Sports – Page 431 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Big 12 announces preseason media football team

Posted on July 13, 2016July 13, 2016

Irving, Texas – The Big 12 Conference has announced its 2016 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team and individual awards, chosen by media representatives who cover the league.

The honorees include nine seniors, 11 juniors and 11 sophomores with only one holdover from last year’s preseason squad in running back Samaje Perine (Oklahoma). Five players were chosen to the 2015 All-Big 12 First Team while 10 were on the second team.

Selections for the preseason individual awards were quarterback Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) as Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Malik Jefferson (Texas) as Defensive Player of the Year and quarterback Kenny Hill (TCU) as Newcomer of the Year.

Mayfield was named the 2015 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-Big 12 First Team while leading the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Last season’s accolades include the Sporting News Player of the Year and the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on. The redshirt junior completed 68.1 percent of his passes in 2015 for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns against just seven interceptions.

Jefferson claimed the 2015 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention while starting nine games as a true freshman. He was recognized on several Freshman All-America teams, finishing second for the Longhorns with 61 tackles. Jefferson led the team with six quarterback pressures and was fourth with seven tackles-for-loss.

After sitting out last year as a transfer, Hill begins his first season as a junior signal caller for TCU. He started eight games for Texas A&M in 2014 with 2,649 yards and 23 touchdowns. Hill completed 214-of-321 attempts for a 66.7 completion percentage, passing for a career-high four TDs in four games.

The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days to be conducted in Dallas on July 18-19. Both days will be televised live from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT on FS2 and other FOX Sports affiliates. Exclusive, live coverage from the event will also be available on the Big 12’s digital platforms – Big12Sports.com, Twitter and Instagram (@Big12Conference). The official hashtag for the event will be #Big12FB.
2016 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team

Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB, Jr., Austin, Texas

Defensive Player of the Year: Malik Jefferson, Texas, LB, So., Mesquite, Texas

Newcomer of the Year: Kenny Hill, TCU, QB, Jr., Southlake, Texas

Offense

Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown

QB Baker Mayfield¹ Oklahoma 6-1 212 Jr./1L Austin, Texas

RB Mike Warren Iowa State 6-0 205 So./1L Lawton, Okla.

RB Samaje Perine^¹ Oklahoma 5-11 237 Jr./2L Pflugerville, Texas

FB Winston Dimel¹ Kansas State 6-1 235 So./1L Manhattan, Kan.

WR KD Cannon² Baylor 6-0 180 Jr./2L Mount Pleasant, Texas

WR Allen Lazard Iowa State 6-5 223 Jr./2L Urbandale, Iowa

WR James Washington² Oklahoma State 6-0 205 Jr./2L Stamford, Texas

TE Mark Andrews¹ Oklahoma 6-5 244 So./1L Scottsdale, Ariz.

OL Kyle Fuller² Baylor 6-5 310 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas

OL Orlando Brown Oklahoma 6-8 357 So./1L Duluth, Ga.

OL Patrick Vahe Texas 6-3 326 So./1L Euless, Texas

OL Connor Williams Texas 6-6 288 So./1L Coppell, Texas

OL Tyler Orlosky² West Virginia 6-4 295 Sr./3L Cleveland, Ohio

PK Clayton Hatfield Texas Tech 5-10 170 So./1L Boerne, Texas

KR/PR KaVontae Turpin TCU 5-9 153 So./1L Monroe, La.

Defense

DL Will Geary Kansas State 6-0 297 Jr./2L Topeka, Kan.

DL Jordan Willis Kansas State 6-5 250 Sr./3L Kansas City, Mo.

DL Charles Walker² Oklahoma 6-2 299 Jr./2L Garland, Texas

DL Vincent Taylor Oklahoma State 6-3 310 Jr./2L San Antonio, Texas

DL Josh Carraway¹ TCU 6-4 250 Sr./3L Flower Mound, Texas

DL James McFarland TCU 6-3 250 Sr./3L West Monroe, La.

DL Noble Nwachukwu West Virginia 6-2 275 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas

LB Elijah Lee² Kansas State 6-3 218 Jr./2L Blue Springs, Mo.

LB Jordan Evans² Oklahoma 6-2 233 Sr./3L Norman, Okla.

LB Malik Jefferson Texas 6-3 238 So./1L Mesquite, Texas

DB Dante Barnett Kansas State 6-1 193 Sr./3L Tulsa, Okla.

DB Steven Parker Oklahoma 6-1 208 Jr./2L Tulsa, Okla.

DB Jordan Thomas² Oklahoma 6-0 187 Jr./2L Klein, Texas

DB Jordan Sterns² Oklahoma State 6-0 200 Sr./3L Cibolo, Texas

DB Davante Davis Texas 6-2 199 So./1L Miami, Fla.

P Austin Seibert² Oklahoma 5-10 214 So./1L Belleville, Ill.

A tie in voting at DL created two additional spots.

^ 2015 Preseason Team

¹2015 All-Big 12 First Team selection

²2015 All-Big 12 Second Team selection

Royals’ help AL win All-Star Game 4-2; Hosmer named MVP

Posted on July 12, 2016

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez made sure the Kansas City Royals will start at home, sweet, home if they get a chance to defend their World Series title.

The Royals duo homered off former Kansas City teammate Johnny Cueto during a six-pitch span in the second inning, Hosmer added an RBI single to become MVP of the All-Star Game and the American League beat the Nationals 4-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.

David Ortiz found himself in the middle of the most touching moment at Petco Park, embraced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popular Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with Boston.

Kris Bryant of the Cubs led the parade of sparkling young talent with a first-inning home run. Dellin Betances flashed his 100 mph heat and Astros reliever Will Harris came on to throw a called third strike past Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner with the bases loaded to end the eighth.

Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera pitched a hitless sixth for the AL, which will open the Series at home for the 11th time in 14 years since the All-Star winner was used to determine the hosts for Games 1 and 2.

Kansas City became baseball royalty last fall, bursting to a 2-0 lead over the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium, where Cueto pitched a two-hitter in the second game. The Royals won in five games for their first title since 1985.

This year, Kansas City is languishing at 45-43, seven games off the AL Central lead and in the middle of the wild-card race as attention turns to which teams will be buyers and sellers as the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaches.

Cleveland’s Corey Kluber pitched a 1-2-3 second inning for the win, and Zach Britton got the save for the AL, which cut its deficit to 43-42 with two ties

Ortiz, Boston’s beloved designated hitter, wore spikes with gold-colored bottoms and matching batting gloves to mark his 10th All-Star selection and delivered the AL batting order to umpires at home plate.

Ortiz hit a smash down the first-base line that Anthony Rizzo snagged to rob him of a potential RBI double in the first and walked against Jose Fernandez in the third.

When Edwin Encarnacion came out to pinch run for him, Ortiz waved to the crowd and then his AL teammates came out of the dugout to exchange hugs as the crowd of 42,386 rose in tribute.

“I was supposed to hit a home run in my second at-bat. My boy told me he was going to throw me a fastball, and the first pitch was a changeup,” Ortiz said.

“Then 3-2 he threw me a slider and I’m like, ‘Are you trying to break my back?’ But he said it was the catcher’s fault.”

Fernandez admitted “I couldn’t believe that I was actually pitching to him. We both looked at each other and smiled.”

“He signed the jersey I brought for him,” the 23-year-old Miami Marlins ace said.

Ortiz delivered a pregame speech to his mates.

“You don’t get here with a good name or a good family,” he said. “You have to put up the numbers. I told them that they have to do that for their whole career.”

The All-Star Game returned to San Diego for the first time since 1992 at Jack Murphy Stadium. Just before this first pitch, commissioner Rob Manfred joined Rod Carew, his family and the family of late Padres great Tony Gwynn and named the batting titles after the two Hall of Famers, giving Gwynn the NL honor and Carew the AL championship.

Gwynn died of salivary gland cancer two years ago at age 54.

Sailors dressed in white lined the foul lines and outfield warning tracks for the national anthems. The Tenors, a British Columbia-based group, changed an “O Canada” lyric to “We’re all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great,” and one held up a sign reading “All Lives Matter.”

Randy Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch and former Padres All-Star closer Trevor Hoffman helped open, bringing the game ball to the mound from the bullpen accompanied by AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.”

With an NL ballpark hosting for the second year in a row in a streak of at least four, the AL wore white uniforms, hit last and used the Padres clubhouse on the first-base side. Ball boys in retro-style mustard-and-mud Padres uniforms lent a San Diego feel to Petco, which opened in 2004.

There was a home run on the game’s fourth pitch for the second straight year; Bryant connected on a 96 mph Chris Sale fastball with two outs as hitters swung early in the count to beat the shadows creeping in from the left-field corner in the late-afternoon start.

Bryant, who had struck out in all of his regular-seat at-bats against Sale, was part of an all-Cubs infield — the first starting infield quartet from a single team since the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals.

“I think a lot of us were looking first pitch,” said Bryant, who played college ball for the University of San Diego. “A lot of pitchers are coming into the game trying to light up the radar gun a bit.”

That was the highlight for the NL Central-leading Cubs, whose fan base was pumped up by a fast start and dreams of the team’s first title since 1908.

Mike Trout, the All-Star MVP in 2014 and ’15, singled in the first for a five-All-Star Game hitting streak — only Mickey Mantle, Joe Morgan and Dave Winfield (seven each) and Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Nellie Fox (six apiece) strung together more.

The lead was short-lived, with Hosmer and Perez going deep for a 3-1 lead in the second, sandwiched around Mookie Betts’ single. Cueto was hard to miss in the center of the field, wearing lime green and orange spikes.

“This morning I got up and didn’t feel well. That is not an excuse,” Cueto said. “I just left two pitches up, and that was the story.”

Hosmer, the first Kansas City player to homer in an All-Star Game since Bo Jackson in 1989, made it 4-1 in the third against Fernandez when he hit a one-hopper off Bryant’s left arm and into left field for an RBI single.

Marcell Ozuna cut the gap with an run-scoring single off Aaron Sanchez in the fourth.

— Associated Press —

St. Joseph’s doubleheader at Ozark postponed Tuesday

Posted on July 12, 2016July 12, 2016

The St. Joseph Mustangs had their doubleheader at the Ozark Generals postponed Tuesday night in Springfield. No makeup date has been scheduled at this time.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team returns to Phil Welch Stadium Wednesday to begin a four-game homestand. They play the Natural Baseball Academmy from the Ban Johnson League in Kansas City at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Mustangs are 26-11 this season and 18-11 in the MINK League. They’re currently tied for second in the North Division with Sedalia, while both team are just a half game back of Chillicothe.

Wednesday’s game against the Natural Baseball Academy will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ AM and here on StJosephPost.com.

Griffons finalize 2016 football schedule

Posted on July 12, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – The 2016 Missouri Western Football season is fast approaching and all dates and times for the 47th season in the program’s history have been finalized.

The schedule changes slightly this year, with Missouri Western debuting the completely renovated Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. against Nebraska-Kearney. The last two seasons, the Griffons had opened with Central Missouri. The 2016 schedule features five home games for the Griffons, including Family Day and the Military Appreciation Game on Sept. 17 against Central Missouri, the Hall of Fame Game on Oct. 1 against Northeastern State, Homecoming on Oct. 15 against Pittsburg State and Senior Day on Nov. 5 against Emporia State.

Missouri Western will play six road games at Missouri Southern, Central Oklahoma, Lindenwood, Fort Hays State, Washburn and Northwest Missouri State.

The 2016 season will be the 20th as head coach for Jerry Partridge. The all-time wins leader at Missouri Western enters the year with a 145-76 career record, the most wins among active MIAA coaches and third all-time in the MIAA. Last season, Partridge led the Griffons to a 6-5 record, the program’s 11th consecutive winning season and Partridge’s 16th overall.

MIAA Football Media Day will be held Aug. 2 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Tickets for the 2016 season will go on sale in August.

2016 GRIFFON FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 1, 7 p.m. vs. Nebraska-Kearney (Home Opener)
Sept. 10, 6 p.m. at Missouri Southern
Sept. 17, 6 p.m. vs. Central Missouri (Family Day/Military Appreciation)
Sept. 24, 6 p.m. at Central Oklahoma
Oct. 1, 1 p.m. vs. Northeastern State (Hall of Fame Game)
Oct. 8, 1:30 p.m. at Lindenwood
Oct. 15, 2 p.m. vs. Pittsburg State (Homecoming)
Oct. 22, 2 p.m. at Fort Hays State
Oct. 29, 1 p.m. at Washburn
Nov. 5, 1 p.m. vs. Emporia State (Senior Day)
Nov. 12, 1:30 p.m. at Northwest Missouri State

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou adds Hallmark and Rhodes to baseball coaching staff

Posted on July 12, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball head coach Steve Bieser has hired Patrick Hallmark and Lance Rhodes to his coaching staff, as announced Tuesday (July 12). Hallmark joins Mizzou after coaching at Rice for the last 11 seasons, including the last four as pitching coach, the same role he will hold at Mizzou. Rice went to an NCAA Regional in all 11 years that Hallmark was with the program, including three College World Series appearances. Rhodes comes to Mizzou after serving on Bieser’s staff at Southeast Missouri, where he helped the Redhawks to three consecutive seasons with at least 35 wins for the first time in school history, culminating in Ohio Valley regular season and tournament titles in 2016. Rhodes will be the recruiting coordinator at Mizzou.

“I am very excited to have both Hallmark and Rhodes join the Mizzou baseball family,” Bieser said. “Both of these guys bring a lot of passion, energy, and talent to our program. One goal I had from the beginning was to find guys who have been proven winners throughout their careers and both of these guys have that track record. Another component was to find guys that are versatile and complement each other well.”

Hallmark comes to Mizzou after an impressive run at Rice, where he helped build the team into a national power. Aside from reaching NCAA Regional play in all 11 seasons with Hallmark on staff, Rice made three trips to the College World Series (2006-2008) with five Super Regional appearances. A proven winner and a catcher by trade, Hallmark transitioned to the Owls pitching coach role prior to the 2013 season and the team saw immediate success under his guidance. In 2015, Rice pitching finished 12th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (8.8) and registered the fifth-highest single-season saves total in school history (18) while also finishing among the NCAA’s top teams for ERA (3.16), hits allowed per 9.0 innings (8.2) and WHIP (1.27). A total of five Rice pitchers were selected in the 2015 Major League Draft.

In 2014, Rice pitching finished 13th in the NCAA with a new school record for ERA (2.56). The Owls were also 20th in the nation in both fewest hits allowed per game (7.7) and WHIP (1.19). Rice pitchers registered 18 saves while also finishing with the program’s lowest number of walks since the mid-1980s (192 walks in 573.1 inn., 3.0 per game). He mentored LHP Blake Fox to consensus All-America honors and 2014 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year accolades that year as well.

In his first year as pitching coach at Rice in 2013, his Owls set a Rice single season record with 12 shutouts, ranking second in the NCAA that year. Hallmark’s versatility as a coach was paramount to Rice’s success and appealed to Bieser, who was the model of versatility during his major league playing career. Before coaching pitchers, Hallmark was the Owls hitting coach and trained catchers and outfielders defensively.

Hallmark was a successful player, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995 while guiding Rice to its first 40-win season in 11 years. He played nine years of professional baseball after being drafted by the Royals in 1995. He played in two minor league All-Star games and was part of three consecutive minor league champion teams from 1997-99.

“I am super excited to join Mizzou and Coach Bieser’s staff,” Hallmark said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. His offensive teams at Southeast were incredible and I look forward to seeing what we can do together at Mizzou. Being part of the SEC is what every good coach wants. It’s the biggest challenge there is in our profession. It is going to be a step up. It’s going to fun and exciting and we have a lot of work to do, but I am really excited.”

Rhodes was a vital part of the success that Southeast Missouri had under Bieser’s direction, serving as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He brought in some of top talent that Southeast Missouri has ever had, including two OVC Pitchers of the Year. His recruits were a key reason why the Redhawks went from 26 wins in his first year to 37 in his second, 36 in his third and 39 in his fourth, including an NCAA Regional in 2016. His 2014 signing class was the cornerstone of the team’s three consecutive regular season OVC Championships (2014-16). He recruited 16 players who went on to earn All-OVC honors over those three seasons.

Rhodes’ impact as pitching coach was felt quickly as well. He inherited a pitching staff with a combined ERA of 6.37 and lowered it to 4.00 last season. In 2015, Rhodes guided Southeast Missouri to OVC-bests in ERA and opponent batting.

Rhodes was the primary position coach for a pair of OVC Pitcher of the Year winners – two-time winner Joey Lucchesi and Travis Hayes. Lucchesi was outstanding during his draft year in 2016, posting a 2.19 ERA with 149 strikeouts, averaging 12.08 per nine innings.

Rhodes, a former pitcher and volunteer assistant coach for the Redhawks returned to Southeast after serving as assistant coach for three seasons at Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He served as the pitching coach for the Warriors as they compiled 95 wins over a span of two seasons. While at Wabash Valley College he helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back Great Rivers Athletic Conference regular-season titles. The Warriors also won their first conference tournament championship in 14 years in 2010.

In 2012, Wabash Valley recorded a record of 48-13 as they ranked as high as third in the NJCAA Division I polls, their highest national ranking in school history. His pitching staff recorded an impressive ERA of 2.78.

He was also the pitching coach for the Quincy Gems of the Prospect League in the summer of 2009. He led the Gems to a Western Division Championship that season.

Rhodes graduated from Southeast Missouri in 2008 with a degree in general studies with an emphasis in physical education. He made 37 appearances for Southeast over two seasons with the Redhawks.

The Sikeston, Mo., native received his master’s degree in physical education from Emporia State University. Rhodes and his wife Brittney have two sons, Max (2) and Cooper (1).

“Being a guy who is from the state of Missouri, having an opportunity to Mizzou, the state’s flagship university, truly is a dream job for me,” Rhodes said. “Being in the SEC is an opportunity to compete alongside the best programs in the country and it gives you a chance to work with the best talent in college baseball and that excites me. I am also really happy that I get the chance to coach at Mizzou with Coach Bieser. I know how much this job means to him and he is someone I am extremely comfortable with and that will allow for a smooth transition. We have a lot of work to do – it is going to be exciting and I can’t wait to get started.”

— Mizzou Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State soccer signs two goalkeepers

Posted on July 12, 2016July 12, 2016

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head soccer coach Tracy Hoza has announced the additions of goalkeepers Brooke McClusky and Rileigh Spahn to the 2016 roster. Spahn is from Glenwood, Iowa and McClusky is a native of Mapleton, Utah.

“I’m very excited to add to our goalkeeper depth for 2016,” said Hoza. “Brooke’s biggest strength is that she is a great shot stopper and has excellent distribution. The first thing you notice about Rileigh is how athletic she is and her exceptional reaction speed.”

McCluskey spent her 2015 season at the University of Arkansas Little Rock as a redshirt freshman. She will have four years of eligibility at Northwest Missouri. A former All-State, All-Region and All-Utah Valley performer at Maple Mountain High School, McClusky led the entire state of Utah in saves as a senior and holds the school record for saves. She was the Utah ODP starting keeper for five years while also attended the Region IV camp five times.

Spahn holds single season and single match records for saves at Glenwood High School. She was named a Hawkeye 10 First-Team All-Conference performer and earned a second-team all-state selection. She played in the IAHSSCA 2016 East-West All-Star Cup and was an all-conference academic honoree. As a junior, Spahn was first team all-state and second team all-conference. She served as her class president, logged over 200 hours of community service, was a two-year member of the National Honor Society and was her school’s homecoming queen.

The 2016 Bearcat soccer season begins on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., at 6 p.m. The first home match at Bearcat Pitch is on Friday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. against Minnesota-Crookston.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU volleyball announces 2016 schedule

Posted on July 12, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western volleyball team will begin its shot at a third consecutive 20-win season this September when the team opens the 2016 season.

Looking for an unprecedented three straight seasons with 20 or more wins is fourth year head coach Marian Carbin (59-33). Last year, Carbin led her alma mater to a 21-10 season, and gave the program its first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1997-98. Carbin leads a group that includes three returning All-MIAA performers (Rachel Friedrichs, Kayla Ruff and Shellby Taylor) into an always challenging MIAA schedule.

This year the Griffons will open with three non-conference tournaments, including co-hosting an event with Northwest Missouri State. The season begins Sept. 2 at the Washburn Invitational. On Sept. 9, the team debuts at home with four matches in two days as part of the Gold & Green Challenge. The team will then hit the road for eight-straight contests away from St. Joseph, beginning with the GAC-MIAA Crossover in Shawnee, Oklahoma before opening conference play at Missouri Southern on Sept. 23.

The Griffons return home for a pair Sept. 4 and 7, the first of a stretch that will see the team play six of seven matches in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The regular season concludes Nov. 12 when Missouri Western hosts Lindenwood for Senior Night.

Tickets for the 2016 season will go on sale in August.

2016 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
WASHBURN INVITATIONAL
Sept. 2, 11 a.m. vs. Mary
Sept. 2, 4 p.m. vs. Drury
Sept. 3, 9:30 a.m. vs. Quincy
Sept. 3, 1:30 p.m. vs. Midwestern State
GOLD & GREEN CHALLENGE
Sept. 9, 10 a.m. vs. Oklahoma Baptist
Sept. 9, 6 p.m. vs. Missouri S&T
Sept. 10, 9 a.m. vs. East Central
Sept. 10, 6 p.m. vs. Minnesota State
GAC-MIAA CROSSOVER
Sept. 16, 12 p.m. vs. Southeastern Oklahoma
Sept. 16, 4 p.m. vs. Southern Nazarene
Sept. 17, 9 a.m. vs. Northwestern Oklahoma
Sept. 17, 5 p.m. vs. Southwestern Oklahoma
Sept. 23, 7 p.m. at Missouri Southern
Sept. 24, 7 p.m. at Southwest Baptist
Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at Central Oklahoma
Oct. 1, 4 p.m. at Pittsburg State
Oct. 4, 7 p.m. vs. Northwest Missouri State
Oct. 7, 6 p.m. vs. Central Missouri
Oct. 8, 6 p.m. at Lindenwood
Oct. 14, 7 p.m. vs. Emporia State
Oct. 15, 7 p.m. vs. Washburn
Oct. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Missouri Southern
Oct. 22, 3 p.m. vs. Southwest Baptist
Oct. 25, 7 p.m. at Truman State
Oct. 28, 6 p.m. at Emporia State
Oct. 29, 6 p.m. at Washburn
Nov. 4, 7 p.m. vs. Fort Hays State
Nov. 5, 6 p.m. vs. Nebraska-Kearney
Nov. 8, 7 p.m. at Northwest Missouri
Nov. 11, 6 p.m. at Central Missouri
Nov. 12, 3 p.m. vs. Lindenwood

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri’s Scherer named to Butkus Award preseason watch list

Posted on July 12, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football senior LB Michael Scherer (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named to the Butkus Award® Preseason Watch List, as announced Tuesday morning (July 12) by the Butkus Foundation. The Butkus Award honors the nation’s top linebacker at the Division I level. This is the second time that Scherer has been on the preseason list after earning a spot a season ago.

Scherer has been one of the top-producing linebackers in the SEC over the last two seasons, tallying at least 90 tackles in back-to-back seasons as a leader on one of the nation’s top defenses. He is coming off of a 2015 season that saw him rack up 93 tackles (47 solo), which ranked 11th in the SEC and eighth among non-seniors. Of his 93 tackles, 9.0 went for a loss and he also added a fumble recovery, two QB hurries and three pass breakups to his ledger. He had four games with 10+ tackles in 2015 and earned the team’s Aaron O’Neal St. Louis Player of the Year Award for his efforts a year ago.

In 2014, Scherer finished second on the team with 114 tackles for the SEC East Champion Tigers and has 207 tackles over the last two seasons.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Mustangs rally to defeat U.S. Military All-Stars 4-3 in 12 innings

Posted on July 11, 2016

The St. Joseph Mustangs snapped their three-game losing streak Monday night with 4-3 win over the U.S. Military All-Stars in 12 innings at Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team improves to 26-11 this season and they remain 18-11 in the MINK League.

The Mustangs scored single runs in the third and fourth innings, but the U.S. Military All-Stars tied the game with two runs in the fifth.

The game remained that way until the 11th inning when St. Joseph reliever Jonathan Lynch hit Ryan Robb with the bases loaded to give the All-Stars the lead.

The Mustangs were down to their final out in the bottom of the 11th when Brady Anderson singled, Davey Casciola walked and Jacob Richardson tied the game with a single to left field.

St. Joe then got a walk-off win in the 12th as Orencio Fisher was hit by the first pitch of the inning and then he scored after U.S. pitcher Bodacious Ball made an error on a comebacker hit by Kyle Uhrich. Ball threw 11+ innings for the All-Stars as he threw 182 pitches.

Louis Mele and Tyler Cox led the Mustangs with two hits each, while Richardson, Cox and Brett Marr each had one RBI.

Jacob Hurst started and threw well as he allowed one earned run on seven hits in eight innings of work. He struck out six and walked two batters.

The Mustangs are on the road Tuesday as they play a doubleheader against the Ozark Generals in Springfield. The first pitch of game one is at 6:00 p.m.

Missouri Western men add four to 2016-2017 roster

Posted on July 11, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Brett Weiberg has announced the signings of four student-athletes for the 2016-17 team.

Next season’s class is now at five after Jason Jones signed his letter of intent during the early signing period last fall. The recent signees include three transfers and one incoming freshman that span from coast to coast.

Joe Hamilton
6-6 | F | Modesto Junior College

Hamilton averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and was an honorable mention All-Big 8 selection at Modesto Junior College. He shot 42 percent from the three point line at Modesto Junior College. He averaged 10.6 points per game and shot 40 percent from three point range at Central Catholic High School.

“Joe is a face-four that can really shoot the three. He had a good career at Modesto and played for a good coach in Paul Brogan,” Weiberg said. “Joe is also a solid rebounder and competitor. I have been very impressed with his ability to make the right and easy play. More importantly, Joe is a good person, good teammate and good student.”

T.J. Evans
6-1 | G | Cape Fear Community College

Evans averaged 15 points per game and shot 41 percent from three point range in two seasons at Cape Fear in Wilmington, N.C. Evans was a first team All-Region selection last season at Cape Fear, helping his team to a regional regular season championship last season. He averaged 20 points per game at Apex High in Apex, N.C.

“T.J. was a two-year starter for Cape Fear. He led his team to the NJCAA National Tournament as a freshman and was one win away as a sophomore from doing the same,” Weiberg said. “He won a state championship in high school and was a leader on a good high school team and a good junior college team. He is a good person, good student and a good player. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to coach T.J.”

Boris Rajovic
6-10 | F | Northeast Community College

Rajovic averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.2 percent from three point range at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb. He averaged 12 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a senior at Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City, Md. Rajovic is originally from Spuz, Montenegro.

“Dan Anderson at Northeast Community College did an outstanding job coaching Boris. Boris was hindered with an injury that affected over half of his games his sophomore season at Northeast,” Weiberg said. “Boris played very well late and we believe he will add depth and experience to our front line.”

Easton Montgomery
6-4 | G | Southeast of Saline High School

Montgomery averaged 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, shot 61 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line during a record breaking high school career. Mongtomery broke numerous records in high school including career points, points in a season and career field goal percentage. He was a three-time All-State selection and four-time All-League selection. Montgomery was also an All-State defensive end on the football team and was his class valedictorian.

“Easton had a tremendous season, averaging 22.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on a Final Four team in the state of Kansas,” Weiberg said. “He mostly played the power forward position in high school and he will have to make the transition to the perimeter in college. He shoots the ball well and he rebounds the ball. Easton is a good student with great work habits. I look forward to working with him and coaching him.”

— MWSU Athletics —