Dave Riggert – Page 440 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Andrew White to return to Nebraska for senior season

Posted on May 25, 2016

Lincoln – Andrew White III announced Wednesday evening that he has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return for his senior season at the University of Nebraska.

“I felt good about the pre-draft process,” White said. “It was encouraging, and I gained as much ground as anyone throughout the process. I wanted one more year to fine tune my game and put myself in better position for the NBA next summer. I want to thank the teams who invited me their in-house workouts, and Nebraska for supporting me during this process. It has been very helpful in gathering information in preparation for my future Thank you to everyone who has been following my progress throughout the spring and being understanding and supportive, as I evaluated whether to turn pro or return for my senior year.”

White, a 6-foot-7, 216-pound guard, earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors in 2015-16, averaging 16.6 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game. He ranked among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (sixth), rebounding (15th) and 3-point percentage (fourth) in his first season as a Husker.

White reached double figures in 28 contests, including a pair of 30-point efforts. He had a career-high 35 points, including six 3-pointers, against Penn State on Feb. 13. White also topped the Huskers with three double-doubles in his first season at Nebraska. White, who had nine 20-point games in 2015-16, closed the year with a 25-point performance against Maryland in the Big Ten quarterfinals. White’s 16.6 ppg is second among all Big Ten returnees in 2016-17.

“We are excited to have Andrew remain with our program,” Nebraska Coach Tim Miles said. “This has been a valuable time for him, as he has tested his skills against some of the best competition and received very important insight from key NBA personnel. We look forward to continuing to help Andrew’s development to improve his NBA profile even more than he already has done through this process. I believe next year could be our most complete team with a great opportunity for success in the Big Ten and NCAA tournament, I’m happy Andrew will be with us to go out and prove it.”

White’s return bolsters Nebraska’s lineup, as six of the Huskers’ top eight scorers return for 2016-17 as part of a group of seven returning letterwinners. In all, the group combined for nearly 69 percent of its scoring and 70 percent of the team’s rebounding last season.

White is one of four players who started at least 16 games last year. Fellow rising senior Tai Webster averaged 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while Glynn Watson Jr. (8.6 apg; 2.4 apg) and sophomore forward Michael Jacobson (4.7 ppg; 4.3 rpg) both were starters as true freshmen in 2015-16.

NU also welcomes Louisville transfer Anton Gill, and a three-member freshman class (Jeriah Horne, Isaiah Roby, Jordy Tshimanga) which were all ranked in the top-150 seniors nationally by Rivals.com.

— NU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State’s Baldwin named Academic All-American

Posted on May 25, 2016

AUSTIN, Texas – Northwest Missouri State University’s Sarah Baldwin has been named to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division II Softball team. Baldwin earned third team honors after graduating from Northwest this spring with a 4.00 GPA in Biology/Psychology.

Baldwin becomes the second player in Bearcat softball history to earn Academic All-America honors, joining outfielder Kendra Smith in 2000. Baldwin was a first team all-district performer and became eligible for All-America honors.

During her senior season, Baldwin earned All-MIAA honorable mention accolades and was named an MIAA Scholar Athlete. She appeared in 24 games, making 21 starts. She tallied 100 strikeouts on the year in 125.2 innings pitched. She went 10-6 with a 2.40 ERA with one save. She had seven shutouts on the year including a
five-inning perfect game against Northeastern State on March 5, in which she struck out five.

— Northwest Athletics —

Kansas State falls to top-seeded Texas Tech in Oklahoma City

Posted on May 25, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – K-State jumped out to 5-1 lead after the top of the fourth inning, but top-seeded Texas Tech scored seven unanswered runs to come back and defeat the eighth-seeded Wildcats, 8-5, on Wednesday in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The Wildcats (26-30) used a pair of two-out, two-run doubles by Jake Scudder and Michael Smith to help build their four-run advantage, but 14 of Texas Tech’s 17 hits after the third frame fueled the come-from-behind victory. The Red Raiders (41-14) scored three runs in the fifth to tie it at 5-5 before two runs in the sixth and a run in the eighth put away the Wildcats.

“We got off to a really good start, obviously,” said K-State head coach Brad Hill. “Three runs in the first and I liked the way our kids got after it. There was a big two-out hit by Michael Smith (in the fourth). You feel like you’re off to a really good start, but then that’s why (Texas Tech is) the conference champion for a reason and just great composure (by the Red Raiders). They didn’t panic over there. They felt very comfortable and confident that they were going to comeback, just chip away at it like they did.”

The loss puts K-State in the elimination bracket, where it will face No. 5 seed Oklahoma on Thursday at 9 a.m. The Sooners fell to West Virginia earlier in the day, 6-0.

After K-State starting pitcher Corey Fischer scattered five hits, two runs and a walk in the first four innings, the Wildcat bullpen yielded the go-ahead runs. Jordan Floyd was summoned in the fifth after back-to-back singles off Fischer opened the frame, but the left-hander sandwiched an RBI single with his two strikeouts before surrendering a pair of run-producing singles followed by a walk to end his outing. The last of the pair of two-out singles, produced by Hunter Hargrove, evened the score.

In the sixth, freshman Mitch Zubradt, who ended the fifth with a groundout to the only batter he faced, allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning. Both runners, Stephen Smith and Tyler Floyd, came around to score on a single by Tyler Neslony and sacrifice fly by Eric Gutierrez.

Zubradt took the loss, his first of his career, after he was responsible for two runs on three hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings.

While Texas Tech pulled away with the five runs over the sixth and seventh, the Red Raider bullpen quieted K-State’s offense. Led by Robert Dugger and Hayden Howard, who picked up the win and save, respectively, the Texas Tech relief corps limited the Wildcats to one hit and just three baserunners (one walk, one error) over the last five innings.

The Wildcats wasted little time in staging a threat against Texas Tech starting pitcher Ty Damron in the first as a leadoff single by Clayton Dalrymple, hit by pitch by Tyler Wolfe and walk drawn by Josh Rolette loaded the bases for Scudder. The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year fed a double down the left field line to drive in Dalrymple and Wolfe to make it 2-0 K-State. Tyler Moore followed up Scudder with a fielder’s choice to score Rolette and give the Wildcats a three-run lead.

“Damron got a little more aggressive after (the three runs in the first),” said Hill. “He really challenges with the fastball and got it elevated where we couldn’t catch up to it for a couple of innings. He kind of settled down for a little bit.”

Texas Tech answered the three K-State runs in the first when Cory Raley hit an RBI triple with two outs off Fischer to cut it to 3-1, but Smith followed up a single by Quintin Crandall and two-out walk by Josh Ethier in the fourth with a double to the wall in left field to make it 5-1 Wildcats.

Prior to the Red Raiders tying the game in the fifth, they cut the K-State advantage to three runs in the fourth when Neslony, who opened the frame with a double, scored on a sacrifice fly by Hargrove.

Of Texas Tech’s 17 hits, four were for extra-bases. K-State, meanwhile, had three hits for the extra-base variety of its six total.

Crandall had a double and single to lead the Wildcats with two hits. It was his 12th multi-hit game this year.

Six Red Raiders had multi-hit efforts, led by three apiece from Smith, Floyd and Neslony.

K-State will face Oklahoma in an elimination game for the second straight year. Left-hander Parker Rigler will get the start on the mound for K-State on Thursday and face righty Alec Hansen.

— K-State Athletics —

Huskers drop Big Ten Tournament opener to Michigan State

Posted on May 25, 2016

Omaha – A five-run sixth inning by the Michigan State Spartans (35-18) doomed the Nebraska baseball team (37-19) on Wednesday afternoon, as the No. 7 seed Spartans beat the No. 2 seed Huskers, 5-1, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans scored all five of their runs in the sixth on five hits, while notching just three hits the rest of the game.

Michigan State’s Cam Vieaux hadn’t gone more than 4.1 innings in his last four starts, but the lefty turned in a dominant 8.2-inning performance on Wednesday. It’s Vieaux’s longest outing since he tossed a complete-game shutout at Purdue on April 15. Vieaux recorded just one strikeout on the day, but limited the Huskers to one run on three hits and two walks.

Junior Derek Burkamper tossed a shutout through the first five innings on just one hit, but couldn’t make it through the sixth. The Spartans tagged Burkamper for four runs in the sixth, the most he’s allowed this year since March 25 at Purdue when the Boilermakers scored five runs (four earned).

The Spartan offense battled at the plate all day, as NU’s pitchers couldn’t put them away. Six of MSU’s eight hits came with two strikes. NU’s three hits came from its No. 3 and 4 hitters, including two singles from Jake Meyers and a double from Ben Miller

After the Huskers left a runner in scoring position in the second, the Spartans got their first hit of the game with a two-out single from No. 9 hitter Kory Young in the top of the third, one of his three on the day. Young then stole second to get in scoring position, but Burkamper stranded him there with an inning-ending fly out.

Burkamper allowed just one hit in the first five innings, but then ran into trouble in the sixth when all nine Spartans came to the plate. Justin Hovis led off with a double, Young followed with a bunt single and on the play Burkamper sailed the throw to first, allowing Hovis to score the game’s first run. Brandon Hughes worked a four-pitch walk and Jordan Zimmerman followed with a RBI double that knocked Burkamper out of the game. Reece Eddins took over with two runners in scoring position and the first batter he faced reached on a fielding error by Jake Schleppenbach that also allowed MSU’s third run of the frame to score. MSU added two more runs on a sac fly and a pair singles to take a 5-0 lead.

Trailing 5-0 the Huskers were able to get on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Jake Placzek worked a one-out walk, the first allowed by Vieaux, and later scored when Miller doubled off the left-center field wall. Vieaux was able to limit the damage to just one run, getting Taylor Fish to fly out into shallow right field to end the inning.

Nebraska’s bullpen kept the Spartans at bay over the final three innings, but NU’s offense was also unable to solve Vieaux. Miller was NU’s lone base runner over the final three innings, working a one-out walk in the ninth.

The Huskers now fall into the loser’s bracket and face the Indiana Hoosiers in an elimination game tomorrow at 9:03 a.m. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.

— NU Athletics —

Perez, surging Royals take down Twins 7-4

Posted on May 24, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer, Lorenzo Cain had four hits and two RBI, and the Kansas City Royals picked up where their bats left off the night before while beating the tumbling Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Tuesday.

Wade Davis worked a wobbly ninth inning for his 12th save in 13 attempts, preserving the seventh win for the Royals in their last nine contests. They raised their two-game total in Minnesota this week to 30 hits and improved to 5-0 against the Twins this season.

After going 5 for 5 in the series opener, missing the cycle by a home run, Perez went deep just one day and a couple of innings too late. The three-time All-Star catcher followed a leadoff walk by Kendrys Morales in the second inning with a soaring drive off his 2013 teammate Ervin Santana that landed in the grass behind the wall in center field for a 2-0 lead.

That was all Edinson Volquez (5-4) needed to pick up his fifth victory, matching the cumulative total for Twins starters this season.

Volquez has given up four or more runs in four of his last six turns, and he surrendered six hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings in this one. The right-hander struck out six, though, and was stuck with two unearned runs in the fourth when right fielder Paulo Orlando let a clean single by Eduardo Escobar skip off his glove for an error that allowed two Twins to come home.

Escobar had three hits, including a leadoff double against Davis in the ninth, but the Twins lost to the division rival Royals for the eighth straight time at home. They fell to 4-19 against the American League Central this year.

Davis walked two batters after Escobar to load the bases, but he rebounded with strikeouts of Eduardo Nunez, Joe Mauer and a routine fly out by Miguel Sano.

Santana (1-3) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and two walks in the second time this month he failed to finish the fourth inning. The right-hander turned in two strong starts in between, but for the $55 million contract he signed before last season he has not come close to delivering for the Twins.

SURGING ROYALS

Perez has a 10-game hitting streak, batting .415 (17 for 41) during that stretch. He’s a .415 career hitter (22 for 53) at Target Field.

Orlando has an eight-game hitting streak, with a .567 batting average (17 for 30) during this span.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Cheslor Cuthbert played 3B for Mike Moustakas, whose status was again day to day with a bruised knee. … RHP Chris Young (strained forearm) threw a bullpen session before the game, moving a step closer to a return to the rotation.

Twins: Sano moved to DH to give Byung Ho-Park, who ended a 0-for-21 skid with a single on Monday, a break. Sano struck out three times. … 2B Brian Dozier was on the bench for the second straight game, before drawing a pinch-hit walk in the ninth. He’s in a 1-for-19 slide, dropping his batting average to .199.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Dillon Gee (1-0, 2.90 ERA) will make his third start of the season on Wednesday, after picking up his first victory with Kansas City on Friday.

Twins: RHP Tyler Duffey (1-3, 3.30 ERA) will take the mound in the matinee to finish the series, after allowing a season-high six runs to Toronto on Friday.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals get routed by Cubs 12-3

Posted on May 24, 2016

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jason Hammel had a lot to do with the early six-run cushion.

The pitcher went above and beyond in helping end the Chicago Cubs’ first three-game losing streak of the season with a 12-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Right out of the gate, took my first swings before I made my first pitch,” Hammel said after working 7 1/3 stingy innings and contributing a two-run double to Chicago’s big first.

Hammel has beaten the Cardinals twice this season, allowing two runs in 13 1/3 innings. This was his longest outing of the year, and manager Joe Maddon thought he could have thrown a complete game.

“It’s important for us, it’s important for him psychologically to be able to do that,” Maddon said. “It’s important that they know he can.”

Michael Wacha (2-5) gave up a career-worst eight runs in four innings and has lost five consecutive decisions for the first time. The 24-year-old right-hander was a 17-game winner last season and the NL championship series MVP as a rookie in 2013, but this season has a 5.04 ERA.

“It’s a pretty discouraging start,” Wacha said. “I never really gave the team a chance.”

Jorge Soler drew a bases-loaded walk in the first and hit a two-run home run in the fifth.

The six-run inning was a season-best for the NL Central leaders, who snapped their first three-game losing streak of the season. David Ross had an RBI double for his 500th career hit on a ball that somehow eluded center fielder Randal Grichuk’s glove at the warning track, and Kris Bryant had an RBI single in the outburst.

Hammel (6-1) bounced back from his first loss in his previous start, allowing one run on four hits and retiring the side in order five times. The two-run double gave him a career-best five RBI on the year and his sixth hit in 23 at-bats.

“Nice, let’s focus on that,” Hammel said. “And I’ve got four months to go.”

The outing was his longest since throwing 7 2/3 innings against the Dodgers on June 23, 2015. He’s 6-1 for the second time in his career, also doing it in 2012.

“Honestly, I really wasn’t that good tonight,” Hammel said. “I got away with a lot of stuff.”

Wacha had no losing streak longer than three games prior to this season. In his last three outings he has allowed 20 runs, 16 earned, in 12 innings with all three lasting four innings.

“When the season broke he was as good as anybody,” manager Mike Matheny said. “He found a real good spot and we know what it looks like when he can get into a good rhythm.”

Pinch hitters Tim Fedorowicz and Matt Szcur had an RBI apiece in a four-run ninth off Dean Kiekhefer.

GREAT GRABS

Cardinals rookie SS Aledmys Diaz made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch in shallow left, the start of a highly unusual 6-4-3 double play to end the second. Kris Bryant singled and had rounded second when Diaz snared Anthony Rizzo’s flare. Diaz tossed to second baseman Kolten Wong, who flipped to first.

Cubs reliever Justin Grimm fielded a smash by Diaz between his legs in the eighth.

UP NEXT

Cubs: Chicago has won Jake Arrieta’s last 22 starts, a franchise record. He’s 19-0 since his last loss on July 25, 2015 against the Phillies. Arrieta leads the majors with a 1.29 ERA and .153 opponents’ batting average.

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (4-4, 3.56) has lost four consecutive starts for the first time in his career. But he’s 3-0 for his career against the Cubs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RF Jason Heyward (ribs) returned after missing three games and had two walks.

Cardinals: Jhonny Peralta (thumb) was 2 for 3 and scored a run in a rehab start for Class A Peoria.

GOOD TOSSES

J.R. Hildebrand, who’ll start from the fifth row in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, was one of two celebrities throwing first pitches. David Eckstein, the World Series MVP in 2006, also got the honor.

— Associated Press —

Griffons’ Glaude, Mason earn more All-Region honors

Posted on May 24, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – Add two more honors to the mantle for Missouri Western baseball’s David Glaude and Landon Mason. Both of the infielders were named to ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-Region Teams.

Glaude was named a first team infielder, his third All-Region honor and second first team selection. Playing primarily second base, the junior tied for the team lead with Mason, batting .403 on the season. Glaude was twice named MIAA Hitter of the Week and led the team in hits (91), doubles (22), triples (6) and RBIs (74). His 10 home runs were second on the team as were his 62 runs scored. In the field, the Quebec City native committed just seven errors with 147 assists and 116 putouts for a .974 fielding percentage.

Mason battled through the season to hit .403 and earn his third second team All-Region honor. The junior shortstop hit safely in 37 of the 47 games he played in, including a 21-game hitting streak that saw his batting average climb from .412 to .448. A Blue Springs native, Mason was charged with nine errors in 47 games, picking up 95 assists and 58 putouts for a .944 fielding percentage.

Both were named first team All-MIAA and were selected to both D2CCA and NCBWA All-Central Region teams. The pair helped Missouri Western to the second most wins in program history (38) and its third ever appearance in the NCAA Central Regional. Glaude and Mason were instrumental in the team setting program records for hits (673), runs (481), home runs (67) and RBIs (447) in a season.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou’s season ends with loss to Vandy in SEC Tournament opener

Posted on May 24, 2016

HOOVER, Ala. – Mizzou Baseball’s season came to an end with a 7-0 loss to sixth-seeded Vanderbilt in the opening round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday morning (May 24) at Hoover Met Stadium. Mizzou sophomore righty Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was tremendous through 6.0 innings of work, but took the loss after allowing a pair of earned runs (four total) with six strikeouts and just one walk while scattering just five hits. In two starts against Vanderbilt this year, Houck has gone 15.0 innings and allowed just two earned runs and three walks with 20 strikeouts. He took the loss as he closes the year 5-6 with a 2.99 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 105.1 innings pitched. He did that while making his second consecutive start on just four day’s rest.

Vanderbilt’s Patrick Raby earned the win, improving to 7-1 on the year, after tossing 6.0 shutout innings, allowing just two Mizzou hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Mizzou closes the year 26-30 while Vanderbilt improves to 42-15 and will play No. 3 seed Texas A&M in the second round tomorrow.

Raby made easy work of the Tigers in the first inning, using just 13 pitches to retire the side. Houck looked up to the task early as well, retiring Vanderbilt on nine pitches in the first, picking up a strikeout of Vanderbilt CF Bryan Reynolds to end the frame.

After striking out the side in the third on some filthy stuff, Houck surrendered a leadoff double to Reynolds in the fourth. But he picked up a pair of strikeouts and a pop out to escape the jam as Houck struck out six through four innings of work.

Mizzou didn’t threaten against Raby until the top of the sixth inning as a walk by Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) and a two-out single by Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) put two men on for Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.), but he popped up to strand a pair.

After Mizzou stranded a pair in the sixth, Vanderbilt opened its half of the sixth with a leadoff walk by 1B Ethan Paul and then executed a hit-and-run perfectly after a hit from Jeren Kendall to put runners on the corners with no outs. Kendall then stole second and Reynolds hit his second double of the day to give Vanderbilt a 2-0 lead. Vandy then scored two more runs on a pair of errors to extend the lead to 4-0 after six innings of action.

Senior LHP Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) relieved Houck and tossed an easy 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. Pinch hitter Julian Infante then hit a two-run homer off of Tribby in the eighth to extend the lead to 6-0. Vandy tacked on another on a two-out RBI single by Kyle Smith to take a 7-0 lead. Howard tallied his second hit of the day to lead off the ninth, but Mizzou went quietly after that.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Northwest’s Prange to be inducted into the DII Athlete Hall of Fame

Posted on May 24, 2016

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Northwest Missouri State University alum Clint Prange will be inducted into the Division II Athlete Hall of Fame Wednesday evening ahead of the NCAA Division II Championships in Bradenton, Fla. Prange, who was a four time MIAA Champion and a six-time All-American, will join Carmelita Jeter (Cal State-Dominguez Hills), Bershawn “Batman” Jackson (Saint Augustine’s), Jim Kemp (Kentucky State) and Kasia Airent (Lewis) in this year’s class.

A 2013 Northwest M-Club Hall of Fame inductee, Prange left his mark as one of the greatest track and field athletes in the history of Bearcat athletics. He won three-straight NCAA titles in the discus and captured the 2005 outdoor shot put title with a then-record setting throw of 66-1. He is one of two individuals all-time to ever surpass 66 feet in the event (Garrett Appier, PSU). He was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2015.

In the classroom, Prange was a four-time Academic All-American, graduated Magna Cum Laude, an earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. Following his senior season, Prange was honored by the MIAA as the receipent of the Ken B. Jones Award, which recognizes an athlete’s accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri’s Shephard to transfer from women’s basketball program

Posted on May 24, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball guard Carrie Shephard (Steele, Mo.) has opted to transfer from the program, head coach Robin Pingeton announced Tuesday. Shephard played in 28 games over the past two seasons, scoring 26 points and dishing out 18 assists. She shot 46 percent (11-for-24) from the field during her Mizzou career.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Carrie,” Pingeton said. “Over the last two years, she has had a very positive impact on our team and will always be considered part of our family. She is an incredible young lady, a talented basketball player and a hard-working and successful student. We wish her nothing but the best and thank her for her contributions to the Mizzou Women’s Basketball program.”

“I want to say thank you to Coach Pingeton for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Mizzou family and to experience things I never thought I would experience,” Shephard said. “I also want to thank the whole staff and team for welcoming me in with open arms and making my time there a time I will always remember. Thank you to the fans and people who played a role in my time at Mizzou, especially the academic staff with the Total Person Program. They always put me in position to succeed. It was a great two years and I’m thankful for all of it.”

— Mizzou Athletics —