The Missouri Western softball team picked up two victories Friday evening, defeating Lincoln University 8-3 just before the Griffons defeated 2012 MIAA Champions Emporia State 4-2. The Griffons, who were scheduled to play in the MIAA-NSIC this weekend, move to 18-8 on the season.

After weather prevented most teams from making it to St. Joseph for the crossover tournament, the Griffons were able to schedule two games, one against Lincoln and one against Emporia State.

Missouri Western 8, Lincoln 3

In the first game, the Griffons came back after a solo home run from Lincoln pitcher Starr McLeod to win the game.

McLeod’s homer marked the score 1-0 heading into the bottom of the second. Keri Lorbert tied the game after her own solo home run in the bottom of the second, however.

After going down 2-1 in the third, the Griffons used a five-run third inning to take a commanding lead. Pitcher Janie Smith, who picked up her ninth win, singled to left field before Sarah Elliott’s sac bunt put a runner on second. After Bre Fleschner reached on an error by the first baseman, Tiffany Gillaspy tripled to right field, scoring two runs. Gillaspy eventually scored before Michelle Stevenson homered to center field to complete the inning.

The Griffons added runs in the fifth and sixth innings and gave up a run in the seventh to take the 8-3 victory.

Missouri Western 4, Emporia State 2

In a tightly-played game, the Griffons took the win thanks to a strong fourth inning.

No team scored in the first three innings, but in the bottom of the fourth, the Griffons began to take the game away from the Hornets. Gillaspy was walked, and soon after Lorbert singled to center field Kendall Sorensen added a double to score Gillaspy. Maegan Roemmich and Taylor Anding both singled after that to score two more runs to mark the game 3-0.

Emporia came back and put together consecutive doubles to collect two runs in the sixth inning. But the Griffons came back and added another run to up the lead to 4-2. Roemmich doubled to right center to score Brooke Schaben, who was pitch running for Lorbert.

In the seventh inning, the Hornets nearly nailed a two-run homer from Andrea Piezuch, who had two hits on the day. Sorensen caught the ball right near the fence, however, to end the game. Jackie Bishop pitched all seven innings and picked up her ninth win of the season.

Seven Missouri Western batters had two hits or more on the day. The Griffons continue action tomorrow morning at the Griffons Spring Sports Complex Missouri Western Softball Field. They play a doubleheader against Northern State, which starts at 11 a.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The 2013 Missouri Western softball invitational scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled. Despite the cancellation of the invite the Griffons have added games for Friday, Saturday and Monday.

The tentative schedule is listed below. All games will be played at the MWSU Softball Field at the Griffons Spring Sports Complex. The next scheduled MIAA games for the Griffon softball team is on Friday, March 29 against the Missouri Southern Lions in Joplin, Mo. The MIAA doubleheader is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm. The Griffons are currently 16-8 overall and 4-2 in MIAA action.

Friday, March 22:
1:00 Emporia State vs. Lincoln
3:00 MWSU vs. Lincoln
5:00 MWSU vs. Emporia State

Saturday, March 23:
12:00/2:00 MWSU vs. Northern State (DH)

Monday, March 25:
11:00 Augustana vs. Central Missouri
1:00 Wayne State vs. Central Missouri
3:00 MWSU vs. Augustana
5:00 MWSU vs. Wayne State

— MWSU Sports Information —

Tyler Fenwick, who has served as the offensive coordinator at Missouri Western State University for the past six seasons, has been named as the new head football coach at Missouri S&T.

Fenwick has been part of a Missouri Western program that has played in the post-season in each of the six seasons that he was on the staff, including an appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in 2012.  Prior to that, he spent five years on the staff at Occidental College in California – the last four as offensive coordinator – and one season as offensive coordinator at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where the Dragons posted their first winning season in seven years.

He will be the 19th head coach in the history of the Miner program and seventh since 1937.  Fenwick is taking over for David Brown, who stepped down from the position last month to join the coaching staff at Fresno State University.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Missouri S&T,” Fenwick said.  “I am thankful for Mark Mullin and his staff to give me my first head coaching job. The program has been left in a healthy state and I hope to help continue moving the program to the next level.  I am anxious to get around the players and begin to help them grow on and off the football field.

“Schematically we will look similar on offense and defense, although there will be some tweaks from my background,” Fenwick added.

“We are extremely pleased to have Tyler and his family join us.  He brings outstanding experience to our institution,” said Mullin, Missouri S&T’s director of athletics.  “The combination of achieving great success at Missouri Western and at Occidental College is impressive and prepares him well to take over the Miner program.

“Tyler’s personality, enthusiasm, experience, and vision will make him an outstanding addition to our staff and an asset to our department, the campus, and the community,” Mullin added. “I am confident Tyler will be an outstanding leader for our football program and I am excited that he will be here in time to begin spring practice with the team.”

In the 2012 season, Missouri Western won the outright Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship for the first time in school history and had one of the nation’s top offensive units that included running back Michael Hill, a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award and second-ranked rusher in the nation in NCAA Division II.  The Griffons averaged 458.6 yards of total offense last season, including 264.4 per game on the ground and 41.6 points a game; the latter two figures ranked among the top 10 nationally in Division II.

Missouri Western scored 30 or more points in 11 of its 14 games in its 12-2 campaign and set a school record with 582 points scored.

In 2011, the Griffons averaged 35.5 points a game and rushed for 240.6 yards per game but prior to that season, had one of the better passing attacks in the MIAA behind quarterback Drew Newhart, who was the conference’s  “Freshman of the Year” in Fenwick’s first season as offensive coordinator.  Missouri Western set its single-season scoring record of 451 points – the mark broken in 2012 – during the 2009 season and broke a number of the school’s passing records in those seasons.

During the six years Fenwick spent as offensive coordinator at Missouri Western, the Griffons averaged 432.8 points per season and 35.1 points per game.  As a team, the Griffons went 53-18 and played in the NCAA Division II playoffs three times as well as making three bowl appearances.

Fenwick served as the offensive coordinator at Minnesota State-Moorhead in 2006 and guided an offensive unit that improved its yardage totals by 65 percent from the previous year, as the Dragons won four of their last five games to finish with a 6-5 record.

At Occidental, he was the wide receivers coach during the 2001 season as the Tigers went 8-1 and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, then moved into the offensive coordinator role the following season.  Over the four years in which he served in that role, Occidental had a 33-9 record, won two SCIAC titles and made two appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, winning twice in the 2004 tournament.  During those five years, he coached four all-conference quarterbacks and twice had the conference’s “Offensive Player of the Year”.

Fenwick is originally from Los Angeles, Calif., and graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory High School.  He attended Los Angeles Valley College and the University of New Mexico, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in university studies in 1999.  A two-year letterman for the Lobos as a wide receiver, he caught 14 passes during the two years in which he played at UNM.

He began his coaching career at the high school level at Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, Calif., as the program’s offensive coordinator, helping guide the team to a conference championship and playoff appearance as it finished with a 10-2 record.

Fenwick and his wife, Angela, have three children, daughter Kylie and sons Kayden and Kiptyn.  His father, Jim, has been a highly successful coach at the collegiate and high school levels in California.

— Missouri S&T Sports Information —

The 2013 Missouri Western softball invitational scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled due to the projected inclement weather in the area.

The next scheduled games for the Griffon softball team is on Friday, March 29 against the Missouri Southern Lions in Joplin, Mo. The MIAA doubleheader is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm.

The Griffons are currently 16-8 overall and 4-2 in MIAA action.

Alos, the Missouri Western baseball series with the Central Oklahoma Bronchos has been moved up a day.

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, March 22 with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.

On Saturday, March 23 the two teams will play the final game of the series at 12:00 pm. All games will be played at the Griffons Baseball Field on the Campus of Missouri Western State University.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s tennis team got one victory in the match against Northwest Missouri State University, but they fell to the Bearcats 8-1. The Griffons fall to 3-10 overall and 0-6 in MIAA action.

The Griffons lone point came from its No. 6 singles player Alyssa Dougan. Dougan picked up a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Logan Taylor of Northwest. The Griffons No. 1 and No. 3 doubles fell 8-4 while No. 2 singles player Denise Chiao fell 6-3 and 6-1.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, March 23 with a non-conference match against Evangel University. Match time is set for 11 am from the Tennis and Swim Club.

NW Missouri State 8, Missouri Western 1
Mar 20, 2013 at St. Joseph, Mo. (Tennis and Swim Club)

Singles competition

1. Quesada,Camila (NWMSU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Galindo,Natalia (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Bartek,Alexis (NWMSU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Font,Gisela (NWMSU) def. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Hoffman,Emily (NWMSU) def. Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) def. Taylor,Logan (NWMSU) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Quesada,Camila/Bartek,Alexis (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise/Smith,Meara (MWSU) 8-4
2. Galindo,Natalia/Font,Gisela (NWMSU) def. Dysart,Kayla/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 8-3
3. Hoffman,Emily/Taylor,Logan (NWMSU) def. Dougan,Alyssa/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-4

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western’s Natalie Bird was named the MIAA Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week for her performance in the Central Missouri Invitational last week.

Bird played very well in the first tournament of the year finishing in second place and helping the Griffons to a team victory at the Central Missouri Invitational. Bird shot a two-round total of 172 (82-90) just six strokes back of the winner. As a team the Griffons shot one stroke better than second place Northwest Missouri State. The 5-6 senior is a native of Carl Junction, Mo. where she competed at Carl Junction High School.

The Griffons return to action on Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25 hosting the MWSU Candelwood Suites Invitational. The event is being played at the St. Joseph Country Club and will tee of at 10:30 am on Sunday.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western State University baseball team moved up to 3rd in the latest 2013 NCAA Division II Central Region Top 10 Poll released by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Monday (Mar. 18).

The Griffons have moved up from 6th to 3rd in Monday’s poll. Central Missouri received all eight first-place votes and 80 points in the poll, followed by by St. Cloud State (72), Missouri Western (55), Southern Arkansas (54) and Arkansas Tech (52).

Positions six through 10 went to Minnesota State (47), Central Oklahoma (29), Mary (16), Henderson State (12), Harding (6) and Pitt State (6).

The Griffons, under head coach Charles Verduzco, are 15-3 overall and 10-0 in the MIAA. Missouri Western, is currently on a 14 game winning streak and sit atop the MIAA standings after winning five MIAA games last week.

The Central Region includes the MIAA, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Great American Conference.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team swept a three game series with the Northeastern State RiverHawks winning the third and final game Saturday, 10-3. The Griffons have won 14 games in a row and improve to 15-3 on the season and 10-0 in MIAA play.

In the first inning Bubba Dotson got the Griffons on the board with his fourth home run of the season giving MWSU the 1-0 lead. In the third the RiverHawks tied it up scoring a run on three hits. From there it was all Griffon pitcher Banks Born has he shut down 15 of 16 RiverHawks batters which included 11 in a row at one point. Born went seven innings giving up five hits, one earned run while striking out four.

The Griffon offense got it going in the fourth getting two runs on two hits. Spencer Shockley and Grant Fink led off the inning with singles and Shockley scored on a Jake Schrader walk. Fink would score on a Shawn Egge fielders choice giving MWSU the 3-1 lead after four.

In the fifth the Griffons got it going with two outs as Shockley reached on an error, Fink singled to third and then Shockley scored on a Jimmy Smelcer single. The Griffons scored two more runs on back-to-back fielder’s choices giving MWSU the 6-1 lead after five.

The Griffons tacked two in the seventh and two in the eighth taking a commanding 10-1 lead heading to the top of the ninth. The RiverHawks put two on the board in the ninth but fell to 11-10 overall and 11-10 in MIAA play with the loss.

The Griffons had 13 hits with Fink and Smelcer each getting three hits apiece. Fink had three runs scored while Egge led the way with three RBI. Chris Allen pitched two innings giving up one hit and two earned runs.

The RiverHawks Trevor Walch falls to 0-1 on the season going 4.2 innings giving up eight hits and three earned runs. Ryan Staggs had two of NSU’s six hits while three different RiverHawks had an RBI.

The Griffons will be in action next on Wednesday, March 20 when they travel to Maryville, Mo. to take on the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —