Missouri Western head softball coach Jen Bagley announces the signing of nine high school student-athletes, Kailey Green, Allison Ladd, Shelby Elliott, Morgan Rathmann, Taylor Schaben, Katie Klosterman, Kristin Lange, Megan Korgie and Sydney Washington to play for the Griffons beginning in the 2013-2014 season.

Kailey Greeen is a 5-7 first basemman from Kearney, Mo. She attends Kearney High School where she is coached by Paul Lorbert and former Griffon Keri Franks. Her best sports moment was hitting her first grand slam at districts and breaking the high school home run record. She was also named First Team All-State this past season. She is the daughter of Billy and Brigette Green and plans on majoring in nursing at Missouri Western.

“Kailey’s best attribute is that she has the best of both worlds in her offensive game,” stated Coach Bagley. “She hits for average, and she hits for power.”

Allison Ladd is a 5-8 pitcher/first baseman from Omaha, Neb. She attends Omaha Westside High School where she is coached by Kevin Dunn. Her greatest sports moments were winning USSA 16A State with Team Nebraska in 2012 and winning districts with Westside in 2011. She is the daughter of Tighe and Wendy Ladd and is undecided on a major at Missouri Western.

“We are very excited to get Allie on campus to work with her tremendous upside,” commented Coach Bagley. “She is a hard throwing pitcher with great movement and she isn’t even throwing to her potential yet.”

Shelby Elliott is a 5-1 infielder from Platte City, Mo. She attends Platte County High School where she is coached by Rob Davenport. In the last three years she has been named All-District and All-Conference. She has won numerous team awards as well as being a team captain for Platte County. She is also an excellent student being a member of the National Honor Society. Her sister, Sarah, plays for the Griffons and is the starting third baseman. She also has another sister that attends Missouri Western. She plans on majoring in nursing at Missouri Western. She is the daughter of her dad Steve Elliott and mom Stacy Burress.

“Shelby is a very versatile player who is equally comfortable at third base or second base,” said Coach Bagley. “She is a fun player to watch in that she truly loves the game and plays it hard.”

Morgan Rathmann is a 5-5 outfielder from Neosho, Mo. She attends Neosho High School where she is coached by Melissa Clark. Her greatest sports moment was getting the game winning hit with bases loaded, two outs, extra innings her freshman year. It was one of her first varsity games and one of her first at bats from the left side of the plate. She is No. 1 in her class academically. She is the daughter of John and Connie Rathmann and is undecided on major at Missouri Western.

“Morgan is a natural leader who will bring a high quality of work ethic and talent to our team,” stated Coach Bagley. “With her speed, she is a blast to watch on the bases.”

Taylor Schaben is a 5-6 utility player from Portsmouth, Iowa. She attendes Harlan Community High School where she is coached by Toshia Karpenbauer and Kent Klinkenfus. She has had a very decorated career earning First Team All-District and All-Conference honors as a junior. She was also named Second Team All-State and First Team All-Area as a junior. As a freshman she was First Team All-Area and Second Team-All Conference. As a junior she hit .402 with 11, doubles, three triples, 30 RBI’s and six home runs. In her career she has a batting average of .360. She is the daughter of Gary and Jackie Schaben and has an older sister Brooke who is on the Griffon softball team. Taylor is also a solid student being in the National Honor Socitey. She plans on majoring in business at Missouri western.

“We feel as though we could put Taylor anywhere in our defense,” commented Coach Bagley. “She is versatile and talented. Just like her sister, she loves the game and is a very salty player. We loved the consistency of her bat and defensive play. She is a great kid and comes from a great family.”

Katie Klosterman is a 5-4 infielder from Omaha, Neb. She attends Millard West High School where she is coached by Don and Angie Brummer. She had a very solid high school career. As a senior she was named Omaha World Herald All-Nebraska, Omaha World Herald Class A All-State, Metro High School Activities Association all-Division, Lincoln Journal Star Super State and Lincoln Journal Star Class A All-State. As a junior she was named Omaha World Herald Second Team All-Nebraska, Omaha World Herald Class A All-State, Metro High School Activities Association All-Division, Lincoln Journal Star Second Team Super State and Lincoln Journal Star Class A All-State. As a sophomore she was Metro High School Activities Association Honorable Mention and as a freshman she was Metro High School Activities Association Honorable Mention and All-State Freshman First Team. She is the daughter of Bernie and Karen Klosterman and plans on majoring in business at Missouri Western.

“Katie brings a history of winning with her from the successes of both her high school and travel ball careers,” stated Coach Bagley. “She is a strong athlete with a tremendous bat.”

Kristin Lange is a 5-10 catcher from Elkhorn, Neb. She attends Elkhorn High School where she is coached by Brad Beard and Al Schutte. Lange helped the Elks to a second place finish at state her senior season. As a senior she was named First Team All-State and First Team All-Conference. As a junior she was Second Team All-State and as a sophomore she was Honorable Mention All-Conference. In her career she hit .408 with 124 RBI, 13 homeruns with a .652 slugging percentage. She is the daughter of David and Katherine Lange and plans on majoring in physical therapy at Misouri Western.

“We are fired up to have been able to recruit such a quality catcher for our program,” said Coach Bagley. “Lange is a great leader behind the plate and has an impressive arm.”

Sydney Washington comes from Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo. She was First Team All-District, All-Region and All-State in 2012. Washington was named second team All-District in 2011 and First Team in 2009 and 2010. She had 14 home runs and 41 RBIs with 22 stolen bases her senior year. She plays centerfield and hit three homeruns in a single seven-inning game this past fall.

“Sydney is such an impressive combination of strength and speed,” commented Coach Bagley. “She covers a tremendous amount of ground in the outfield. Offensively, I have watched her power homeruns and follow it up with a bunt for a base hit. Her potential is scary good.”

Megan Korgie is a 5-8 outfielder from Omaha, Neb. She plays at Ralston High School in Ralston, Neb. Her greatest sports moment was hitting her first grand slam in the Amateur Softball Association Nationals in Alabama. Her sister played softball and soccer while in college. Her senior year she had 42 RBIs with six homeruns and had a .429 batting average. She was First Team All-State this past season and second team All-State in 2011. She plans on majoring in nursing while at Missouri Western. She is the daughter of Tom and Sue Korgie.

“We are looking forward to having Korgie in our uniform,” said Coach Bagley. “She has a great personality and swings a very consistent bat. As an outfielder, she has great instincts and a very good arm.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team had seven players score in double digits holding on for an 81-67 victory over non-conference opponent Quincy University. The Griffons improve to 6-1 overall and 3-0 against GLVC opponents this season. The Griffons return to action on Saturday, December 1 when they take on another GLVC opponent in the Rockhurst Hawks. Tip time is set for 5:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The first half belonged to the Griffons as they scored 13 points off 12 Quincy turnovers and scored 23 bench points to the Hawks six. Midway through the first half the Griffons went on a 9-0 run which was sparked by a Sharniece Lewis three and was capped by a three and a lay-up by Brittany Griswold which gave MWSU the 21-11 lead with 11:20 to play in the half.

The Hawks cut the Griffons led to seven with just under ten minutes to play, but MWSU used a 20-10 to end the half with a 44-27 lead. The Griffons shot an outstanding 51.9-percent (14-27) from the field and 9-of-14 from long range. Lewis led the way off the bench with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range.

Quincy shot 45.8-percent (11-24) from the field as they wre led by Lucy Cramsey with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Hawks made the second half interesting cutting the Griffons 17 points lead to 8 at 63-55 after two Carly Beebe free throws with 9:51 to play in the game. The Griffons pushed its lead to 10 after a good free throw by Kallie Schoonover but a 4-0 run by the Hawks cut the lead to six at 65-59 with 5:55 to play.

The Griffons were able to end strong outscoring the Hawks 16-8 down the stretch picking up the 14 point victory. The Griffons improve to 2-0 at home while the Hawks fall to 1-4 on the season.

The Griffons scored 22 points off turnovers and had 28 points off the bench. Lanicia Lawrence and Brittany Griswold led the way with 15 points apiece while JaQuitta Dever and Alicia Bell pitched in 13. Sharniece Lewis and Jallisa Lewis had 12 and 10 respectively. Heather Howard led the way with nine rebounds while Griswold had eight. The Griffons made 26-of-60 field goals with 18 assists. Dever had six steals while Bell had six rebounds and six assists.

Cramsey led the charge for the Hawks with 22 points while Kelly Buresh ahd 19 points. Quincy shot 48-percent (24-50) from the field and made 13-of-15 free throws.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western head volleyball coach Cory Frederick announces the signing of two high school student-athletes, Kelsey Olion and Sara Vitito, to play for the Griffons beginning in the 2013 season.

Kelsey Olion is a 5-9 outside hitter from Champaign, Ill. She attends Centennial High School where she is coached by Stan Bergman. She helped her team to a 3rd place finish at the state tournament as a senior. It was the first time in school history that Centennial made it to the state tournament. She earned numerous academic awards such as Big 12 All-Academic, ISHA All-Academic as well as earning an Academic letter at her high school. Kelsey is the daughter of Keith and Beth Olion. She is a member of the National Honor Society and plans on majoring in chemistry at Missouri Western.

“Kelsey will add to our roster as the only left handed hitter we will have on our roster,” commented Coach Frederick. “She’s a great athlete who jumps well and has tremendous speed in the back row. She’s played both as an opposite and as a libero which will give her opportunities to earn multiple playing time at multiple positions in 2013. She’s a strong competitor and will be a great addition to the Griffon Volleyball team.”

Sara Vitito is a 5-10 middle hitter from Omaha, Neb. Vitito attends Millard North High School and is coached by Lindsay Mohon. She led her team to state last season and plans on majoring in nursing while at Missouri Western. She was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2010 and is a 4-year starter at Millard North.She was on the national honor society the past two years and honor roll every semester of high school. Vitito is the daughter of Don and LeAnne Vitito.

“Sara will immediately compete for a starting position in the middle next year,” state Coach Frederick. “She brings a high level of club and high school experience and a competitive nature that will make her an impact player immediately. She has a powerful offensive attack with a wide range of hitting options which will open up our front line attacking patterns. Sara will be a welcome addition to our team and will make competition for our middles very intense.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western head baseball coach Charles “Buzz” Verduzco announces the signing of two high school student-athletes, Mitchell Thorman and Andrew Ramirez to play for the Griffons beginning in the 2013-2014 season.

Mitchell Thorman is a 6-0 pitcher/outfielder from Overland Park, Kan. He attends Blue Valley Southwest High School where he is coached by Rick Sabath. He has been a three year starter for BVSW and is a member of the honor roll.  Mitch is the son of Terry and Mary Thorman and is planning on majoring in criminal justice at Missouri Western.

“Mitch is a very athletic, two way player who can have an immediate impact his first year as either a pitcher or an outfielder,” stated Coach Verduzco. “He has been very well coached in high school and summer and has been very successful versus high level competition.”

Andrew Ramirez is a 5-9 infielder from Kansas City, Kan. Ramirez has a .343 career hitting average and was placed on the 2012 All-Kansas Team as a second baseman. In 60 career games he has 67 hits, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 44 RBI. He is on the honor roll and a member of the 2012 Kansas City Royals Elite Scout Team. He is the son of Jessica and Michael Ramirez. He plans on majoring in criminal justice at Missouri Western.

“Andrew is one of the best true hitters coming out of the Kansas City area,” commented Coach Verduzco. “He is an intense, and hard nosed player with very good baseball instincts. He will compete for an infield position next year and we are blessed to have him.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western women’s soccer team earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2011-12 academic year.

The Griffons finished with a 3.02 grade point average, earning the award after placing past the 3.0 GPA mark. 504 women soccer teams also won the award.

This is the third year in a row and the fourth time in the past five years in which the soccer team earned the award.

The Griffons finished their 2012 season with a 6-9-1 overall record and 4-7-1 in MIAA play, including two straight victories to end the season.

— MWSU Sports Information —