KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State softball senior Stephanie Mark has been named the MIAA/AstroTurf Softball Hitter of the Week for her performance over the weekend in Oklahoma. The first baseman opened conference play by crushing four home runs in four games. The Ogden, Utah native collected an unparalleled .739/.750/1.348 slash line over the last six games with six extra base hits, 31 total bases and 14 RBI. In the field, Mark recorded 35 putouts and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

In Saturday’s MIAA opener against Central Oklahoma, Mark finished 4-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI in game one and followed that up with a 4-for-4 performance in game two with two home runs and three RBI.

For the season, Mark is ranked in the top 16 in NCAA Division II in batting average (.605, 16th), runs batted in per game (2.1, 9th) and home runs per game (0.5, T11th).

The softball team will play in its home opener on Wednesday, March 11 when Upper Iowa makes the trip to Maryville. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bearcat Softball Field.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team came up short in the series finale with Central Missouri, 14-4, on Monday afternoon in Warrensburg, Mo.

The Bearcats now stand at 6-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference, while the Mules improved their record to 8-7 and 4-4.

Shortstop Nick Gotta collected a pair of singles and scored one run from the leadoff spot, while Garrett Fort finished the day 2-for-3 with a double and two runs, and Freshman Nick Howard drove in a pair of runs.

Nikko Pablo started the game for the Bearcats, throwing 4 2/3 innings and giving up seven earned runs to take the loss.

The Bearcats will make their home opener next weekend when Nebraska-Kearney heads to Maryville for a four game conference series. The teams will match up on Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m. for one game, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14 and the series finale on Sunday, March 15.

— Northwest Sports Information —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University men’s tennis freshman Josef Altmann was named the MIAA Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week in a release from the conference office on Monday. Altmann won both his singles and doubles matches in a 6-3 win over Newman on Friday, March 6. Altmann, who is from San Jose, Costa Rica, won at No. 3 singles (6-1, 7-5) and teamed with Fin Glowick at No. 2 doubles (8-6). For the spring, Altmann is a perfect 4-0 in singles competition, playing at either the No. 4 and No. 3 positions. He is the second Northwest men’s player to earn the honor after Maruo Tete earned conference accolades last week.

Northwest begins a busty week starting tomorrow with a noon contest against Abilene Christian in Kansas City, followed by a home match against William Jewell on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Bearcats will play Lewis, Ouachita and Drury this weekend in Springfield, Mo.

— Northwest Sports Information —

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team has been selected for participation in the 2014-15 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Bearcats earned the Central Region’s No. 4 seed behind top seeded and host Augustana, No. 2 seed Minnesota State University Moorhead and No. 3 seed Central Missouri. Pittsburg State was the third MIAA team to qualify, earning the No. 7 seed.

Northwest’s first round game against No. 5 seed Minnesota State is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The second round will be on Sunday, March 15 and the Sweet 16 round will be on Tuesday, March 17. The National Championship Elite Eight will be held in Evansville, Ind., starting on March 25th at the Ford Center. Northwest beat Minnesota State last season in the NCAA second round, 71-66, in Mankato, Minn. The winner of the Northwest and Minnesota State game will face the winner of Augustana and Arkansas Tech on Sunday.

Northwest is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats advanced to the Sweet 16 last season and has made two elite eights in program history (2002 and 2004). This is the third appearance under head coach Ben McCollum, who is 2-2 overall. McCollum, who is in his sixth season, was named the MIAA co-Head Coach of the Year after leading the Bearcats (23-6, 15-4) to the outright MIAA regular season title. Justin Pitts was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and earned first team All-MIAA honors. Matt Wallace was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

NCAA Central Region
1. Augustana (host)
2. MSU Moorhead
3. Central Missouri
4. Northwest Missouri
5. Minnesota State
6. Northern State
7. Pittsburg State
8. Arkansas Tech

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team split a doubleheader with Central Missouri Sunday afternoon in Warrensburg, Mo. Both games were seven inning affairs.

The Mules took game one, 7-4, while Northwest scored in the seventh inning to win game two, 5-4.

The Bearcats are now 6-8 and 4-3 in the conference, while UCM’s record stands at 7-7 and 3-4 in the MIAA.

In game one, Steven Garber scored two runs and drove in one more after reaching base twice, while Senior Paul Johnson drove in a pair of runs and finished 1-for-3.

Joseph Hietpas started the game for the Bearcats, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up three runs. The freshman recorded two strikeouts and three walks.

Austin Battaglia took the loss after giving up a pair of runs in 2/3 innings pitched.

In game two, Garrett Fort went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, including the game-winner in the seventh, while Steven Garber finished 1-for-3 with a double, one run scored and the game-winning RBI.

Brad Roberts started on the mound for Northwest, completing five innings and giving up four runs on just three hits. The freshman tallied two strikeouts and walked four.

Carson Smith came in to pitch the final two innings, earning his first win of the season after allowing just one base runner.

The Bearcats will go for the series victory Monday when they face off with the Mules starting at 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team swept Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon in Tahlequah, Okla.

The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and used a five-run sixth to seal the 9-3 victory in game one.  Then Northwest scored two runs in the sixth and seventh inning to take game two, 7-6.

The Bearcats improved to 4-6 and 2-2 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks are now 8-12 and 0-4 in the conference.

In game one, Sarah Baldwin got the start for the Bearcats and pitched 4 2/3 solid innings, giving up two runs on four hits. The junior struck out four and walked three batters to take the win.

Chantel Adams hit her first home run of the year in the sixth, finishing 3-for-3 with five RBI, while Stephanie Mark continued her strong weekend, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored.

In game two, Freshman Jessica Rawie was a triple short of the cycle, finishing 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run.  Rebecca Maher reached base twice, scoring two runs and crushing the game-winning home run in the seventh, and Senior Stephanie Mark added two RBI and two runs, hitting her fourth home run of the weekend in the first inning.

Abbie Vitosh started in the circle for the Bearcats, throwing 3 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run.  Kendle Schieber earned the win after throwing three innings and striking out four, while Sarah Baldwin recorded the final two outs to earn her first save at Northwest.

The Bearcats will return to Maryville for their home opener on Wednesday against Upper Iowa. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball scored 27 runs and swept a doubleheader from Lincoln Saturday. The wins moved the Griffons to 9-5 on the year and 6-1 in MIAA play.

Game 1: Lincoln 0, MWSU 15
Griffon Baseball’s offense picked up where they left off in a 15-0 win over Lincoln in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a six-run fifth inning from Missouri Western that included a grand slam by Ryan Degner.

The Griffons scored in each inning of the game and got hits from all but one starter. Through the first 14 innings of the four-game series with Lincoln, MWSU has outscored the Blue Tigers 32-2 and head into game two of the doubleheader with a 5-1 record in MIAA play.

Degner finished game 2-5 with four RBIs. Mitch Thorman went 2-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. David Glaude was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Josh Lansangan picked up the win, going four innings and allowing two hits, while striking out three. Lansangan moved to 1-2 on the year.

Game 2: Lincoln 3, MWSU 12
Missouri Western broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth with seven runs to add on to an impressive weekend at the plate. The Griffons added two more in the sixth to win 12-3 and end the day with 27 runs scored and 44 runs through the first three games of the series.

Cody Childs broke the tie in the fifth with an RBI single. MWSU went up 5-3 when Trevor LaHonta reached on fielder’s choice and an error by the shortstop allowed Childs to score. Degner followed with an RBI double to right that put the Griffons up 6-3. Mitch Thorman made it 9-3 with a three-run home run, his second of the day, and Dave Glaude’s RBI single capped off the seven-run inning that saw MWSU score six with two outs.

Degner went 4-5 in game with three RBIs and two runs scored. Thorman was 2-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Degner went 6-10 on the day with seven driven in and four runs scored.Thorman finished day-two, 4-7 at the plate with seven RBIs and four runs scored. Richard Peoples picked up his third win of the season in game two, going an inning and two thirds.

The Griffons are now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play headed into the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A little over 2 minutes left and the game tied, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball saw its goal of winning the MIAA Tournament slowly disappear on a three-point bomb by Pittsburg State junior Trey Starks.

“With the shot clock running down, that was a dagger,” Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff said.

A minute later, Trevor Gregory grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, giving the Gorillas a five-point lead.

“That was a tough one,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said.

Those two plays gave Pittsburg State a five-point lead with 1:23 left. The Bearcats never recovered and lost for the first time in 11 games, falling 65-58 to Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon in the MIAA semifinals at Municipal Auditorium.

“Obviously, a shot like that is going to affect us, but I told the guys to keep believing and keep fighting no matter what happens,” said Northwest senior Grant Cozad. “It was a hard fought game. I wish we could have had it.”

Despite the disappointment of the loss, Northwest, 23-6, has plenty to play for next weekend. The Bearcats will likely receive a bid into the NCAA Division II tournament and play in the Central regional.

“We will start focusing on it as soon as possible,” said junior Conner Crooker, who finished with 15. “We fought hard. We just have to move on.”

For the Gorillas, 19-11, they probably have to win the MIAA Tournament to reach regional. They definitely played with that type of urgency against Northwest.

“Our team persevered in a roller coaster type of game,” Muff said. “Our players responded well, probably against the best coached team in the conference as far as executing what they do.”

Even with the five-point lead and 83 seconds left, Pittsburg needed to hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win. The Gorillas did, going 8-for-8.

The game was so closely contested that two plays made all the difference. There were seven lead changes and eight times the game was tied.

“We had a good game plan and got the looks we wanted,” McCollum said.

The last tie came with 4:21 on a three-pointer by Crooker. Northwest, though, struggled from beyond the arc, going 5 for 18.

Over the next few minutes, defense ruled until Starks hit the trey with 2:30 left that spurred Pittsburg to victory.

“It is not what we designed,” Muff said. “Sometimes you have to go and make a play.”

Freshman Justin Pitts led Northwest with 23 points.

Northwest went into halftime with a slim 28-26 lead. The first half had the intensity of the final 20 minutes of a national championship game. Nearly every basket was contested, but the Gorillas still shot 50 percent from the field and Northwest 45 percent.

The Gorillas took the early lead at 10-6. Over the next 7 minutes, Northwest clawed to an 18-13 lead. The Bearcats maintained a narrow lead the rest of the first half

— MIAA Press Release —

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State should have had only two concerns Thursday afternoon when it faced Washburn in the quarterfinals of MIAA tournament at historic Municipal Auditorium.

The Bearcats, seeded No. 1, were coming off an emotional victory over Central Missouri just five days ago. Would Northwest experience a letdown?

“We knew what was at stake,” said Northwest senior Matt Wallace, who went five for seven from the field and finished with 12 points. “We were ready to go.”

Northwest also might have had a bit of doubt facing the No. 8 seed. Washburn was the only conference team to beat Northwest in Bearcat Arena this season.

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Northwest scored the first five points of the game. And even though the Bearcats briefly faced a 1-point deficit midway through the first half, Northwest had no problem beating Washburn 71-61.

Northwest, 23-5, moves on to the semifinals and will play at noon Saturday.

“It is pretty exciting to get the first win,” Wallace said. “Coach Mac (Ben McCollum) always says the first win is the hardest. It was against a really good Washburn team. We knew we weren’t going to blow them out. They fight too hard and are coached too well. To be able to get that win and do things right was great for us. We are excited for Saturday.”

The thing that has made the Bearcats so good all season is their focus. The only time they lost it was late in the first half and into the second half against Washburn on Jan. 10.

The Ichabods faced a different Northwest team this time around. The game started with a basket by senior Grant Cozad followed by a three-pointer from freshman Justin Pitts, giving Northwest a quick 5-0 lead. It was a nice way to shake off any tournament jitters.

Northwest pushed its lead to 12-5 when it suffered its only lull in the game when the outcome was in doubt. A couple of three-pointers by Washburn allowed the Ichabods to briefly take a 15-14 lead.

A three-point play by Pitts gave Northwest the lead for good at 18-15. Sophomore Zach Schneider took over, unleashing a couple of three-point bombs that helped the Bearcats extend their lead to 24-17.

Northwest went into halftime ahead 34-27 and then took complete control in the first five minutes of the second half. The Bearcats held Washburn to 30 percent shooting from the field while making 54 percent of their shots.

“We really locked in and played good defense,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We were really focused.”

Washburn opened the second half with a bucket. Northwest answered with a basket by Cozad, followed by one from Pitts and then a three-pointer by Schneider. Schneider concluded a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, giving Northwest a 46-29 lead.

“Justin driving off the ball screen was huge for us,” Wallace said. “If he is being aggressive, they have to help more and that gets everybody else open. That is always big for us.”

The Bearcats maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the rest of the game. In the final 2 minutes, Northwest missed several free throws that allowed Washburn to close to within seven.

“All in all I was pleased with the effort, to fight through it and get the win,” McCollum said.

As always, it was another solid team effort. Four of the five starters scored in double figures.

Pitts, a graduate of Blue Springs South, had a nice game in his return to Kansas City. Pitts finished with 25 points, going nine for 12 from the field, including four of five from three-point range.

“It is a great feeling being back at home, and playing in front of my friends and family who came out to watch me,” Pitts said. “It was a great feeling all around.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team was ranked third in the latest NCAA Central Region poll which was release on Wednesday afternoon. The Bearcats are 22-5 overall and 19-5 in games against NCAA Division II in-region opponents.

The Bearcats, who went 15-4 and won the outright MIAA title, are seeded first in the upcoming MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Northwest takes on No. 8 seed Washburn on Thursday at noon.

The top eight teams in each of the eight regions advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament, with the top seed serving as host for the opening three rounds. Augustana (S.D.) defeated Minnesota State Moorhead to win the Northern Sun Conference Tournament on Tuesday to conclude the season.

The NCAA Selection Show will take place on Sunday, March 8, at 9:30 p.m. CT.

— Northwest Sports Information —