Missouri Western head men’s baseball coach Charles “Buzz” Verduzco announces the signing of two student-athletes for the 2014 season. Freshman Jonathan Temenak of Fort Madison, Iowa and freshman Tyler Tuepker of Foristell, Mo. will join the squad this fall.

Jonathan Temenak is a 6-3 first baseman/pitcher who comes to MWSU from Fort Madison High School in Fort Madison, Iowa. He has earned numerous awards while in high school. As a junior he was  first team All-Hawkeye, first team All-District and first team All-Conference as a pitcher and first baseman. He was also MVP of his conference. As a sophomore he was second team All-Conference and honorable mention All-Hawkeye. He is undecided on a major at MWSU.

“Jon’s dedication to the game along with his raw power as a young hitter will one day have him amongst the elite hitters in the MIAA,” stated coach Verduzco.

Tyler Tuepker is a 6-2 pitcher from Foristell, Mo. Tuepker played his high school baseball at Wright City High School in Wright City, Mo. He has been a First and Second Team Eastern Missouri Conference selection in his career. This past season he was a First Team All-EMO and First Team All-District selection. He helped his team win the conference title while being named his teams Most Valuable Player as well as team captain. He plans on majoring in physical therapy at MWSU.

“Tyler is one of the most competitive young pitchers I’ve seen in a while,” commented Verduzco. “He will be an outstanding addition to our staff next season.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team saw their story book season come to an end against No. 1 seed Minnesota State in ten innings by a score of 4-1.

The Griffons end their season with a 40-12 overall record. The 40 victories broke the old record of 37 which was set in 1974.

Western played extreamly well against the Mavericks getting 9.2 strong innings from Jerad Hawkins.

Hawkins struck out a career high eight batters but got the loss giving up nine hits and three earned runs. He finishes the season 6-2.

The Griffons got on the board in the second inning when David Chew hit his fifth homer of the season over the right field fence. The score remained 1-0 until the fourth when Scott Lindner singled in Taylor Branstad.

In the eighth inning, Misssouri Western got a back-to-back hits from Kyle Simpson and Nate Ramler putting the Griffons on first and third with one out.

The Griffons tried a safety squeeze which was unsuccessful and they stranded runners on first and second in the inning.

In the ninth, Jake Schrader hit a bomb to right field which went foul by inches which would have ended the game. Unfortunately Schrader and Shawn Egge struck out to end the inning.

In the tenth, Hawkins got the first two batters out but then MSU got four two out hits plating three runs to earn the victory.

Harvey Martin improved to 8-0 going all ten innings giving up seven hits and striking out seven. The Mavericks improve to 37-8 on the season. They had 10 hits with Connor McCallum going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

Missouri Western had seven hits with Ramler and Chew each getting two hits.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Brett Weiberg announced the signing of three student-athletes that will join the program for the 2013-14 season and are part of his initial signing class at MWSU.  The class includes freshman point guard Wesley Mitter, junior combo guard Cortrez Colbert and junior shooting guard Dareon Jones.

WESLEY MITTER – 5-11, FRESHMAN- LOS ALAMITOS HIGH SCHOOL, LOS ALAMTIOS, CALIFORNIA
Mitter was a four year letter winner in high school where he earned All-State and All-Conference accolades.  He was also MVP and captain of a team that won numerous championships in his tenure.  He averaged 16 points and 3 assists per game his senior season including shooting 44 percent from behind the three point arc.  Mitter is also excellent from the free throw line shooting at an 89 percent clip.  Academically he was a member of the Principal’s Honor Roll during his senior year and plans on majoring in History with a teaching emphasis at MWSU.  Mitter’s high school coach was Eddie Courtemarche.

Weiberg on Mitter:
“I am very excited about Wes Mitter. He helps address our need at the point guard position. He is a young man that works very hard on his game and takes the game very seriously. He shot almost 90 percent from the free throw and 44 percent from the three point line. Wes is a high character kid that comes from a good family. I believe he will be a great teammate and grow into a very good leader.”

CORTREZ COLBERT – 6-2, JUNIOR – NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE, MIDWEST CITY, OKLAHOMA
Colbert is a combo guard who played for Weiberg at Northern Oklahoma College and has two years of eligibility.  While at NOC, he averaged 11 points and 3 rebounds per game.  He had a decorated high school career at Midwest City High School where he played for Head Coach Dwayne Bradley.  He was a First Team All-State Selection his senior season and helped lead his team to the state title game.  He will major in Communications at MWSU.

Weibert on Colbert:
“Proud to announce Cortrez is going to be a Griffon.  Trez is a high level competitor that consistently makes winning plays. He is a solid offensive player and can score the ball at the three line, midrange, and at the basket. He is a high level perimeter defender. He will be a leader and is a winner.”

DAREON JONES – 6-5, JUNIOR – NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE, TOLEDO, OHIO
Jones will play the wing position and has two years of eligibility and also reunites with Coach Weiberg at MWSU.  He averaged 8 points & 4 rebounds a game during last years 27 win season.  He played his high school ball at Toledo Central Catholic for Head Coach Jim Welling.  He plans on majoring in Criminal Justice at MWSU.

Weiberg on Jones:
“Dareon Jones is a great addition to Griffon Basketball. He is a 6-5 athletic wing. He plays hard. He can score from several areas on the floor and will defend. He and Trez both played on a good junior college team that shared the ball. They have already played together and played for me. I am excited about Dareon.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

The long ball hurt the Missouri Western baseball team in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional falling 6-1 against the Southern Arkansas Muleriders. The Griffons gave up three home runs and stranded eight runners in the loss. The Griffons are 40-11 on the season and will play the winner of the Minnesota State and Missouri Southern contest on Friday, May 17 at 3:30 pm from The Frank in Mankato, Minn.

The Mulerider jumped on the Griffons in the very first inning when Great American Conference Player of the Year David Harris blasted a two run homer giving Southern Arkansas the 2-0 lead.

Brandon Simmons shut down the Mule Riders for the next three innings but did not get any run support from his offense as they stranded the bases loaded in the fourth and left two runners on in the fifth.

SAU got another run in the fifth off another homer from Jackson McCurdy making the score 3-0 after five.

The Griffons got another threat going in the top of the eighth. Three straight one out hits by Bubba Dotson, Kyle Simpson and Nate Ramler cut the lead to 3-1 with one out in the eighth.

Southern Arkansas brought in Justin Thomas who struck out Grant Fink and Spencer Shockley ending the threat of any comeback.

In the bottom of the eighth a bunt hit and an error set the table for Harris’s second homer of the game giving SAU the 6-1 victory.

James Baune improved to 13-1 going 7.1 innings giving up eight hits while striking out seven. Thomas went 1.2 innings striking out three. The Muleriders improve to 41-15. Harris led the way with five RBI and two runs scored.

Simmons suffered his first loss of the season going all eight innings. He falls to 11-1 giving up eight his and five earned runs. The Griffons had eight hits with Dotson, Simpson and Ramler all going 2-for-4.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Four Missouri Western baseball players earned First Team Daktronics NCAA Division II Baseball All-Central Region and Michael Schulze was named the region Player of the Year. Bubba Dotson, Grant Fink and Brandon Simmons were the also named to the first team.

Michael Schulze, the MIAA Player of the Year, is second among all Division II hitters with a .456 average which leads the Central Region while his 94 hits are the most in the country. He’s also second in the nation and leads the Central Region with 70 runs, and is seventh nationally and second in the region with a .527 on-base percentage.

He’s also one of the toughest players to strikeout, with 20.6 at bats per strikeout which is third in the region and 18th in the nation. He ranks among the regional league leaders in several other offensive statistics including RBI, slugging percentage, doubles and stolen bases.

His all-around hitting has produced 130 total bases, seventh most in Division II and third in the region. He’s among the semifinalists for College Baseball Lineup’s Josh Willingham Most Valuable Player Award and has hit safely in 47 of 50 games on the season while taking the Griffon’s to the NCAA Central Region Tournament with a 13-game hitting streak. He’s set single season team records for runs scored and hits.

In his two years as a Griffon, Schulze is a .408 hitter (161-395) with 31 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 31 stolen bases.

Grant Fink earned his first First Team honor and was named to First Team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. Fink finished the season second on the team with a .405 batting average. He leads the team with a .731 slugging percentage and tied a MWSU single season record with 14 home runs. He has 68 hits to go along with 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and 49 RBI. Fink has a hit in 37 of the 51 games he has played in which included a 20 game hitting streak.

Bubba Dotson earned First Team honors for the first time in his career and was a First Team All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career after hitting .366 with 13 home runs. He hit three grand slams on the season and is second on the team in RBI with 59. Dotson is also second on the team in stolen bases with 13 and has hit 15 doubles and three triples. Dotson has 71 hits to go with 59 runs scored and a .675 slugging percentage. Dotson was named MIAA Hitter of the Week on March 12, 2013.

Brandon Simmons becomes the Griffons first ever MIAA Pitcher of the Year selection and earned his second First Team All-MIAA honor this past season. This was also his first time being selected to the First Team All-Region team. Simmons has been outstanding this season sitting with a 11-1 record. Simmons has won 10 or more games twice and broke the MIAA and MWSU record for wins in a career. He currently has won 35 games. Simmons sits third in the MWSU record book in strikeouts with 226 and complete games with 19. On the season Simmons has started and appeared in 13 games with three complete games. He holds a 2.91 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western junior shortstop Michael Schulze has been announced as a semifinalist for the inaugural Josh Willingham Award presented by College Baseball Lineup and D2BaseballNews.com. Schulze the MIAA Player of the Year leads the Griffons in hitting and is secone in the nation with a .456 average. He has set single season records for runs scored (70) and hits (94). He has hit saftely in 47 of the Griffons 50 games and is currently on a 13 game hitting streak.

The new annual award honors DII college baseball’s “most valuable player” – an individual who not only excels on the field, but in the dugout, clubhouse and practice field as well, and leads his team to national championship caliber status. The twenty-eight players selected are on teams preparing to take to the diamond as a part the opening round of double-elimination Regional Championship Tournament which will determine the eight teams who will advance to Cary, NC to a compete for the DII national title.

The award is named after the former University of North Alabama Lion star, Josh Willingham. While playing baseball at UNA Willingham was a two-time All American and tied or broke 14 school single-game, season and career records. After his junior season Willingham was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball Draft and he is currently in the midst of his 10th season at the highest professional level.

The determination of the semifinalists candidates and initial voting for the award has been made by a select panel of baseball sports information contacts and media members. Once a group of finalists are selected, the panel will vote again and a fan Internet vote is planned to contribute to the selection of the winner.

The finalists are scheduled to be named on Monday, May 20th. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the DII Baseball Championship held in Cary, NC from May 25th to June 1st.

— MWSU Sports Information —