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Category: College

Northwest Missouri State softball gets swept by Pitt State

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Continuing an eight game road swing the Northwest Missouri State softball team dropped a MIAA double header at Pittsburg State, 8-2 and 15-7 Saturday evening at the PSU Softball Complex.

The Bearcats fell to 11-15 on the season and 2-7 in league play after battling to get back to the .500 mark at the beginning of their road trip that concludes on Sunday at Missouri Southern. PSU improved to 13-16 on the season and 2-0 in its first conference series of the year.

Northwest jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a Kristen Uthe two-run homer in the top of the first inning. However the Gorillas got an outstanding effort in the circle shutting out the Bearcats over the final six innings.

PSU starter, Hilary Erbert, scattered six hits in a complete game effort for the win.

Erbert got the run support needed as the Gorillas scratched back a run in the bottom of the first and plated four runs in the third. That would be all PSU needed as Erbert finished a solid outing with her defense behind her as she only walked two and struck out two.

Jenna Creger picked up the loss for Northwest as the junior failed to get out of the third inning.

In game two PSU prevailed in an offensive showcase as both teams combined for 32 hits and 22 runs in the nightcap.

Unfortunately, the Bearcats came up on the short end of the offensive blowout.

Northwest again got on the board in the top of the first inning after an RBI single from Uthe scored Hailee Hendricks putting the Bearcats up 1-0. However, PSU would answer with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to take the lead and never look back.

The Gorillas broke the game open in the bottom of the second inning as they blasted four home runs in the inning pushing five runs across to extend its lead to 7-1. In the home run barrage, PSU blasted back-to-back-to-back homers before the Bearcats recorded the third out.

After adding a run in the second Northwest threatened with Kayli Schurman’s ninth home run of the season. The Bearcats pushed two more runs across in the in the visitor half of the fourth via two PSU errors, but the Gorillas answered each time and ended the game in the sixth with five runs putting the run rule in effect.

Jordan Ereth and Hendricks each had two hits in the second game.

Northwest closes out its spring break road swing on Sunday with a double header at Missouri Southern. First pitch from Joplin is set for noon.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas hangs on against NC State to advance to Regional Final

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Thomas Robinson had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Jeff Withey blocked 10 shots to finish one shy of the NCAA tournament record, and No. 2 seed Kansas held on to beat North Carolina State 60-57 Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

The Jayhawks (30-6) advanced to play top-seeded North Carolina for a spot in the Final Four when Richard Howell’s off-balanced heave at the buzzer came up well short.

Elijah Johnson added 11 points for the Jayhawks, including a layup off an inbound pass from Tyshawn Taylor with 13.5 seconds remaining that gave them a calming cushion.

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried called a timeout to set up a play, but Scott Wood stepped out of bounds while fielding a cross-court pass with 5 seconds left that kept one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters from getting off a shot.

C.J. Leslie had 18 points for the Wolfpack (24-13), despite sitting much of the second half with four fouls. Wood finished with 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting.

— Associated Press —

Northwest baseball rallies to defeat Southern in series opener

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The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats got back to their winning ways Friday afternoon as they rallied to beat the Missouri Southern Lions 8-6 at Bearcat Field.

With the win, Northwest moves to 6-15 on the season and 5-8 in MIAA play while the Lions recorded their fifth consecutive loss.

Northwest struck first in the second inning when Jake Kretzer singled through the left-side to score Eric McGlauflin to give the Bearcats the 1-0 advantage.

The Bearcats continued the scoring in the third tacking on another run thanks to a Tyler Durant single that plated Cameron Bedard to put Northwest up 2-0.

Missouri Southern would rally in the top of the fourth as they would plate four runs on four hits to take the 4-2 lead.

The Bearcat bats would get hot in the fifth inning as Bedard would lead off the inning with a single up the middle.  Eric Swain would follow suit and add a single of his own to left field.  A Tyler Durant single to left field would plate Bedard.

Kretzer would keep the rally going with a two-run single through the left side.  Singles by Travis Green and Ryan Abernathy would plate two more runs for Northwest giving them the 7-4 advantage.

The Lions scored two runs in the top of the sixth to bring them within one but that would be as close as they would get.

Northwest added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a Steven Garber single giving the Bearcats an 8-6 lead.

Josh Parrish would pitch three scoreless innings of relief for Northwest in the win striking out one while allowing just one hit to record his third save of the season.  Parrish has not allowed a run in his past three outings and has tossed seven consecutive scoreless innings.

Carson Smith recorded his first career win on the mound for Northwest moving his record to 1-2.

Cody Griebling would record the loss for the Lions, his first loss of the season.

Tyler Durant and Jake Kretzer lead the Bearcats offensively with two hits apiece in the win.

“Our offense did a tremendous job of battling back against one of the top pitchers in the MIAA,” Northwest Head Coach Darin Loe said. “Once we were able to get the lead Josh Parrish continued to do a tremendous job by closing out a tight ballgame against a very quality opponent.”

Up Next: The Bearcats and Lions continue their four-game series Saturday afternoon with first pitch of the double-header from Bearcat Field slated for 1p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western softball moves up to No. 9 in latest Top 25

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After going 6-0 last week and extending its winning streak to 11 games the Missouri Western softball team moved up to 9th in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll which was released Wednesday morning. The Griffons are 25-4 overall and 8-0 in MIAA play.

The Griffons are coming off a week where they went 6-0 defeating Wayne State (Neb.) College twice along with defeating Northwest Missouri State and Truman State twice. The week the Griffons take on a tough opponent in MIAA foe Emporia State in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 24 in Emporia, Kan. Game times are set for 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm from Trussler Sports Complex. The Hornets are 16-6 overall and 8-0 in MIAA play. Western has struggled against ESU trailing the overall series 48-25 and 25-9 since 2002. Western is 4-7 at home, 2-8 on the road and 3-10 on a neutral field against Emporia since 2002.

The Griffons have been good on the road this season posting an 8-1 overall record. The Griffons are 4-0 in MIAA play on the road taking doubleheaders from Southwest Baptist and the University of Central Missouri. On the road this season the Griffons are batting .331 as a team with four players hitting over .300. Maegan Roemmich leads the way with 16 hits in 32 at bats and eight runs scored. Blair Stalder is batting .385 while Kat Steponovich and Sarah Elliott are hitting .364 and .304 respectively. On the mound Western has a 1.95 ERA with Jakie Bishop posting a 5-0 record and a 1.41 ERA on the road. Emily Moe has a 0.00 ERA in three innings pitched while Annalee Rubio is 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA.

Overall the Griffons are batting .312 as a team with Roemmich and Breanna Fleschner hitting .404. Tayor Anding is hitting .345 while Keri Lorbert, Steponovich, Leah Steele and Stalder are hitting .312, .310, .306 and .302 respectively. The Griffons have outscored its opponents 154 to 56 and out hit them 249 to 153. The Griffons have stolen 30 of 36 bases and hold a .970 fielding percentage.

The Lady Hornets are batting .305 as a team with Stephanie Goodwin leading the way with a .473 batting average. She has 26 hits and 19 runs scored. Tricia Vogel is batting .389 with 28 hits and seven doubles while Andrea Piezuch is hitting .370 with 17 hits. On the mound Jennifer Heery holds a 2.02 ERA in eight appearances. She is 6-2 on the year. Karley Schmelzer is 7-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 68 strikeouts. They are also 30-for-36 in stolen bases and hold a solid fielding percentage at .965.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest’s McCollum named finalist for DII National Coach of the Year

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Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum was named a finalist for the 2012 Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year on Wednesday which is presented to the top men’s NCAA Division II coach.

McCollum guided the Bearcats to a 22-7 record and a share of the MIAA regular season championship. He helped lead Northwest back to the MIAA Tournament advancing to the second round and the NCAA Tournament after a three-year hiatus. He was also tabbed as the MIAA Coach of the Year completing a 10th to first turnaround.

Along with McCollum nine other finalists were named with Midwestern State’s Nelson Haggerty being the only from the South Central Region. Below is the complete list:

Lennie Acuff, Alabama-Huntsville
Dave Bezold, Northern Kentucky
Jim Crutchfield, West Liberty
Scott Davenport, Bellarmine
Nelson Haggerty, Midwestern State
Cleo Hill, Jr., Shaw University
Brad Jackson, Western Washington
Todd Lee, Kentucky Wesleyan
Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State
Pryor Orser, Colorado School of Mines

One of the true legends of all-time, Clarence Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU he coached professional basketball greats Cleo Hill (first African-American from a historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961) and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

The winner will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet on March 30 in New Orleans, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Griffon golfer Bird named MIAA Athlete of the Week

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Missouri Western’s Natalie Bird has been named MIAA Women’s Golf Student-Athlete of the Week for play from the beginning of the season through March 20, as selected by a conference SID panel.

Bird finished in second in the RU Early Bird Tournament in Smithville, Mo. The Carl Junction, Mo., product finished just four strokes out of first, firing 21-over par in extremely windy conditions. She was the only Griffon to shoot below 11-over par in each round. Her 82 on the second day was the second-lowest round of the tournament.

Western returns to action this Sunday and Monday when they host the MWSU Spring Invitational at the St. Joseph Country Club.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Western men’s golf team finishes 11th at Midwestern State

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The Missouri Western men’s golf squad fired a 311 helping them finish in a four way tie for 11th place at the Midwestern State Invitational. The Griffons tied with Newman University, Dallas Baptist University and Pittsburg State University. The winner of the event was Arkansas Tech University as they won in a playoff against St. Edwards University. Both schools shot 298.

Western’s Tyler Gast was the highest Griffon finisher tying for 9th place firing a 74 (38-36). Logan Gilliland finished in a tie for 38th with a 78 (37-41) while Kenny Stone, James O’Brien and Scott Sheldon fired 79 (42-37), 80 (39-41) and 86 (43-43) respectively.

The individual winner of the event was St. Edward’s Santiago Quintero with a 71 (34-37).

Cameron University and Midwestern State University tied for 3rd with 300’s while West Texas A&M finished 5th with a 304 and East Central finished 6th with a 306. Rogers State, Arkansas-Fort Smith, Nebraska-Omaha and Northeastern State all tied for 7th with 308’s.

Incarnate Word (312), Henderson State (315), Texas A&M-Commerce (316), St. Mary’s (Texas) (322) and Missouri Southern (328) finished 15th-19th respectively.

The Griffons return to action on April 2-3 when they participate in the Central Oklahoma Invitational. The event will be held at the Gaillardia Country Club in Edmond, Okla.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas women upset Delaware to advance to Sweet 16

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Elena Delle Donne and Delaware are done, ousted from the NCAA women’s tournament by Kansas.

Angel Goodrich scored 27 points to lead 11th-seeded Kansas past Delle Donne, the nation’s leading scorer, and the third-seeded Blue Hens with a 70-64 victory Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks (21-12) move to the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 1998. They’ll face Tennessee on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.

They advanced by rallying in the second half behind Goodrich, who fell one short of her career high in scoring. The junior was 12 of 21 from the field, 3 of 6 on 3-pointers, and also added six assists.

Aishah Sutherland added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Chelsea Gardner had 10 points for Kansas.

Delle Donne finished with 34 points for the Blue Hens (31-2), who had their 21-game winning streak snapped.

The standout junior, who had 39 points in an opening-round win over Arkansas-Little Rock, was harassed throughout by a swarming Kansas defense. She was double- and triple-teamed at times as the Jayhawks did their best to keep her from finding a comfort zone.

Delle Donne finished 9 of 18 from the field, 15 of 18 from the free throw line, and also had 10 rebounds.

Goodrich, meanwhile, had no such problems finding open space while running the point for Kansas.

The Jayhawks in the Sweet 16 seemed improbable when the team’s leading scorer Carolyn Davis went down for the season with a knee injury on Feb. 12.

Kansas lost six of eight to end the regular season and was anything but a certainty to make the tournament, but the Jayhawks have made the most of their stay so far.

Delaware led 37-31 at halftime, but Kansas took control early in second half behind Natalie Knight. The freshman, who scored only five points in the Jayhawks opening-round win over Nebraska, was scoreless at halftime before scoring eight points in a row at one point to put Kansas up 50-43.

That capped a 19-6 run to open the second half for the Jayhawks, and it was part of a 13-0 run that put them up 53-43 after a free throw by Gardner.

Delle Donne took control at that point with Delaware’s season on the line. She scored 12 straight points, the last three on free throws after she was fouled on a 3-point attempt, to pull the Blue Hens within 59-57.

They were never able to get closer, however, as Goodrich answered with nine of Kansas’ next 11 points. Her last during the stretch came after a steal and layup on the fast break to put the Jayhawks up 68-57 — their largest lead of the game.

Delaware was unable to get closer than six points after that.

— Associated Press —

MWSU volleyballl announces 2012 summer camp dates

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Missouri Western volleyball head coach Cory Frederick and assistant coach Marian Carbin have announced the 2012 Griffon Volleyball Camps. The first camp will go from June 13-15 in Parkville, Mo. with the second camp running from June 18-20 in St. Joseph, Mo.

The first camp will go from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm at the Parkville Athletic Complex. The camp is for players from 12 years of age and older. There will be a 6:1 player to coach ratio to maximize individual instruction. The camp will focus on skills and practice ideas that can help players improve after they leave camp. The camp will not only teach skills and techniques, but a love for the sprot that will last a lifetime.

The cost of the camp is $175 per athlete. The camper will receive a camp shirt, daily lunch, three days of full instruction and positional isolation training each day. The camp is limited to the first 48 athletes.

With any questions please contact head coach Cory Frederick at cfrederick@missouriwestern.edu or by cell phone at 816-651-4471.

The second camp is a general and setter camp that will go from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm on the campus of Missouri Western State University at the Looney Complex. The camps are open to players that are 12 and older. There will be a 7:1 player to coach ratio to maximize individual instruction. This is a commuter camp only, which means there is no overnight option. The camp will focus on skills and practice ideas that can help players improve after they leave camp. The setter camp will be based on principles and techniques that are taught at Stanford University’s advanced setter camp and will be limited to the first 10 athletes.

The cost of the camp is $125 with no additional charge for the setter camp. The campers will receive a camp shirt and three full days of instruction. The campers will also get positional isolation training each day and the camp is limited to 56 athletes.

Pleas bring athletic shoes, knee pads, water bottle and ankle braces, if necessary. Campers also need to provide a sack lunch as no lunch will be provided.

With any question please contact Assistant Volleyball Coach Marian Carbin at mcarbin@missouriwestern.edu.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Jayhawks’ Robinson named NABC First Team All-America

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Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson has been named to the 2012 NABC Coaches’ Division I All-America First Team, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced Tuesday.

The ESPN.com National Player of the Year, Big 12 Player of the Year and Naismith and Wooden awards finalist, Robinson leads the nation with 25 double-doubles in 2011-12, which is tied for the Kansas single-season record set by Drew Gooden in 2002. The Washington, D.C., native, Robinson is the only player in the Big 12 to average a double-double with 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. A certain consensus All-American first-team selection and four-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Robinson’s 11.8 boards per game are second nationally.

Joining Robinson on the NABC All-America First Team were Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Draymond Green (Michigan State), Doug McDermott (Creighton) and Jared Sullinger (Ohio State). A complete list of the NABC All-America teams is located at www.nabc.com. The last Jayhawk to be named to the NABC All-America First Team was Sherron Collins in 2010.

Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.

— KU Sports Information —

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