MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State Universty men’s basketball student-athletes Zach Schneider and Justin Pitts have been selected to play for the USA D-2 Men’s Basketball Team’s 2016 Brazil Tour. The tour will begin in Orlando, Fla., on May 10th. The tour runs from May 10-19, and will feature stops in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. The tour is sponsored by USA Sports Tours and Events. The men’s team will be coached by Doug Karleskint from the University of Central Missouri.

“This is an outstanding group of basketball players that come from 11 different states and 12 different colleges and universities,” said Ron Smith, Director of USA Sport Tours and Events. “We feel that we have some of the best of the best representing NCAA Division II basketball and their universities. These players have been high achievers both on the court and in the classroom. They represent everything good that the NCAA Division II institutions have to offer.”

Schneider is Northwest’s career leader in three pointers made with 262. He was a third team All-MIAA performer in 2015-16. The Prairie Village, Kan., native averaged 9.8 points per game and 35.5 minutes per contest. He started all 32 games he appeared in as a junior. Justin Pitts was the 2015-16 MIAA Player of the Year. He earned DII Bulletin Third Team All-America honors and D2 CCA honorable mention All-America accolades. Pitts averaged 21.7 points, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 36.4 minutes per game as a sophomore.

The team will head to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday, May 11 following orientation and practices in Orlando, Fla. On May 14th, the teams will hold a “Skills Clinic for the Youth of Jundiai.” The final two men’s games will take place in Rio de Janeiro. The team will tepart Brazil on May 18th and return to the USA on May 19th.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University men’s tennis freshman Sergi Fontcuberta has been named the MIAA’s co-Athlete of the Week in a release from the conference on Monday. Fontcuberta helped lead the No. 16 ranked Bearcats to a 4-0 week, including three MIAA victories.

Fontcuberta won all four of his singles matches at the No. 3 position. He also went a perfect 4-0 at No. 1 doubles with teammate Alvaro Riveros. On March 28, they beat the nation’s No. 16 ranked doubles team from Washburn, 8-6.

The Northwest men’s team heads to Bolivar, Mo., on Thursday, April 7, to take on Ouachita Baptist at 11 a.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburg State on Sunday with a 13-3 victory at Bearcat Field.

The game was called in the bottom of the seventh when the Bearcats plated their 13th run, giving them a 10-run lead.

Northwest improved to 17-13 overall and 11-8 in MIAA action. The Gorillas fall to 6-23 on the year and 1-19 in conference play.

The Bearcats plated runs in each of the last four innings including a seven-run fifth.

Kolby Greenslade was 3-for-5 ont he day with four runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

Anthony Caenepeel pitched the full 7.0 innings, allowing just three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three. It was his fourth win of the year.

Eight different Bearcats got hits, seven different players scored a run and seven recorded at least an RBI.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored 13 runs on 14 hits with an error. The Bearcats got on in the second, two in the fourth, seven in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
– Pitt State scored all three of its runs in the second inning. The Gorillas finished with seven hits and four errors.
– Jake Lewis was 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs scored, two walks and a double.
– Ozzie Adams went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. He was also hit by a pitch.
– Kevin Handzlik was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI, a run scored and a sacrifice fly.
– Nick Gotta went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
– Garrett Fort went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
– Derek Meyer was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
– Austin Wulff had and RBI double, going 1-for-4 on the day.
– Nick Howard, who entered the game in the sixth, got an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

Key Northwest Innings
– Caenepeel started the game by recording a perfect first inning, needing only seven pitches to retire the Gorillas in order.

– Lewis turned a leadoff walk into Northwest’s first run of the game. With two down and Meyer at the plate, Northwest attempted a double steal with Handzlik on first and Lewis on third. Handzlik was caught in a rundown between first and second and strung it out long enough for Lewis to score from third before he was tagged out at first.

– Greenslade led off the fourth with a single. He stole second and went to third when the throw ended up in center field. Adams singled to short left center to score Greenslade from third. Adams went to second on a passed ball and went to third on a wild pitch. After an out, Handzlik hit a ball to deep right and with Adams tagging, Northwest tied the game, 3-3.

– Northwest pulled away in the fifth, scoring seven runs on seven hits. Meyer led off by reaching second on an error. After a flyout, five Bearcats recorded hits as Gotta, Greenslade, Adams, Lewis and Handzlik all connected on base hits to make it 8-3 Northwest. Fort drew a walk and after another out, it came back around to Meyer who started the inning. Meyer hit an RBI single that scored Handzlik to make it 9-3. Wulff continued the rally as he hit a fly ball to left that got caught in the wind and dropped fair for a double, scoring Fort to give Northwest a 10-3 lead.

– Greenslade led off the sixth with a well placed infield single to deep short. Adams got hit by a pitch and Lewis drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Howard hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center to score Greenslade. Adams tagged up from second and in a heads up play, scored on a throwing error by the center fielder to make it 12-3 Bearcats.

– With one out in the seventh, Gotta hit an infield single to third and Greenslade reached on an error by the center fielder. After a wild pitch moved runners up to second and third, Adams hit into a fielder’s choice with Gotta being tagged out at home. Lewis came up next and hit the game-winning RBI to short left to score Greenslade.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will head to Kearney, Neb., on Tuesday, April 7, for a 6 p.m. contest to conclude the three-game mid-week series with the Lopers. The series is tied, 1-1.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team picked up a pair of conference victories against Fort Hays State Sunday afternoon in Maryville.

Northwest rattled off 14 hits in game one, topping the Tigers 7-1.

Sarah Baldwin tossed a three-hit shutout in the nightcap, helping Northwest to a 3-0 victory.

The Bearcats improved their record to 29-9 this season and 13-5 in the MIAA, with the Tigers falling to 13-24 overall and 7-13 in conference action.

Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 7, Fort Hays State 1)
– Eight of the nine Bearcat starters recorded at least one hit as Northwest outhit Fort Hays, 14-3.
– Kendle Schieber (16-4) added another complete game victory to her resume, striking out six Tiger batters while allowing just three hits and one unearned run. The senior faced the minimum three batters in three different innings, allowing multiple baserunners only in the sixth inning.
– Shortstop Rebecca Maher drove in two runs with her first triple of the season in the third inning, finishing 2-for-4 and scoring two runs.
– Jaedra Moses picked up three hits and scored a pair of runs.
– Jessica Rawie rattled off three singles in the contest, driving in one run.
– Center fielder Kiana Baderdeen finished 2-for-3 with a triple and one run scored.
– Chantel Adams knocked an RBI double in her second at bat, finishing 1-for-4.
– Second baseman Torri Blythe scored a run and drove in another, finishing 1-for-4.
– Freshman Alexis Kelsey scored a run after singling in her final at bat.

Game One Key Innings
– The Bearcats opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third after Blythe and Moses each reached on infield singles. Maher knocked them both in with a triple that caught the chalk behind first base and rolled into the right field corner. Adams roped a double over the left fielder’s head two batters later, scoring Maher.

– Baderdeen led off the fourth with a lined single to right that slid past the Tiger defender, allowing the freshman to reach third. Blythe knocked her in with an RBI groundout before Moses knocked a solid single up the middle. After Maher lined a single over the shortstop, Adams lifted a fly ball to right that was dropped by the right fielder, allowing a pair of runs to score.

– Northwest added an insurance run in the bottom of sixth when Kelsey ripped a two-out single through the left side. Adams sent a grounder to second that would have been the final out, but the second baseman’s errant throw prolonged the inning, allowing Kelsey to advance to third. Rawie made the Tigers pay when she reached on a slow roller to short, scoring Kelsey and putting the Bearcats in front, 7-1.

Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 3, Fort Hays State 0)
– Sarah Baldwin (7-4) picked up her fourth complete game shutout of the year, giving up just three hits while striking out four Tigers. Baldwin allowed just to batters to reach second base.
– Senior Madison Jones crushed her 11th career home run, driving in a pair of runs after finishing 2-for-3.
– Catcher Jessica Rawie scored a run after doubling in the sixth.
– Torri Blythe reached base twice with a walk and a double.

Game Two Key Innings
– Jaedra Moses made a sliding catch in the top of the fifth to get out of a two on, two out jam.

– The Bearcats broke through in the bottom of the fifth when Jones hit a leadoff home run to right field. Kiana Baderdeen reached on an error by the third baseman before Blythe doubled down the right field line, putting runners in scoring position with no outs. Rebecca Maher plated Baderdeen two batters later when she grounded out to first.

– Northwest added a third run in the sixth when Rawie lifted a soaring fly ball towards left field that ended up finding the grass in right center due to the stiff wind. Rawie scored from second two batters later when Jones knocked a sharp single up the middle.

Up Next
– The 10-game Bearcat homestand will conclude next weekend when Northwest hosts Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, repsectively. First pitch with the Gorillas is slated for 2 p.m., while the action will commence Saturday at noon. Northwest will be honoring its seniors before Saturday’s contests.

— Northwest Athletics —