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Category: College

Darrian Miller rejoins Kansas football program

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Football vs. Kansas StateKansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced Tuesday that halfback Darrian Miller has signed a grant-in-aid and is rejoining the Jayhawk program.

A Blue Springs, Mo., native, Miller spent the 2011 campaign at KU, but was dismissed from the team following the season.

He attended Butler Community College, but did not play in any football games.

He will be a redshirt sophomore when he suits up for the Jayhawks in 2013. As a true freshman, Miller was KU’s second leading rusher with 559 yards and four touchdowns on 136 carries.

From Darrian Miller:

“After talking to Coach Weis, we have decided to try to get this right. Coach Weis is giving me an opportunity to rejoin the Kansas football team with stipulations. When I left Kansas after the 2011 season, I was in good academic standing. I was dismissed for off the field issues that I take full accountability for. I made mistakes as a freshman that not only led to my dismissal, but hurt the Kansas football team. I regret this happened, but I have learned a great life lesson during this ordeal.

“Coach Weis has given me a rare opportunity. I get the chance to get this right. I am truly thankful for this opportunity and I intend to make the most of it. I realize that I am leaving Butler at a bad time and I want to thank Coach Troy Morrell for the opportunity he gave me there. Coach Morrell and his staff were an amazing help to me.

“My only goal now is to help Coach Weis return Kansas football to respectability. I am ready to work hard to be a contributing factor to the program. I am looking forward to joining the team as soon as possible and building up relationships with both my former and new teammates. It is time to go to work. Rock Chalk.”

From Charlie Weis:

“We constantly research special situations concerning transfer students. Each situation is unique. Occasionally through our due diligence we find a player who fits. This was the case with both Darrian and Nick (Harwell). We believe both young men are prepared to thrive at Kansas on and off the field.”

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas State to host Wichita State in NCAA Tournament opener

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riggertKStateA day after being awarded the first NCAA Regional host site in school history, Kansas State learned Monday that it will be joined at Tointon Family Stadium by No. 2-seed Arkansas, third-seeded Bryant and No. 4-seed Wichita State as the entire 64-team bracket was announced on ESPNU.

The top-seeded Wildcats will play host to the Shockers Friday at 2 p.m., in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Bryant and Arkansas will play later in the evening at 7 p.m.

Games on both Saturday and Sunday will also be played at both 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. If necessary, a second championship game will be played Monday night at 7 p.m. The entire regional will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, including the WatchESPN app and ESPN3.com.

Wichita State, the Missouri Valley Tournament Champion, enters NCAA Regional play with a 39-26 overall record and finished in second place in the MVC regular-season standings with a 15-6 mark. Kansas State and Wichita State will be playing for the third time this year when they meet Friday afternoon as the Wildcats won both games during the home-and-home series. On April 9, in Manhattan, K-State plated five eighth-inning runs to tie the game at six apiece and won in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out passed ball. A week later in Wichita, K-State no-hit the Shockers for 5.2 innings and Jared King hit a three-run homer in the first inning as part of a 4-1 victory.

Wichita State holds a 51-33 all-time record against the Wildcats, but K-State holds a 19-18 edge in games played in Manhattan and has won 12 of the last 18 meetings. Friday’s contest will serve as the first matchup between K-State and WSU in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas put together a 37-20 overall record and an 18-11 mark in conference play to finish second in the SEC Western Division. The potential match-up against the Razorbacks would be the 48th in school history but the first since 2003 as U of A holds a 29-18 edge. K-State played in the 2010 NCAA Fayetteville Regional but did not meet Arkansas.

After winning its first-ever Northeast Conference championship, Bryant enters regional play with a 44-16-1 overall record and finished first in the NEC regular-season standings at 27-5. The potential meeting with the Bulldogs would be the first in series history.

K-State enters regional play with a 41-17 overall record after finishing with a 16-8 mark in conference action. Kansas State won the Big 12 regular-season title, capturing the school’s first conference championship since 1933. Predicted to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Wildcats made the biggest jump in the preseason poll by a conference champion in league history.

Tickets for the NCAA Manhattan Regional are now available online at www.k-statesports.com to current baseball season ticket holders, as they are given first opportunity to purchase seating they held during the regular season. To reserve tickets, which also provides the ability to add extra tickets, season ticket holders should log into their online account and select “season renewals.”

Also, all Ahearn Fund members will receive an exclusive email offer to pre-order tickets through Tuesday as all tickets will be opened to the general public on Wednesday. A promo code will be sent to each Ahearn Fund member’s email account with ordering information.

Baseball season ticket holders and Ahearn Fund members may also order by phone on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by calling 800-221-CATS.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, with All-Session, reserved and general admission seating packages offered for the first-time event in Wildcat history. Fans may reserve their tickets in person at the K-State Athletics Ticket Office, by phone at 800-221-CATS or online at www.k-statesports.com.

If tickets remain, individual session tickets will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m., Friday and can be purchased online, by phone or in person.

All seating in the grandstand of Tointon Family Stadium will be reserved. General admission will be available only in the bleachers in the patio area along the right-field side and in the new temporary bleachers on the berm down the left-field line.

2013 MANHATTAN REGIONAL GAMES

Game One: Friday (5/31) – No. 1-seed Kansas State vs. No. 4-seed Wichita State, 2 p.m., ESPNU

Game Two: Friday (5/31) – No. 2-seed Arkansas vs. No. 3-seed Bryant, 7 p.m.

Game Three: Saturday (6/1) – Game One loser vs. Game Two loser, 2 p.m.

Game Four: Saturday (6/1) – Game One winner vs. Game Two winner, 7 p.m.

Game Five: Sunday (6/2) – Game Three winner vs. Game Four loser, 2 p.m.

Game Six: Sunday (6/2) – Game Four winner vs. Game Five winner, 7 p.m.

Game Seven (if necessary): Monday (6/3) – Game Four winner vs. Game Six winner, 7 p.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

K-State selected to host first-ever NCAA Baseball Regional

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riggertKStateFor the first time in program history, K-State and Manhattan will serve as one of 16 national sites for the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship as the Big 12 Champion Wildcats were selected Sunday to host the 2013 Manhattan Regional beginning Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.

K-State will be joined by three other teams in the Manhattan Regional as two games will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday. If necessary, a second championship game would be played Monday.

The complete 64-team bracket, top-eight national seeds and game times for each regional will be announced at 11 a.m., Monday during the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show on ESPNU.

“I am very proud of this team and what they have accomplished this year,” said head coach Brad Hill. “I am extremely happy that we are able to bring a NCAA Regional to the K-State and Manhattan communities. We have worked extremely hard to have the opportunity to reward our great fan base, alumni and university by hosting a regional. There are so many former players and coaches that have laid the foundation for this day to become a reality, especially Mike Clark. We are very appreciative of John Currie and his staff for their support and efforts in assisting us host our first NCAA Regional. Our team is looking forward to using the momentum we have produced leading into the NCAA tournament and representing Kansas State well by playing with the resiliency and competitive spirit we’ve shown all season long.”

K-State enters regional play with a 41-17 overall record after finishing with a 16-8 mark in conference action. The Wildcats are ranked in every major college baseball poll, including a No. 15 spot in Baseball America. The regular-season conference championship in 2013 was the first for the Wildcats in 80 years, while they made the biggest jump in the preseason poll by a conference champion in league history.

“We are proud of Coach Hill and our baseball team for the success they have had this season, winning the program’s first conference championship in 80 years,” said Athletics Director John Currie. “Hosting a regional at Tointon Family Stadium is not only another tremendous opportunity to showcase Manhattan and Kansas State University to the entire country but also the next step in the building process for our program envisioned when Bob and Betty Tointon, Coach Mike Clark and many others made possible our beautiful stadium over a decade ago. We are looking forward to welcoming three other programs to campus this week.”

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas falls to Oklahoma in Big 12 baseball championship

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KUOklahoma used a formula relied on by Kansas all season – strong pitching and defense – to beat the Jayhawks 7-2 and claim the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, along with the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, at Bricktown Ballpark Sunday afternoon. OU first baseman Matt Oberste went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs to provide the bulk of the Sooner’s offense.

Oklahoma (40-19) used three pitchers to limit Kansas (34-25) to two runs, including Kyle Hays, who worked out of a jam in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save in two days. The Sooners turned two double plays and left fielder Craig Aikin left his feet three times to make defensive stops, including a diving grab in the ninth, to help hold Kansas at bay.

Oklahoma reliever Jacob Evans scattered four hits over 5.0 innings to earn the win and may have made the biggest contribution with his glove. Evans snagged a comeback, line drive off the bat of Kevin Kuntz with runners on second and third to end the fifth and preserve a 5-2 Oklahoma lead.

“My congratulations to Oklahoma,” Kansas head coach Ritch Price said. “To win that fourth game, four days in a row is a really tough thing to do – it really runs your pitching staff deep. Obviously (Evans) was fabulous for stopping the opportunities we had to score.

“I thought the key to the game was their defense to be honest with you. We hit four or five balls right on the button. We were down 5-2 and had guys at second and third, there was a line drive back through the box that the pitcher snared. I thought it was the biggest play of the game. It could’ve been 5-4 and we would’ve had a chance with four innings to go. Not only did (Evans) pitch well, but he made a huge play in the game as well.”

Oberste reached three times, driving in two with a two-run blast off KU starter Frank Duncan (4-6) in the third and two more in the top of the ninth off Kansas closer Jordan Piche’ to give the Sooners even more breathing room.

The Jayhawks scored both of its runs on sacrifice flies, one by Ka’iana Eldredge and another by Michael Suiter. Connor McKay went 2-for-4 to lead Kansas in hits. He was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team along with Suiter, Kuntz and reliever Piche’, who threw in all four games.

After Oklahoma scored five runs in the first three innings, senior right-hander Tanner Poppe entered the game and held the Sooners scoreless over five innings of relief. He scattered two hits from the fourth through the eighth, but allowed three more base runners on walks.

Kansas closed the season with wins in three of the last four games, including two against teams seeded higher in the tournament and one against a team ranked in Baseball America’s top-25 (Oklahoma State). Kansas finished the season with a 3-1 record against the No. 20 Cowboys and finished the season with a 2-2 mark against Oklahoma, who was receiving votes. The Jayhawks, who won a total of 15 games against Big 12 foes in 2013, will await the selection committee’s decision on NCAA Tournament play with the field being announced Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.

— KU Sports Information —

MWSU’s Schulze named DII Player of the Year; 3 Griffons earn 1st Team All-America honors

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MWSUThree Missouri Western baseball players earned First Team Daktronics NCAA Division II Baseball All-America honors for the first time in school history.

Junior shortstop Michael Schulze was named the Player of the Year, while Bubba Dotson and Grant Fink were also named to the first team.

MIAA and Regional Player of the Year Michael Schulze reprized that role on the All-American team. He hit .439 on the year for the Griffons scoring 70 runs while adding 17 stolen bases. He had 24 extra base hits and drove in 49 runs.

Fink hit .397 for the year hitting 14 home runs and driving in 51 runs. He is also a finalist for the Tino Martinez Player of the Year Award.

Dotson hit .359 for the season with 13 home runs and 59 RBI.

Missouri Western finished the season with a 40-12 overall record making just their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Griffons’ Roemmich named Honorable Mention All-American

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MWSUMissouri Western senior outfielder Maegan Roemmich earned her first career All-America honor by being selected to the Daktronics honorable mention All-American team.

Earlier this season Roemmich was a Daktronics All-Central Region First Team selection as well as being named to the NFCA All-Central Region Second Team and a First Team All-MIAA performer this past season.

Roemmich started all 54 games this season for the Griffons and batted a team-high .404 which puts her 4th in the MIAA. Roemmich scored 39 runs and had a team-high 65 hits in 2013.

The senior finished the season with seven doubles and a career-high 11 home runs. She finished with 44 RBI and a .652 slug percentage. In the MIAA alone, she had a .464 batting average with eight home runs. She had a hit in 40 games this season and had a hit in 16 of her last 20. She is in the top 10 of multiple categories in MWSU history.

Roemmich has played three different positions for the Griffons in her four years. She played third base her first two seasons before moving to the outfield. As a junior she played right field and this season she was moved to center field.

Roemmich was a three time All-MIAA performer being named to the first team twice (2013, 2012) and second team once (2011). She finished her career with a .335 batting average with 212 hits, scored 122 runs and had 97 RBI. She also had 26 doubles and and 16 home runs.

— MWSU Sports Information —

McFadden, Kansas State open Big 12 tournament with win over Texas Tech

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KSUKansas State relievers Nate Williams and Jake Matthys combined for 3.2 scoreless innings to bolster a solid start by freshman Blake McFadden as the Wildcats edged Texas Tech, 4-3, Thursday in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

K-State improved to 40-16 on the year, reaching the 40-win mark for just the second time in school history. The Red Raiders dropped to 25-29.

Williams, who entered the game in the sixth inning with one out and the Wildcats on top 4-2, allowed a two-out RBI double to cut the lead to one. But the sophomore right-hander retired the next four batters before handing the game over the Matthys in the eighth.

Matthys, who broke the K-State freshman record for saves with seven, retired all six batters he faced with four strikeouts to finish the game.

“It was just a really clean, good ballgame,” said head coach Brad Hill. “Both sides pitched very well. We were fortunate enough to come out on top. Fortunately, some things went our way.”

Matthys, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, needed only 19 pitches in his two scoreless innings and threw only four pitches out of the strike zone. He moved into a tie for third place in school history with his 29th appearance, which is the most by a freshman in school history.

McFadden (6-2) pitched out of tough situations in the first three innings by forcing Texas Tech to leave two on base in the second inning, while a caught stealing helped the right-hander face the minimum in the third. But in the fourth, Tech’s Eric Gutierrez hit two-run homer off the left-field foul pole to give Tech a 2-1 lead before McFadden settled down to get three consecutive outs and end the threat.

The Wildcat offense had to grind it out against one of the nation’s top pitchers, Trey Masek (5-2). K-State manufactured a run in the second inning without recording a hit when Jared King walked and stole second base before a pair of ground outs – the latter by Jon Davis – scored the game’s first run.

Tanner Witt led off the fourth with a double down the left-field line and Shane Conlon followed with a single to put runners on the corners. King drove home Witt with a sacrifice fly before pinch-hitter Kyle Speer doubled to the right-field wall, moving Conlon to third. Davis hit another sacrifice fly to produce the second run of the inning and Lance Miles, who pinch ran for Speer, scored on a wild pitch to build the lead to 4-2.

“You’ve got to tip your hat to (Masek),” said Conlon. “He pitched great and kept us off-balance. We had the one big inning that basically won us the ballgame. Our pitching staff threw great today and kept us in the game.”

Conlon finished with two hits and scored a run, while Davis registered his ninth multi-RBI game of the year. Gutierrez led Texas Tech by going 1-for-2 with two RBI and hit his fourth home run in as many games.

Top-seeded Kansas State continues play in Pool One Friday with a 12:30 p.m., contest against No. 5-seed Baylor at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

— KSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western’s Fink named finalist for Tino Martinez Award

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MWSUMissouri Western senior third baseman Grant Fink has been named as one of eight finalists for the 2013 Tino Martinez Award.

The award, which goes to the top player in NCAA Division II, is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and Major League Baseball All-Star, Tino Martinez. This year’s recipient of the award will be announced following the conclusion of the NCAA DII Championship tournament which is taking place in Cary, N.C. May 25-June 1.

Fink, a Sopkane, Washington native, is a Rawlings/ABCA NCAA Division II All-Central Region pick and is also a Daktronics First Team All-Region and First Team All-MIAA selection.

Fink finished the season with a .397 batting average tying an MWSU single season record with 14 home runs. Fink helped the Griffons to the most victories in school history with 40 and to their second ever NCAA Division II Playoff apperance.

He also helped the Griffons win their first ever MIAA Regular Season Title. He led the team with a .706 slugging percentage and was second on the team with 77 hits. He scored 40 runs, had 14 doubles, two triples and 51 RBI. He also had 137 total bases and a fielding percentage of .959 from the hot corner.

— MWSU Sports Information —

KU football announces addition of Miami (Ohio) transfer Nick Harwell

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KUKansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced Wednesday that wide receiver Nick Harwell has signed a grant in aid to join the KU football program in August. One of the top returning wide receivers in the nation, Harwell spent his first three collegiate seasons playing at Miami (Ohio), where he was a record-setting receiver for the Redhawks.

Harwell, a 6-foot-1, 193-pound native of Missouri City, Texas, missed three games in 2012 with a knee injury, but still managed to rank 13th in the NCAA in receptions per game (7.6) and 14th in the NCAA in receiving yards per game (96.7). He finished his junior campaign leading the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 68 receptions for 870 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games on his way to picking up second team All-MAC honors.

Harwell was the NCAA’s second-leading receiver in 2011 with 129.6 receiving yards per game. He had a total of 97 receptions for 1,425 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore. He earned first team All-MAC honors, honorable mention All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.

Harwell set the Miami single-game record for receiving yardage during his freshman season with an 11-catch, 219-yard performance against Ohio. He was named second team All-MAC in 2010 after catching 64 passes for 871 yards. Harwell was twice named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week in his rookie campaign.

Harwell leaves Miami ranked second in school history in career receptions (229) and yards (3,166), and third in receiving touchdowns (23).

— KU Sports Information —

K-State’s Finney named to Rimington Trophy spring watch list

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KSUKansas State junior center B.J. Finney is one of 44 players nationally and three from the Big 12 Conference named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List, the award committee has announced.

Finney, a native of Andale, is a former walk-on who has turned into a team leader for the Wildcats. Last season, he was a First Team All-Big 12 pick and a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy which honors the nation’s top walk-on. The two-time team captain has started all 26 career games, including the last 25 at center heading into his junior campaign.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2 million. The 14-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $100 million for CF Research.

Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only double winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com

Other Big 12 centers on the list include Texas’ Dominic Espinosa and Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard.

The Wildcats return 41 lettermen from last year’s 11-2 Big 12 Championship squad which is led by 2011 and 2012 Big 12 and National Coach of the Year Bill Snyder, who is in his 22nd season overall at Kansas State.

Kansas State returns 11 starters in 2013, while a total of 18 returners have earned starts during their Wildcat career. The Wildcats return nine players from 2012 that earned midseason or postseason All-Big 12 honors from various media outlets, including returning All-Americans Ty Zimmerman at safety and kick returner/wide receiver Tyler Lockett.

K-State opens the 2013 season and the new West Stadium Center August 30 with a primetime, nationally-televised home game on FOX Sports 1 against North Dakota State.

— KSU Sports Information —

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