at 8-0 on the season with a 0.95 ERA and 88 strikeouts.

— MWSU Sports Information —