We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Sports

Royals get shutout 2-0 in series opener at Minnesota

Posted on

MINNEAPOLIS — Mitch Garver’s two-run homer in the eighth inning snapped a scoreless tie, and Kyle Gibson gave up two hits in eight innings in the Minnesota Twins’ 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Garver’s 11th home run of the season was deep to the berm in center field off Kansas City reliever Jake Diekman (0-4) after Max Kepler had walked. Minnesota has won 16 of its past 22 games and started a big weekend at Target Field with three expected sellouts and Joe Mauer’s number retirement ceremony on Saturday.

Gibson (7-3) struck out six in his longest outing of the season. Taylor Rogers secured his seventh save in nine chances.

Kepler reached base three times but the Twins’ No. 1 offense was stifled by Royals starter Brad Keller. Keller matched Gibson along the way, surrendering just three hits and striking out five.

Garver finally supplied the power Minnesota has enjoyed all season.

It was the Twins’ league-leading 133rd homer. Minnesota has a home run in 12 straight games.

BUXTON’S BRUISE

Byron Buxton was hit in the wrist by a pitch from Keller in the sixth inning but stayed in the game. However, Marwin Gonzalez pinch hit for Buxton in the eighth and Buxton was announced out with a right wrist bruise. The team said Buxton was day to day.

ROSTER MOVES

Both teams were active before the game. Kansas City optioned struggling first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to Triple-A Omaha and recalled outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. O’Hearn was hitting .188 in 56 games.

Manager Ned Yost indicated Bonifacio’s arrival was because the team is facing a slew of left-handed starters in the next two series and that his appearance will be short-lived with Hunter Dozier close to being activated from the injured list.

Minnesota swapped out right-handed relievers, sending Fernando Romero back to Triple-A and recalling Zack Littell. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Littell, mostly a starter in his minor league career, will be used in the bullpen going forward.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Alex Gordon was in the lineup at designated hitter a game after being hit by a pitch in the shoulder.

Twins: Rogers pitched for the first time since June 6 after dealing with a back injury.

UP NEXT

RHP Jake Odorizzi (9-2, 1.92 ERA) starts for Minnesota in the second game of the three-game series, with Kansas City countering with RHP Glenn Sparkman (1-2, 3.58). Odorizzi has won nine straight decisions, the longest active streak in the majors, and hasn’t allowed a run in six of his past seven starts. Sparkman is 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA in four games as a starter this season.

— Associated Press —

DeJong, Fowler help Cards beat Mets twice in odd twinbill

Posted on

NEW YORK — Dexter Fowler hit a go-ahead, three-run homer moments after Paul DeJong’s tying shot in the eighth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 9-5 to sweep an odd double feature Friday night.

Hours earlier, DeJong helped the Cardinals complete a rally that started the night before, grounding an RBI single against Edwin Diaz in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win. The series opener Thursday was suspended following 8 1/2 innings, right after Harrison Bader drove in the tying run with a two-out double off Diaz in the rain. It took St. Louis 18 minutes to complete the victory.

DeJong tied the late game at 5 with a leadoff homer against Jeurys Familia (2-1). It was DeJong’s 12th homer of the season, including one off NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom on Thursday.

After a double by Yadier Molina and a walk by Bader, Fowler drove a ball into the visiting bullpen in center field, admiring the shot and taking an easy jog around the bases.

Familia gave New York its major league-leading 16th blown save. He was booed loudly after striking out pitcher John Gant to end the inning and has a 6.91 ERA after signing a $30 million, three-year free agent deal this offseason.

DeJong’s homer steadied St. Louis following a rocky seventh. New York rallied for three runs after loading the bases against Andrew Miller with no outs. The big blow was a go-ahead, two-run single by Wilson Ramos off Gant (6-0) to put the Mets up 5-4.

Jose Martinez gave St. Louis a 4-1 lead with a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the fifth off Steven Matz.

Matz hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning, becoming the fourth Mets starter to go deep this season. The pitching staff entered the night tied with Arizona for the major league lead with four homers.

Matz also singled and raised his average to .261 this season. The left-hander pitched six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and three hits while striking out six.

Kolten Wong added a leadoff homer for the Cardinals in the ninth.

New York made two errors in the late game, bringing its total to an NL-most 50 through 69 games.

FREAKY FRIDAY

In an unusual scene, Thursday’s game resumed at 6:10 p.m. Friday with no anthem, no ceremonial first pitch, no player introductions — none of the hubbub that usually accompanies the start of a big league game. A small crowd at Citi Field saw Carlos Martinez (1-0) pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, and Diaz (1-4) then jogged out of the bullpen to continue his outing.

Pinch-hitter Yairo Munoz led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on Matt Carpenter’s groundout. DeJong followed by grounding a ball into left field to score Munoz.

Jordan Hicks pitched perfectly through the bottom of the inning for his 14th save.

“Carp said right before the game, `We’re about to win this game in 20 minutes,” DeJong said.

WELL MET

DeJong is 26 for 76 (.342) career against New York with 18 extra-base hits.

NO REGRETS

St. Louis rallied for two runs off Diaz in the ninth Thursday after first baseman Pete Alonso and other Mets players lobbied hard to keep the game going. Alonso logged onto Twitter between games Friday and responded to criticism over his decision to shoo away the tarp. Some suggested that if the Mets had kept quiet, the umps would’ve left the tarp on the field and not taken it off, resulting in a Mets win.

“Are you kidding me? Why are you mad at me for having confidence in my teammates?” Alonso wrote. “I’m a damn competitor and I’ll take my team over any one else any day. A real Mets fan doesn’t talk like that. Clean it up.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Dominic Leone was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to be the 26th man for the second game.

Mets: OF Brandon Nimmo was scratched from a rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse with neck stiffness. Nimmo hasn’t played since May 20. … 2B Robinson Cano (left quadriceps) was in the lineup for Syracuse. … RHP Taylor Bashlor was brought up from Triple-A Syracuse to be New York’s 26th man.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (4-2) pitches against Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard (4-4). Wacha made a successful return to the rotation Monday with six scoreless innings against Miami. Syndergaard previously threw seven shutout innings against Colorado.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska hires former Husker Will Bolt as new baseball coach

Posted on

One of the catalysts in Nebraska baseball’s rise to national prominence in his playing days, Will Bolt returns to his alma mater as head coach. Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos named Bolt the 24th head coach of the Husker baseball program on Friday.

Bolt brings 16 years of coaching experience to the Nebraska program, including five seasons on the Husker baseball staff and four years as a head coach at Texarkana College.

Bolt served as Nebraska’s Associate Head Coach under Darin Erstad from 2012 to 2014 and also was a volunteer assistant on the 2005 Husker team that reached the College World Series. As a player or coach, Bolt has been a part of all three of Nebraska’s College World Series teams and all four Super Regional squads.

Bolt returns to Lincoln after spending the past five seasons on the Texas A&M staff where he helped the Aggies to five straight NCAA regional appearances and a trip to the 2017 College World Series.

“The opportunity to come back home to Nebraska and lead the Husker baseball program is such a blessing and honor for my family and me,” Bolt said. “It is such an exciting time in Husker athletics with the foundation laid by Bill Moos within the athletic department, and the success Coach Erstad and staff have had on the field.

“My family and I have the fondest affection for the Huskers and the city of Lincoln, and truly cannot wait to become part of the Husker family again!”

The native of Conroe, Texas, had his first association with the Nebraska program as a player for the Huskers from 1999 to 2002. A member of Dave Van Horn’s first recruiting class at Nebraska, Bolt played on four NCAA regional teams and captained the Huskers’ first two College World Series teams in 2001 and 2002. Bolt finished his Husker playing career with school records in games played (251), games started (242), at-bats (922), hits (281), doubles (56) and assists (639).

“Will Bolt has been a winner at every stop he has made as a coach and player, and I am proud to welcome him back to Lincoln as our next head baseball coach,” Moos said. “Will was a part of the most successful teams in the history of our baseball program, and he knows what it takes to win here.

“Will has proven to be an outstanding recruiter wherever he has coached. He understands the appeal of Nebraska and everything our baseball program and University has to offer to student-athletes.”

— NU Athletics —

St. Joseph suffers non-league loss to KC Monarchs 6-4

Posted on

The St. Joseph Mustangs lost to the Kansas City Monarchs 6-4 Thursday in a non-league game inside Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team drops to 11-4 this season.

The Monarch jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed in the game. The Mustangs got one run back in the second but Kansas City scored two runs in the fourth and two more in sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

St. Joseph outhit KC 11-6 but the three Mustangs pitchers walked 12 batters while the Monarchs didn’t walk anybody.

Michael Mathews sufferd the loss as allowed four runs and three hits in 3.1 innings. Mathews struck out four but walked eight.

Logan Rycraft led the Mustangs with two hits and two RBI, while Terrance Spurlin and Derek Hussey added two hits each.

St. Joe will play another non-league game Friday night at Phil Welch Stadium as they play their annual game against Mustang Alumni players. The first pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.

Royals beat Tigers 7-3 in first MLB game in Omaha

Posted on

OMAHA, Neb. — Nicky Lopez couldn’t have imagined a better homecoming to Omaha.

The rookie hit his first major league home run in the stadium where he played college ball, starting the Kansas City Royals’ scoring in a 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night in the first big league regular season game played in Nebraska.

“I knew a lot of college friends and coaches here and people around the community,” said Lopez, who played for Creighton University from 2014-16. “I didn’t know it was gone. I knew I hit it pretty good, maybe a double or triple.”

The game at TD Ameritrade Park coincided with the buildup to the College World Series, which begins Saturday. All eight CWS teams were among the sellout crowd of 25,454 and participated in a pregame ceremony with the major league teams.

“It was fun. The energy level was fun,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Every time I turned around, all I saw was Royals hats and shirts. That was great to see. I wanted us to come in here and put on a good show for our fans in Omaha.”

Lopez hit just one home run in 75 games at TD Ameritrade as a collegian. The second baseman returned to Omaha 8 for 61 in his previous 15 games and sat out Wednesday’s game in Kansas City before going 2 for 4.

In his first trip to the plate, he lined Matthew Boyd’s 1-1 pitch into the right field bullpen leading off the third inning. Martin Maldonado followed with a double and came home when Boyd was called for a balk.

The Royals tacked on three runs in the fourth and one each the next two innings on their way to their highest run total since May 29. They had scored a total of eight runs over their previous four games.

Lopez got a high-five from Yost when he returned to the dugout after his home run.

“The funny thing was I asked him, `Nicky, is your dad sitting home watching?” Yost said. “He said, `Yeah.’ I said, `I hate to tell you the (ESPN) TV truck just broke down and they weren’t televising then.’ That was a shame.”

Kansas City starter Homer Bailey (5-6) gave up a pair of singles, walked three, hit a batter and struck out six before Jorge Lopez came on to start the seventh. Dawel Lugo tripled past diving right fielder Whit Merrifield and scored on a groundout for the Tigers’ first run.

The Royals won two of three over the Tigers for their first series win since April 12-14 against Cleveland.

“We needed to get that over with,” Yost said. “We needed to score some runs because we’ve been pitching really well. Homer was right on track with that tonight. He threw the ball extremely well. Nice to have a little leeway to make a mistake, which he didn’t have.”

Boyd (5-5), who pitched for Oregon State in the 2013 CWS and threw a four-hit shutout against Indiana, lasted four innings and threw 94 pitches in his shortest outing in six starts.

“He threw a ton of pitches,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That’s not the norm for him. He kind of messed around with some of those guys who are real fast. He needed to attack those guys and keep them off the bases, and he kind of got behind and put too many people on base and then it turns into a bloop here, a bloop there. It wasn’t his night.”

Merrifield doubled twice and drove in two in his return to Omaha. He was the hero of South Carolina’s 2010 national championship team, singling in the winning run against UCLA in the deciding game of the CWS finals in the last game played at Rosenblatt Stadium.

“Great crowd. Great to see a sellout,” Merrifield said. “They did a great job of putting this on. It was cool to come back. Different stadium and different feel, but it was cool to relive it.”

TRAINING ROOM

Tigers: CF JaCoby Jones was hit by a pitch in the elbow in the fifth inning and left the game in the sixth. … SS Niko Goodrum returned to the lineup after missing one game after fouling a ball off his kneecap Tuesday. … Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft, left his Thursday start for Double-A Erie after 2 1/3 innings with right shoulder soreness, vice president of player development Dave Littlefield said.

Royals: 1B Lucas Duda (back) was reinstated from the injured list after missing 42 games. He hit .286 with a homer and three doubles in his 12-game rehab assignment at Omaha. …. LF Alex Gordon, who grew up 50 miles away in Lincoln and played for Nebraska, was out of the lineup with a shoulder bruise, the result of getting hit by a pitch Wednesday. … 3B Hunter Dozier (thorax) will take batting practice on the field Friday and is getting closer to returning, manager Ned Yost said.

UP NEXT

RHP Brad Keller (3-8, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night when the Royals open a six-game road trip at Minnesota. LHP Ryan Carpenter (1-3, 7.89) will start the Tigers’ opener of a three-game home weekend set against Cleveland.

— Associated Press —

Cards rally in rain, game vs. Mets suspended in 9th tied at 4

Posted on

NEW YORK (AP) — The game between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets was suspended because of rain Thursday night, moments after Harrison Bader hit an RBI double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning that made it 4-all.

Play will resume Friday at 6:10 p.m. beginning in the bottom of the ninth. That will be followed by the regularly scheduled game between the teams.

St. Louis scored twice in the ninth off closer Edwin Diaz to tie it, capping a bizarre sequence that saw umpires reverse their call and order the tarp off the field right after it had been rolled out.

Rain was falling hard when New York took the field for the ninth with a 4-2 lead, and umps ordered the field covered. As the tarp got spread, rookie first baseman Pete Alonso and several other Mets pleaded their case to play on.

After the umps and both managers met in the middle of the diamond, the call was overturned – no review of the weather map needed. The grounds crew finished working on the field and action resumed after a nine-minute wait.

Kolten Wong hit an RBI single off the left field wall with two outs against Diaz, then scored when Bader doubled into the corner. Wong managed to keep his footing on the soaked dirt as he rounded third, helped when shortstop Amed Rosario had trouble handling the wet ball on a weak relay.

Bader was thrown out after he slipped and fell between second and third. The field was covered after that, and the suspension was announced 50 minutes later.

The Mets top the majors with 15 blown saves, including three by Diaz in 17 tries.

New York starter Jacob deGrom pitched seven efficient innings. And a little fit, too.

Bader doubled in the St. Louis third, stole third and scored with two outs when Matt Carpenter hit an easy grounder to an empty spot on the left side of the infield.

When the inning ended, deGrom slammed his glove to the floor in the dugout. Not done, the NL Cy Young Award winner picked up his mitt and zinged it off the wall, ricocheting around a Mets trainer sitting nearby.

Michael Conforto connected for a two-run homer off Jack Flaherty, the Mets’ team-record 17th straight home game with a long ball. Paul DeJong went deep for St. Louis.

OH, BABY!

Mets catcher Wilson Ramos got a big surprise when he was in the on-deck circle in the fourth inning: His wife made her way down to the screen and held up a sign that said, ”We’re Pregnant!”

Moments later, Ramos struck out looking. This will be the couple’s third child.

BADER’S BACKERS

This was the first big league game in New York for Bader, who grew up in nearby Bronxville. His mom, dad and 150 people from his high school came out to root for him, and he rewarded them with two doubles, a single, two steals and a nifty catch on Rosario’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

TRUE BLUES

The Cardinals joined in the celebration for the St. Louis Blues winning their first Stanley Cup, cheering in the visitors’ clubhouse at Miami after a 9-0 loss Wednesday night. The Cards watched most of the third period as the Blues beat Boston 4-1 in Game 7, the hockey game ending shortly before they boarded the bus to the airport.

”We counted it down and the ‘Let’s go, Blues!’ chants started,” manager Mike Shildt said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Ryan Helsley (shoulder impingement) was put on the 10-day injured list and rookie lefty Genesis Cabrera was recalled from Triple-A Memphis.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: In the regularly scheduled game, RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-0, 1.80 ERA) starts in place of injured Adam Wainwright (hamstring).

Mets: LHP Steven Matz (5-4, 3.88) is 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in three career starts vs. St. Louis. Overall, the Mets have won the last seven times Matz has started at Citi Field.

— Associated Press —

Mustangs snap two-game skid with 6-2 win over Clarinda

Posted on

The St. Joseph Mustangs snapped their two-game losing streak Wednesday as they defeated the Clarinda A’s 6-2 inside Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team improves to 11-3 this season and 10-3 in MINK League play.

After the Mustangs scored a run in the first inning, Clarinda took the lead with two runs and it stayed that way until the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, St. Joseph catcher Jordan Maxson hit a three-run home run to put the Mustangs ahead for good and they added two more in the eighth inning.

Jackson Dierenfeldt finished 3-for-5 for St. Joe, while Jack Wagner scored two runs.

Ryan Scharf earned the win in relief as didn’t allow a run or hit in 1.2 innings. He struck out four and walked just one. Mahlyk Davis started and went 6.1 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits.

The Mustangs are back in action Thursday as they play a non-league game against the Kansas City Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. inside Phil Welch Stadium.

Royals lose to Tigers Wednesday 3-2

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brandon Dixon broke an eighth-inning tie with a sacrifice fly that sent the Detroit Tigers past the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Miguel Cabrera also had a sacrifice fly for the Tigers, and Ronny Rodriguez hit an RBI double.

Jorge Soler drove in both Royals runs but flied out with a runner on to end the game.

The teams now head to Omaha, Nebraska, to play the first Major League Baseball game in that state Thursday night as a prelude to the College World Series, which begins Saturday in the same ballpark.

The Royals need a victory to win a series for the first time since April 12-14.

After the start was delayed 24 minutes because of the threat of rain, Royals reliever Jake Diekman (0-3) walked JaCoby Jones leading off the eighth. Christin Stewart doubled under the glove of first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, sending Jones to third.

After walking Nicholas Castellanos, Diekman struck out Cabrera. But then Dixon sent right fielder Terrance Gore to the fence for the go-ahead sacrifice fly.

Nick Ramirez (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win. Shane Greene worked the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances.

Neither starter factored in the decision.

Danny Duffy had a solid outing for the Royals. After walking his first two batters, he buckled down and completed seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits. He walked only those two batters and struck out six.

Tigers starter Daniel Norris gave up two runs and six hits in five innings with two walks and six strikeouts.

Cabrera drove in Jones with a sac fly in the first inning as Detroit scored without the benefit of a hit.

After wasting a couple of scoring chances in the first two innings, the Royals finally got a run in the third. Whit Merrifield stroked a leadoff double to the wall in left-center. He stole third and scored on Soler’s double.

Detroit came right back in the fourth when John Hicks and Rodriguez hit back-to-back doubles.

Soler’s two-out single knocked in Alex Gordon in the fifth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: SS Niko Goodrum was out of the lineup after fouling a ball off his kneecap Tuesday. “He’s sore. There was some swelling. He’s moving around. We’ll talk to him and see how he feels and go on from there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. … INF Jeimer Candelario was set to begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo. He’s been on the 10-day injured list since June 4 (retroactive to June 2) with left shoulder inflammation. … RHP Jordan Zimmermann will pitch Thursday for Toledo on his rehab assignment.

Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier took grounders and some swings off a tee. Kansas City manager Ned Yost said Dozier was expected to take more swings in the cage Thursday. If everything goes well, he’ll take batting practice on the field and likely head out on a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

LHP Matthew Boyd (5-4, 3.08 ERA) starts Thursday night for Detroit against RHP Homer Bailey (4-6, 5.90). Boyd’s last appearance at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha was in 2013, when he pitched a four-hit shutout to help Oregon State beat Indiana 1-0 in a College World Series elimination game.

— Associated Press —-

St. Louis gets blanked by Marlins in Yamamoto debut

Posted on

MIAMI — Jordan Yamamoto pitched seven innings to win his major league debut, and Garrett Cooper hit a grand slam and the Miami Marlins broke a six-game losing streak by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 Wednesday night.

Yamamoto, acquired last year in the Christian Yelich trade, allowed three hits and two walks and threw 95 pitches. The rookie also earned an RBI with a squeeze bunt.

Two relievers completed a three-hitter.

Yamamoto was recalled from Double-A Jacksonville to fill in for Jose Urena, who went on the 10-day injured list with a strained lower back.

Cooper finished a double shy of the cycle, and pulled a two-out inside fastball that was off the plate for a grand slam in the second inning against Miles Mikolas (4-7).

An off-target throw to first cost the Cardinals a chance to turn an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Curtis Granderson, batting .181, then drew a two-out walk before Cooper hit his sixth homer and second career grand slam, with both coming in the past three weeks.

Cooper tripled and scored in the first inning, and singled in the fifth. He struck out in the seventh and eighth.

Mikolas gave up five runs in five innings and lost his fifth decision in a row.

Granderson hit a three-run homer in the eighth. The laugher was quite a change for the Marlins, who totaled 10 runs during their losing streak.

Yamamoto mixed speeds and threw strikes, but the Cardinals had several hard-hit outs against him. Their best threat came with runners at the corners and none out in the fourth, when the rookie right-hander escaped with a foulout by Marcell Ozuna and a double play grounder by Yadier Molina.

Yamamoto was acquired in January 2018, and Yelich went on to win the National League Most Valuable Player award for the Milwaukee Brewers.

NATIVE STATE

Yamamoto, born in Hawaii, wore jersey No. 50. When he notched his first strikeout, the stadium PA system played the theme from “Hawaii Five-0.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Ryan Helsley faced two batters in the sixth and then left the game accompanied by a trainer. … Barring a setback, INF Jedd Gyorko (strained lower back) is expected to be activated Tuesday, when he’s eligible to come off the 10-day injured list.

Marlins: 3B Martin Prado (tight right hamstring) pulled up while running out a groundout in the third and left the game. His status is day to day. … Urena went on the IL retroactive to Sunday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.08) is scheduled to start Thursday to begin a four-game series at the New York Mets. RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-0, 1.80) is scheduled to make his second start of the season Friday as a replacement for the injured Adam Wainwright.

Marlins: Following a day off, RHP Trevor Richards (3-6, 3.31) is scheduled to start Friday to begin a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Richards is 3-1 with 1.09 ERA in his past four starts.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Whitaker adds two more transfers to first recruiting class

Posted on

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball head coach Candi Whitaker has added to her 2019-20 signing class with the addition of two transfer players, one with local ties. Whitaker announced this week the signings of Simone Rodney and Chris Wilson.

Rodney is a St. Joseph native and a 2017 graduate of Central High School before playing the past two years at St. Louis Community College. Wilson is originally from St. Louis and was a former teammate of Rodney’s at STLCC before spending one season at Flagler College.

Chris Wilson
5-10 | St. Louis, Mo. | Flagler College
Wilson was named second team All-Peach Belt Conference after averaging 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26 starts last year at Flagler. She also led the team with 70 steals and shot 51.7 percent from the field. Wilson posted nine double-doubles and scored 30 points on 14-of-16 shooting at Augusta. She was twice named the PBC Player of the Week. At St. Louis Community College, Wilson was a two-time first team NJCAA All-American. As a sophomore at STLCC, Wilson averaged 14.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game to follow up her 17.1 point and 14.7 rebound average as a freshman.

Whitaker on Wilson: “Chris Wilson is a special athlete that brings great versatility to our team. She can score in a variety of ways and will rebound out of space. With Chris’s experience and maturity as a player, I expect her to impact us immediately.”

Wilson on MWSU: “I chose Missouri Western because of the chemistry I instantly got from the head coach. Campus isn’t too big and it seems like a quiet area. Also, I get to go to school with my sister again!”

Simone Rodney
5-7 | St. Joseph, Mo. | St. Louis Community College
Rodney pulled down 276 rebounds with 147 assists and 98 steals over two seasons at STLCC. She averaged 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a sophomore while shooting 48.6 percent. Rodney was named NJCAA 2nd Team All-Region and All-Conference and was a first team NJCAA Academic All-America selection. At Central High School, she was named All-Conference, All-District and All-City.

Whitaker on Rodney: “We are excited to welcome Simone home! A native of St. Joseph, she will be a fan favorite. Simone is a versatile player with good length on the perimeter. She has all the intangibles to help our team win on and off the court.”

Rodney on MWSU: “The culture shift at MWSU is undeniable and Coach Whitaker is already bringing big energy. It’s more than basketball. It’s an opportunity to finish my career exactly where it started!”

The latest two signings bring the total of new student-athletes for Whitaker’s first season at MWSU to six, joining three other Whitaker signees and one who signed during the early period last winter.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File