The Missouri Western baseball team has moved its weekend series with the Northeastern State University RiverHawks up to Friday and Saturday.
On Friday the two teams will play a doubleheader with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 pm and on Saturday they will wrap up the three game series with a single nine inning game starting at 1:00 pm.
The final game of the series will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ and 680KFEQ.com.
— MWSU Sports Information —
The Northwest Missouri State softball team has moved the location of its MIAA opening weekend against Southwest Baptist on Friday and Central Missouri on Saturday to Platte City, Mo.
The Bearcats will host both MIAA double-headers at Platte Ridge Park softball fields with a 2 p.m. start both days. Platte Ridge Park is located at 17130 MO Highway 371 Platte City, MO 64079.
Northwest is 10-4 on the season and swept a double-header from NAIA Doane College last weekend. Before last weekend’s series the Bearcats had not seen action since Feb. 23 at the NSIC/MIAA Crossover in Rochester, Minn.
SBU stands at 4-12 on the season and dropped both games of a nonconference double-header against Truman State. Central Missouri enters the weekend at 10-6 and will play a twin bill at Missouri Western before traveling to Platte City to face the Bearcats Saturday afternoon.
— NWMSU Sports Information —
The Missouri Western baseball team opened up the 2013 home portion of their schedule with a 11-0 run rule victory over non-conference opponent William Jewell College. The Griffons had 17 hits with Michael Schulze leading the way going 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI. The Griffons run their win streak to nine improving to 9-3 overall.
The Griffons struck early and often scoring eight runs in the first two innings which included a seven run second inning. The Griffon first started with three straight singles and then Nate Ramler hit a sacrifice fly scoring Schulze giving MWSU the 1-0 lead after one.
In the second the Griffon scored seven runs on eight hits taking a 8-0 lead after two. Grant Fink hit his 5th homer of the year leading off the inning and then Schulze hit a three run homer which was his second of the year.
The Griffons scored one run in the third, fifth and sixth innings putting the run rule in effect. In the third Schulze doubled and scored on a Bubba Dotson double. In the fifth Schulze hit a double and scored on a Dotson sacrifice fly and in the sixth Spencer Shockley singled in Ramler giving MWSU the 11-0 lead.
Kyle Kelly picked up his first victory of his career going five innings giving up six hits while striking out four. Jerad Hawkins and Ramler each pitched an inning with neither one giving up a hit.
Offensively all nine of the Griffon starters got hits. Dotson and Fink had three hits apiece while Ramler had two. Dotson and Fink had two RBI while Ramler scored two runs.
The Cardinals fall to 3-4 as David Collins falls to 0-3 going one inning giving up seven hits and five earned runs. Six different Cardinals got hits in the game.
The Griffons return to action tomorrow, March 14 with an MIAA doubleheader against the Washburn Ichabods in Topeka, Kan. Game time is set for 2:00 pm.
— MWSU Sports Information —
The Northwest Missouri State baseball team was not able to get the bats going against Fort Hays State as they dropped game one 3-0 and then game two 11-3 Wednesday at Larks Park in Hays, Kan.
The Tigers scored three runs in the first two innings which proved to be enough as both teams were held scoreless the remainder of the game. Austin Warren started game one and went 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits and three earned runs. Warren did not allow a walk and had one strikeout.
Northwest left six runners on base in the seven inning affair and were held scoreless as FHS claimed a 3-0 victory.
Brandon Huske went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and collected his second stolen base of the season.
The Bearcats struck early in game two as Eric Swain singled down the left field line to knock in Ryan Abernathy giving the Bearcats a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Tigers answered in the bottom of the second inning with a run of their own and took the a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Northwest tied it up in the fifth inning when Tyler Durant singled in Cam Bedard to even the score at 2-2.
However, the offense for Fort Hays would awake as the Tigers added nine runs between the fifth and sixth innings to go up 11-2. The Bearcats plated their final run in the seventh when Swain hit a sacrifice fly and Huske was able to tag up and score.
Marcus Garrett went 4.0 innings giving up two earned runs and struck out five but earned a no-decision. Chase Anderson was tagged with his third loss of the season after going 1.1 innings.
Northwest moved to 4-14 on the season and 4-11 in MIAA play. Head Coach Darin Loe’s team will have the weekend off and be back on the diamond March 20 to take on rival Missouri Western at Bearcat Field with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
— NWMSU Sports Information —
Kansas redshirt freshman Ben McLemore was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Freshman All-America Team announced Wednesday.
The team consisted of five freshmen and McLemore was joined by Anthony Bennett (UNLV), Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA), Nerlens Noel (Kentucky) and Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State). Smart was named the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year by the USBWA.
McLemore leads Kansas in scoring at 16.7 points per game, which leads all Big 12 freshmen and ranks second overall in the conference. Against West Virginia, McLemore broke the Kansas freshman record for points in a game with 36 and he is the only freshman in KU history to have three 30-point games. The Jan. 14 Big 12 Player of the Week and three-time conference Rookie of the Week, McLemore leads the league in free throw percentage (86.3) and is second in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage (43.4). McLemore has a team-high 62 three-pointers made and is tied for second on the team with 35 steals.
Kansas (26-5, 14-4) enter the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship as the No. 1 seed after winning its ninth-straight, 13th overall and NCAA-leading 56th conference regular-season title. The Jayhawks tied Kansas State for the 2013 title. KU will face either No. 8 West Virginia or No. 9 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the event on Thursday, March 14, at 2 p.m. WVU and TTU play March 13 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
— KU Sports Information —
The Missouri Western women’s golf team out shot day one leader Northwest Missouri State by three strokes in the final 18 holes claiming a one stroke victory at the Central Missouri Invitational. The Griffons shot a two round total of 736 (368-368) while Northwest Missouri State finished with a 737 (366-371).
Fort Hays State and Central Missouri finished in third and four with 778 and 790 respectively while Southwest Baptist finished with a 935.
Senior Natalie Bird finished in second place firing a two round total of 172 (82-90) while Callie Wilson finished in third with a 181 (91-90). Anna Kloeppel and Darcy Smith finished in a tie for 4th and 10th respectively firing 186 and 193. Amber Chivington, Casi Webb and Shelby Stone finished firing 198, 200 and 202 respectively.
The winner of the event was Steph Charteris shooting a two day total of 166 (89-77).
The Griffons return to action on Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25 when they host the MWSU Candlewood Suites Classic. The event will take place at the St. Joseph Country Club.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Missouri Western swept the MIAA Baseball Athlete of the Week awards as Bubba Dotson was named the hitter and Ethan Ward the pitcher for week number six.
MIAA Hitter of the Week
Bubba Dotson, OF, Missouri Western
Dotson has been on a roll as of late getting a hit in each of his last eight games. In the past week he helped the Griffons go 5-0 hitting .706 with 12 hits in 17 at bats. Dotson scored six runs, had four doubles and eight RBI. He also had a slugging percentage of .941 and an on base percentage of .783 for week. He walked six times and struck out just twice while adding one sacrifice and going 2-for-2 in stolen bases. On the season he is hitting .500 (20-40) with 13 runs scored and 11 RBI. The 5-11 senior outfielder is a native of Kansas City, Mo. where he played at Oak Park High School prior to playing at both Neosho County Community College and Maple Woods.
MIAA Pitcher of the Week
Ethan Ward, P, Missouri Western
Ward picked up his first victory of the season pitching a masterful game in a 11-1 victory over Nebraska-Kearney. Ward went five innings giving up just two hits while striking out five. He only allowed his opponents to hit .118 off him on the day as he retired the final four batters he faced and did not allow a baserunner past first base in his entire appearance. The 5-10 senior pitcher is a native of Olathe, Kan. where he attended Olathe East High School prior to pitching for Highland Community College.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Missouri’s Phil Pressey and Laurence Bowers were named to the All-Southeastern Conference Team by the league coaches on Tuesday, with Pressey earning First Team accolades and Bowers being voted to the Second Team despite missing five of the first six league games due to injury.
Pressey leads the Southeastern Conference in assists this season and is on the cusp of breaking his own school record for single season dimes. Pressey is averaging a league-best 7.1 assists per game (No. 7 nationally) and has 221 dimes, needing just three more to surpass his 2011-12 total of 223.
Pressey’s 221 assists are already ninth in Southeastern Conference history and he is 39 assists shy of the all-time mark held by Sean Tuohy of Ole Miss in 1979-80. Tuohy is of course also well-known from to the Movie “The Blind Side” released in 2009. The junior is also just 14 assists short of the single-season top five in SEC history and Pressey has the most assists for an SEC player since John Wall dished 241 in 2009-10.
The Dallas native is also scoring and rebounding at a career rate this season. Pressey is third on the club with 11.9 points per game and his 3.4 rebounds per contest better the 3.3 he averaged last season.
He is already the career record holder for assists at Missouri with 561 and needs just five steals to surpass the career mark of 196 held by Anthony Peeler.
Pressey has topped 20 points in a game five times this season, including a 27-point, 10-assist double-double at Kentucky. He also turned in one of the nation’s more spectacular games at UCLA (Dec. 28) where he broke the school and Pauley Pavilion records with 19 points and 19 assists vs. the Bruins. The 19-points and 19 assists were the most by a high major college player since Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State) dished 20 in 2000 and it was the first 19 and 19 game since John Stockton with the Utah Jazz of the NBA in the 1990-91 season.
Bowers has earned a pair of awards from the league office over the past two days. In addition to being named a Second Team all-league performer, the Memphis, Tenn., native was named to the SEC Community Service Team for his efforts in the Columbia community and continues to be a shining example of the all-around student-athlete experience at Mizzou as he nears the completion of his Master’s degree this spring.
On the hardwood Bowers has definitely made up for lost time, finishing with three consecutive 20-point efforts in games against LSU, Arkansas and Tennessee. The forward leads the Tigers with seven 20-point games this season and is second with a career high seven double-doubles. He had back-to-back double-doubles down the stretch vs. LSU and Arkansas and he finished his home career with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a resounding 93-63 Senior Night win over Arkansas on March 5.
Bowers leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.558) and ranks seventh in scoring (14.8), No. 13 in rebounding (6.3) and is just outside the Top 10 in blocked shots.
Earlier this season Bowers scored his 1,000th career point in a win against South Carolina State and was named the National Player of the Week after a 23-point, 10-rebound performance in a Bud Light Braggin’ Rights win over No. 10 Illinois in St. Louis.
Bowers is currently 27th all-time at Mizzou in scoring with 1,222 points and joins Arthur Johnson as the lone Tigers ever to score 1,000 points and block 150 shots.
Missouri Basketball opens play at the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday night against the winner of the Texas A&M vs. Auburn contest. The Tigers will play at 9 p.m. CT on the SEC Network
First Team All-SEC
Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 195, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Erik Murphy, Florida – F/C, 6-10, 238, Sr., South Kingstown, R.I.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – G, 6-5, 205, So., Greenville, Ga.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Johnny O’Bryant III, LSU – F, 6-9, 256, So., Cleveland, Miss.
Phil Pressey, Missouri – G, 5-11, 175, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Jordan McRae, Tennessee – G, 6-5, 178, Jr., Midway, Ga.
Elston Turner, Texas A&M – G, 6-5, 209, Sr., Sacramento, Calif.
Second Team All-SEC
Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 240, Jr., Newport News, Va.
BJ Young, Arkansas – G, 6-3, 180, So, St. Louis, Mo.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Pompano Beach, Fla.
^Mike Rosario, Florida – G, 6-3, 183, Sr., Jersey City, N.J.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss – G, 6-2, 175, Jr., Hurst, Texas
Murphy Holloway, Ole Miss – F, 6-7, 240, Sr., Irmo, S.C.
Laurence Bowers, Missouri – F, 6-8, 227, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee – F, 6-8, 270, So., Memphis, Tenn.
SEC All-Freshman Team
Michael Frazier II, Florida – G, 6-4, 200, Fr., Tampa, Fla.
Charles Mann, Georgia – G, 6-4, 205, Fr., Alpharetta, Ga.
^Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky – F, 7-0, 244, Fr., Olathe, Kan.
Archie Goodwin, Kentucky – G, 6-4.5, 198, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
^Alex Poythress, Kentucky – F, 6-7, 239, Fr., Clarksville, Tenn.
Craig Sword, Mississippi State – G, 6-3, 189, Fr., Montgomery, Ala.
^Gavin Ware, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 270, Fr., Starkville, Miss.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina – F, 6-5, 212, Fr., Anzoátegui, Venezuela
SEC All-Defensive Team
^Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 185, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Scottie Wilbekin, Florida – G, 6-2, 176, Jr., Gainesville, Fla.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Anthony Hickey, LSU – G, 5-11, 178, So., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-9, 235, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
^-Ties are not broken
SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Florida
SEC Player of the Year: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Patric Young, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
— MU Sports Information —
The Missouri Western men’s golf team finishing in 10th place firing a two day total of 632 (319-313) at the Dave Falconer Memorial Invitational hosted by Arkansas Tech.
The winner of the event was Midwestern State University with a 594 (303-291) eight strokes ahead of second place finisher Henderson State University, 602 (304-298).
Individually the Griffons were led by James O’Brien with a 154 (79-75) placing him in a tie for 17th. Wes Apple finished in a tied for 34th with a 158 (82-76) while Evan McCarthy, Tyler Gast and Scott Sheldon finished with 163, 165 and 170 respectively. Kenny Stone and Derek Hawkins played as individuals finishing with 164 and 176 respectively.
The winner of the event was Wouter MyBurgh of Southwestern Oklahoma State finishing with a two day total of 144 (74-70).
The Griffons will return to action on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 when they participate in the University of Sioux Falls Spring Invite. The event will be played at Elmwood Golf Course.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Steph Charteris claimed her fourth tournament victory Tuesday to win the Central Missouri Early Bird Invitational at Pointe Royale Golf Course as the Northwest Missouri State women’s golf team finished second.
Charteris was not only the lone individual to shoot below 80, but also the only golfer on the course to score a 90 or better during Tuesday’s final round with a 77 (166). The sophomore held off Missouri Western’s Natalie Bird and Callie Wilson, who finished six strokes behind Charteris, with a 172 while Wilson finished with a 181.
The pair from Missouri Western helped the Griffons overtake Northwest in the team scoring to claim the team title by one stroke. The Griffons finished 736 while the Bearcats fired a score of 737. Fort Hays State checked in at third with a 778 as Central Missouri finished fourth and Southwest Baptist finished fifth.
Kristina D’Angela earned a top five finish with back-to-back rounds of 93 in the less than ideal conditions Tuesday. D’Angela carded a two-day score of 186 and was followed in the top 10 by Taylor Gard with a 191 (96, 95).
The final scorer for the Bearcats was Ashley Power with a two-day score of 214, while Cassie Lowell withdrew from competition after a first round 88.
Northwest takes a week off before returning to action at the Missouri Western Invitational March 24 and 25 from the St. Joseph Country Club.
— NWMSU Sports Information —
