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Erstad steps down from UNL baseball

Lincoln — Nebraska Head Baseball Coach Darin Erstad announced Monday afternoon that he has resigned from his position. Erstad guided the Husker program for the past eight seasons, leading the Huskers to a Big Ten Championship and four NCAA Regional appearances.

“I have made the extremely difficult decision to step away from coaching,” Erstad said. “I love this team. I love our staff and I love Nebraska. The bottom line is I do not want to miss seeing our kids grow up. I want to thank our administration and academic staff for all of their support over the last eight years. GBR forever.”

Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos said Erstad was the right individual to lead the Husker program, but understands Erstad’s choice to spend more time with his family.

“Darin earned the right to lead this baseball program well into the future, and I was hopeful that would be the case,” Moos said. “Darin loved the opportunity to represent Nebraska every day and did an outstanding job. He’s a Nebraska guy who loves this program and is a proven winner. With all that said, I respect and admire that Darin’s priority now is to spend more time with his family as his children grow up.”

Erstad took over the Nebraska program in June of 2011, and finished with a record of 267-193-1. Erstad’s 2017 team captured the Big Ten regular-season title and he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for his leadership. Four of his eight teams finished second or better in the conference, and his teams reached the Big Ten tournament championship game in 2013, 2014 and 2019. Nebraska qualified for NCAA Regional play in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

The Jamestown, N.D., native is one of the top players in Nebraska baseball history. A two-sport star at Nebraska, Erstad was a first-team All-American and Big Eight Co-Player of the Year in 1995. In addition, Erstad was a two-time academic all-conference pick, and was the starting punter on Nebraska’s 1994 national championship football team. He was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in September of 2018.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Erstad spent the majority of his career playing for the Angels, where he won three Gold Gloves (2000-02-04) and was selected for the American League All-Star team in 1998 and 2000. He was part of the Angels 2002 World Series Champion team.

2019 NCAA baseball tournament after first weekend

2019 NCAA baseball tournament: Schedule, scores for Regionals

Game times listed in ET.

Los Angeles Regional — No. 1 UCLA

Loyola Marymount 3, Baylor 1
UCLA 5, Omaha 2
Baylor 24, Omaha 6 | Omaha eliminated
Loyola Marymount 3, UCLA 2
UCLA 11, Baylor 6 | Baylor eliminated
UCLA 6, Loyola Marymount 1
UCLA vs. Loyola Marymount | Monday, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 | Regional final

Corvallis Regional — No. 16 Oregon State

Michigan 6, Creighton 0
Cincinnati 7, Oregon State 6
Creighton 4, Oregon State 1 | Oregon State eliminated
Michigan 10, Cincinnati 4
Creighton 6, Cincinnati 1 | Cincinnati eliminated
Creighton 11, Michigan 7
Michigan vs. Creighton | Monday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 | Regional final

Oklahoma City Regional — No. 9 Oklahoma State

Nebraska 8, UConn 5
Oklahoma State 2, Harvard 0
UConn 10, Harvard 2 | Harvard eliminated
Oklahoma State 6, Nebraska 5
UConn 16, Nebraska 1 | Nebraska eliminated
UConn 5, Oklahoma State 2
Oklahoma State vs. UConn | Monday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU | Regional final

Lubbock Regional — No. 8 Texas Tech

Texas Tech 11, Army 2
DBU 11, Florida 8
Florida 13, Army 5 | Army eliminated
Texas Tech 3, DBU 2
DBU 9, Florida 8 | Florida eliminated
Texas Tech 3, DBU 0 | DBU eliminated

ADVANCING: Texas Tech

Fayetteville Regional — No. 5 Arkansas

Arkansas 11, Central Connecticut State 5
TCU 13, California 2
Central Connecticut State 7, California 4 | California eliminated
Arkansas 3, TCU 1
TCU 9, Central Connecticut State 5 | Central Connecticut State eliminated
Arkansas 6, TCU 0 | TCU eliminated

ADVANCING: Arkansas

Oxford Regional — No. 12 Mississippi

Clemson 8, Illinois 4
Mississippi 16, Jacksonville State 2
Jacksonville State 7, Illinois 5 | Illinois eliminated
Mississippi 6, Clemson 1
Jacksonville State 9, Clemson 2| Clemson eliminated
Mississippi 19, Jacksonville State 4 | Jacksonville State eliminated

ADVANCING: Mississippi

Baton Rouge Regional — No. 13 LSU

Southern Miss 15, Arizona State 3
LSU 17, Stony Brook 3
Arizona State 13, Stony Brook 5 | Stony Brook eliminated
LSU 8, Southern Miss 4
Southern Miss 13, Arizona State 12 | Arizona State eliminated
LSU 6, Southern Miss 4 | Southern Miss eliminated

ADVANCING: LSU

Athens Regional — No. 4 Georgia

Florida State 13, Florida Atlantic 7
Georgia 13, Mercer 3
Florida Atlantic 10, Mercer 6 | Mercer eliminated
Florida State 12, Georgia 3
Georgia 13, Florida Atlantic 0 | FAU eliminated
Florida State 10, Georgia 1 | Georgia eliminated

ADVANCING: Florida State

Nashville Regional — No. 2 Vanderbilt

Indiana State 6, McNeese State 5
Vanderbilt 8, Ohio State 2
Ohio State 9, McNeese State 8 (13 inn.) | McNeese State eliminated
Vanderbilt 8, Indiana State 5
Indiana State 10, Ohio State 5| Ohio State eliminated
Vanderbilt 12, Indiana State 1 | Indiana State eliminated

ADVANCING: Vanderbilt

Morgantown Regional — No. 15 West Virginia

Duke 8, Texas A&M 5
West Virginia 6, Fordham 2
Texas A&M 11, Fordham 2 | Fordham eliminated
Duke 4, West Virginia 0
Texas A&M 11, West Virginia 10 | West Virginia eliminated
Duke 4, Texas A&M 1 | Texas A&M eliminated

ADVANCING: Duke

Greenville Regional — No. 10 East Carolina

Campbell 5, NC State 4
Quinnipiac 5, East Carolina 4
East Carolina 9, NC State 2 | NC State eliminated
Campbell 9, Quinnipiac 8
East Carolina 13, Quinnipiac 3 | Quinnipiac eliminated
East Carolina vs. Campbell | Monday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPNU | Regional final
East Carolina vs. Campbell | Monday, TBD | Regional final (if necessary)

Louisville Regional — No. 7 Louisville

Illinois State 8, Indiana 7 
Louisville 5, UIC 3
Indiana 9, UIC 5 | UIC eliminated
Illinois State 4, Louisville 2
Louisville 9, Indiana 7 | Indiana eliminated
Louisville 11, Illinois State 2
Louisville vs. Illinois State | Monday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2 | Regional final

Starkville Regional — No. 6 Mississippi State

Mississippi State 11, Southern U. 6
Central Michigan 6, Miami (Fla.) 5
Miami (Fla.) 12, Southern U. 2 | Southern U. eliminated
Mississippi State 7, Central Michigan 2
Miami (Fla.) 18, Central Michigan 3 | Central Michigan eliminated
Mississippi State 5, Miami (Fla.) 2 | Miami eliminated

ADVANCING: Mississippi State

Stanford Regional — No. 11 Stanford

Stanford 11, Sacramento State 0
Fresno State 9, UC Santa Barbara 2
Sacramento State 6, UC Santa Barbara 4 | UC Santa Barbara eliminated
Fresno State 7, Stanford 2
Stanford 12, Sacramento State 3 | Sacramento State eliminated
Stanford 8, Fresno State 6
Stanford vs. Fresno State | Monday, 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU | Regional final

Chapel Hill Regional — No. 14 North Carolina

North Carolina 7, UNCW 6
Liberty 6, Tennessee 1
Tennessee 10, UNCW 3 | UNCW eliminated
North Carolina 16, Liberty 1
Tennessee 6, Liberty 5 | Liberty eliminated
North Carolina 5, Tennessee 2 | Tennessee eliminated

ADVANCING: North Carolina

Atlanta Regional — No. 3 Georgia Tech

Auburn 16, Coastal Carolina 7
Georgia Tech 13, Florida A&M 2
Coastal Carolina 9, Florida A&M 4 | Florida A&M eliminated
Auburn 6, Georgia Tech 5
Georgia Tech 10, Coastal Carolina 8 | Coastal Carolina eliminated
Auburn 4, Georgia Tech 1 | Georgia Tech eliminated

ADVANCING: Auburn

Big 10 Conference news 6/3

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Will Hanafan’s two-run single capped Creighton’s seven-run ninth inning and the No. 2 seed Bluejays beat Michigan 11-7 to avoid elimination in the NCAA Tournament’s Corvallis regional. The teams play again Monday, with the winner advancing to a super regional against the winner of the Los Angeles regional, national No. 1 seed UCLA or Loyola Marymount.

UNDATED (AP) — Florida State dominated all three games in its NCAA regional and extended coach Mike Martin’s final season at least one more week. The Seminoles became the first team to advance to the super regionals by beating No. 4 national seed Georgia 10-1. The Bulldogs and No. 3 Georgia Tech are the highest national seeds eliminated so far.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles lead off the Major League Baseball Draft for the first time in 30 years and Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman is a heavy favorite to be selected No. 1 on Monday night. Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt; Cal first baseman Andrew Vaughn; Vanderbilt outfielder JJ Bleday; and Georgia high school shortstop CJ Abrams are also possibilities to have their names called early.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Clay Dungan hit a two-run single in a four-run sixth inning, and the Indiana State Sycamores stayed alive by eliminating Ohio State with a 10-5 victory in the Nashville Regional. The No. 2 seeded Sycamores will try to avoid elimination again when they play Vanderbilt, the No. 2 seed overall nationally. Ohio State, the Big Ten Tournament champs, led 3-2 after the first and were up 4-2 through three.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Michael Woodworth went 5 for 7 to lead a Connecticut offense that collected a season-high 22 hits and the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Oklahoma City regional final with a 16-1 win over Nebraska in an elimination game. Colby Dunlop allowed five singles and one run in an efficient, career-long eight innings. The Huskies would need to beat Oklahoma State on Sunday night and again Monday to return to super regionals for the first time since 2011.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alex Binelas had four RBI including a two-run homer, and Michael Kirian recorded the final strike in a tense ninth inning as top-seeded Louisville survived rival Indiana 9-7 in an NCAA Tournament elimination game. Binelas’ third-inning drive to center to made it 6-0 and followed with an RBI double in a two-run seventh for a critical 9-4 cushion as the Hoosiers scored twice in the ninth. Kirian relieved Michael McAvene after an ejection and struck out Ryan Fineman to end the game.

5/31 Big Ten sports news

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Juwan Howard was overcome with tears of joys as he was introduced as Michigan’s new men’s basketball coach. The former member of the Fab Five has a five-year contract that will pay him $2 million in his first year. Howard replaces John Beilein, who left to coach at Cleveland. Howard is a former Miami Heat assistant coach who helped Michigan reach the national championship game twice, playing alongside Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson.

UNDATED (AP) — Michigan’s hiring of Juwan Howard continues a recent trend of college programs hiring former NBA players. Howard had no previous college coaching experience before being named John Beilein’s replacement.

UNDATED (AP) — The Oklahoma-Texas and Michigan-Ohio State rivalry games return to Fox for the second consecutive yea. The network also plans to have a new pregame show with Urban Meyer and Reggie Bush this season. Fox has announced times and dates for dozens of games that will air on the network, FS1 or the Big Ten network.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA baseball tournament opens Friday with play at 16 regional sites. The regional winners advance to super regionals next week and the final eight go to the College World Series beginning June 15. Central Michigan has won 18 straight games and is the hottest team entering the tournament. No. 1 national seed UCLA has won 10 in a row. The last top seed to win the championship was Miami in 1999.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Aaliyah Jordan hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to help UCLA beat Minnesota 7-2 at the Women’s College World Series. Jordan’s blast gave Rachel Garcia the support she needed. Garcia, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, pitched a complete game for the second-seeded Bruins. UCLA will play Pac-12 rival Arizona on Friday for a spot in the semifinals.

UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State and Louisville are among the teams to benefit most from players opting to withdraw from the NBA draft. Tennessee and Auburn took some of the biggest hits.

Big Ten news 5/30

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota scoring leader Amir Coffey will skip his senior season and stay in the NBA draft pool. Coffey’s agent, Javon Phillips, confirmed the decision at the deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to their schools. The 6-foot-8 Coffey was the primary point guard for the Gophers after playing on the wing his first two years. He averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a junior in 2018-19 and was a third team All-Big Ten selection.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland guard Anthony Cowan Jr. will return for his senior season after entering his name in the NBA draft. Cowan led the Terrapins in scoring last season and is a three-year starter. A second-team All-Big Ten selection last year, Cowan averaged 15.6 points and 4.4 assists and helped Maryland reach the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Penn State basketball transfer Rasir Bolton has signed with Iowa State. The Cyclones announced that Bolton, who averaged 11.6 points a game as a freshman last season, will join the team this summer. Bolton will have three years of eligibility with the Cyclones, and he might even apply for a waiver to play next season for Iowa State instead of sitting it out per NCAA rules.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota broke through to reach the Women’s College World Series for the first time in school history this season. The Golden Gophers will play UCLA on Thursday. In other opening day matchups, No. 1 seed Oklahoma will play Alabama, Oklahoma State will play Florida State, and Washington will face Arizona.

Giolito, White Sox post 2nd win of day, beat Royals 4-3

CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito was behind schedule, out of sync and in a hole. Rather than unravel, he regrouped in a big way.

Giolito struck out 10 while winning his fifth straight start and the Chicago White Sox posted their second victory of the day, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Hours after Yolmer Sanchez hit an RBI single in the ninth inning to give Chicago a 2-1 win in the resumption of a suspended game, Giolito (7-1) put on quite a performance.

The right-hander gave up a three-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first, then retired 22 of his final 24 batters. Giolito allowed three hits over eight innings, matched a career high for strikeouts and improved to 6-0 in his past eight starts. In his previous outing, he threw his first career shutout, a four-hitter against Houston.

“I didn’t warm up to my normal schedule,” Giolito said. “I wasn’t paying attention to the start time of the second game and so I was a little late. That first inning was like a continuation of my warmup, I guess you could say. Not fully locked in from the get-go.”

Giolito was inadvertently preparing for the usual 7:10 p.m. start, rather than a 6:40 first pitch. That threw him off early on, but he made quite a recovery.

Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances after getting the win earlier in the day. And the White Sox made it back-to-back victories after losing six of eight.

Brad Keller (3-6) gave up four runs and 10 hits in six innings for Kansas City. The Royals have lost nine of 12.

The White Sox tied it in the third on an RBI single by Leury Garcia and back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso. Charlie Tilson made it 4-3 with an RBI single in the fourth.

“Credit to (Giolito),” Whit Merrifield said. “He buckled down, made a lot of good pitches, didn’t miss a lot and kept us off balance.”

SANCHEZ’S SHOW

Getting the field into shape was quite a chore after play was stopped Monday in the bottom of the fifth with a runner on second and two outs following two long rain delays totaling about four hours.

With a handful of fans in the stands, Sanchez came through again in the ninth against Kevin McCarthy with the bases loaded.

On Monday, Sanchez hit a tying single in the fifth inning between the breaks.

Sanchez kept the crowd and his teammates entertained during the delays on Monday, doing jumping jacks on the bench. The 26-year-old second baseman also poured a beverage bucket over his head as he stood in the rain, then flapped his arms at third base to make mud angels.

Jake Diekman (0-2) hit Yonder Alonso leading off the ninth. McCarthy relieved and James McCann hit a double over Merrifield’s head in right field before Tilson was intentionally walked to load the bases.

After a forceout at the plate, Sanchez lined a single to center on a 1-0 pitch for his fifth career game-ending hit. He got mobbed by teammates as he sprinted off the field.

Ivan Nova gave up a run and six hits in five innings. Aaron Bummer worked two scoreless innings. Evan Marshall retired all three batters in the eighth.

Colome (2-0) worked a perfect ninth.

Homer Bailey went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run.

GROUND CONTROL

Longtime groundskeeper Roger Bossard and his 24-person crew stayed at the ballpark until about 10:15 p.m. on Monday after 1 3/4″ of rain equaling about 112,000 gallons drenched the field. They used 121 bags of quick dry — about three tons’ worth. And Bossard was back at the ballpark at 7:05 a.m.

“I got to tell you, this is my 53rd year here,” Bossard said. “And you know what? I’ve seen a lot of bad weather. Nothing like this year. It’s really been amazing.”

He also said crew chief Bill Miller made the correct decision to try to continue the game Monday based on the information available.

YIKES!

A White Sox employee of the month got to throw out a first pitch . And, to put it mildly, she was just a little bit off target. The right-hander uncorked one of the most wayward first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and first base line. The ball went right off Darren Georgia’s lens, nowhere near the plate. Georgia told NBC Sports Chicago he and the camera were fine. The White Sox didn’t identify the woman pitcher.

TRANSACTION

The White Sox returned RHP Carson Fulmer to Triple-A Charlotte. He served as the 26th man for the scheduled game, but did not pitch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: SS Tim Anderson (sore right wrist) was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game on Tuesday night. He did enter the suspended game to run after Alonso was hit by a pitch. … Garcia (sore right shoulder) came in to run in the eighth inning of the suspended game and remained in center field. He then started the scheduled game after being held out of the lineup the previous two. … The White Sox placed RHP Ryan Burr (strained right elbow capsule) on the 10-day injured list and recalled RHP José Ruiz from Triple-A Charlotte. The team said Burr will be reevaluated in two weeks.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Glenn Sparkman (1-1, 2.92) makes his second start of the season for Kansas City.

White Sox: RHP Reynaldo López (3-5, 6.03 ERA) tries to bounce back after getting tagged for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in a loss at Minnesota on Friday.

Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee works to make ground safe for horses

North Platte, Neb. – May 27, 2019 – The rodeo people in North Platte care about their animals.

They are improving the conditions of the dirt at the Wild West Arena for the Buffalo Bill Rodeo, so that horses are less likely to slip while competing at the rodeo.

The Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee was part of the SAF (Safe Arena Footing) program, in conjunction with the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association (WPRA).

Twenty samples of dirt from the arena, plus a water sample, was submitted for testing for particulate size, composition, and the percentage of clay, silt and sand in the soil.

An expert analyzed the soil then made recommendations for what should be added to the dirt already in the arena.

It’s all for the safety of the animals, especially the horses, said Jack Morris, chairman of the rodeo committee. When horses make sharp, fast turns, there’s the possibility of falls or injury, if the ground is slick, and that’s something the committee and rodeo contestants don’t want. “It’s for the well-being of the animals,” Morris said. “This is an animal welfare project.”

Results showed that particulate size and composition was within the acceptable range, but that adding organic sulfur would help reduce compaction and the stickiness of the soil. The sulfur reacts with the clay in the dirt, to make the clay “less sticky,” Morris said, “so it wouldn’t gumball so bad.”  The arena also became compacted in the paths where horses ran, packing the soil. The sulfur will prevent the soil from compacting so easily.

Two tons of organic sulfur was put on the arena in early May, and a reclaimer machine, much like a huge rototiller, was used to work the sulfur in.

The results also recommended that aluminum sulfate should be added to the water that is spread on the arena, to also help control compaction. About 500 pounds of aluminum sulfate will be added to the water truck before the water is sprinkled on the arena the days of the rodeo.

The committee also borrowed a machine to rip up the hardpan but not pack the dirt down to what it had been.

Good arena conditions are what every performance horse owner and competitor prefers, said barrel racer Gayle White, who lives near Dickens, Neb. The cowgirl, who has been a professional barrel racer for more than twenty years, says that ground doesn’t have to be deep, “like where horses sink in for eight inches, because that’s also hard on horses. But it has to be of the composition where they don’t slip and slide, can run full speed, and turn at a fast rate.”

White said the cost of performance horses, including barrel horses, is high. “In the pros, they will go up to $250,000, and you won’t find one that can run with the professional cowgirls for less than $50,000 to $70,000.” She also said there are expenses beyond the cost of the horse, including veterinary bills, with simple checkups running up to $1,000. And if a horse is injured, the rodeo athlete is without their animal and unable to compete. “If a cowgirl is working to make the National Finals Rodeo, an injury pretty much stops her. I don’t think people realize how fragile these performance horses are, to be able to work at the top of their game.” She is pleased with the work the rodeo is doing.  “Kudos to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee,” she said.

Safety for the animals is paramount, Morris said. “The last thing we want is for somebody to cripple their horse,” he said. “That’s an absolute unacceptable option. Whatever we can do, we have to stay on top of it.”

The Buffalo Bill Rodeo takes place at the Wild West Rodeo Arena in North Platte June 12-15 with performances beginning at 8 p each night.

Tickets for the rodeo can be purchased at the NebraskalandDays office, online at NebraskalandDays.com, and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call the office at 308.532.7939.

 

The Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte has worked on the condition of its arena to make the footing safe for the horses and bulls at the rodeo. Organic sulfur was added to the dirt in April. Photo courtesy David Fudge.

Three Nebraska teams headed to CWS regional play

What a crazy weekend for college baseball.

THREE Nebraska teams are headed to the Regional round of the College world series

Creighton and UNO both are automatic qualifiers after winning their conference tournaments!

UNL gets in with an at large bid.

UNO will head to UCLA for their regional play where they will have the #4 seed.

Creighton heads up to Oregon State where they will be the #2 seed in the region.

UNL grabs the #3 seed in their region and will travel down to Oklahoma State.

You can see the full bracket here:

2019 College World Series

Here is the latest Big Ten Conference sports news for 5/24

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jordan Kozicky and Eli Wilson each drove in two runs and Minnesota upset top-seeded Indiana 9-4, knocking the Hoosiers out of the Big Ten Tournament with back-to-back losses. Kozicky and Wilson helped power Minnesota’s three-run fifth inning by driving in runs. Wilson then made it a 7-4 game by driving a home run over the left field fence. Wilson finished with three hits for the fourth time this season.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jordan Nwogu drilled a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to push Michigan past Illinois 5-4 in the Big Ten Tournament. Ako Thomas also had a pair of RBIs for Michigan (39-17), which rallied from a 3-0 hole to solidify its at-large NCAA Tournament hopes.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Ohio State-Maryland game at the Big Ten Tournament will resume Friday morning after being suspended because of inclement weather in the eighth inning Thursday night. Ohio State led 3-2 with Maryland batting with one out and a man on second base in the bottom of the eighth. The start of the game was delayed 95 minutes because of rain.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Iowa-Nebraska game at the Big Ten Tournament has been postponed until Friday morning because of inclement weather in the Omaha, Nebraska, area on Thursday night. The Ohio State-Maryland game Thursday was delayed 95 minutes because of a thunderstorm and more rain was expected late at night.

Rosters, coaches named for MCC Wild West all-star game

Rosters and coaches for the 2019 McCook Community College Wild West all-star volleyball classic have been announced and include four players who will begin their Lady Indian careers at the game in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. The game is set for June 22 at 3 p.m.

This all-star game (previously operated through the Sertoma Club) features area high school graduates, including four of the newest members of the MCC volleyball team. Admission is $8 for adults $5 for children 18 and younger with children four and younger admitted free.

McCook High School graduate Jayceea Hanson, a Lady Indian recruit, will make her post-high school debut in the game and will be joined by McCook High School teammate Robin Grigg on the East Squad. The team will be coached by Athena Messinger and assisted by Nick Nothnagel.

Other team members include Nicole Elizabeth Dewey of Southwest, Alex Ellermeier, of Medicine Valley and Arapahoe teammates Joslyn North and Chloe Carlson.

Gothenburg has four players on the east squad including: Lauren Johnson, Amaya Ackerman, Kendal Wahlgren and Ainsley Rickertsen. Three players from North Platte St. Pat’s were selected and include: Calli Groseth, Kaleigh Kummer, and Hayley Homan.

Rounding out the East team are Lexington’s Jennifer Nava, Elwood’s Baylee Diefenbaugh and Bertrand’s Lindsay Schutz.

The West squad has a distinct MCC flavor with 2018 graduate Dylann Bylund (Colorado Springs) to coach the team and assisted by another 2018 grad in Sidney Kizer (Northglen, Colo.).

Their team includes three incoming MCC freshmen in Hershey’s Emily Barr, and four players from Ogallala including future Lady Indians Mackenzie Anderson and Madison Mendoza as well as Emma Krab and Leslie Fair. Barr will be joined by her former Hershey teammates Channing Holm and Ashley Hassett.

Dundy County-Stratton teammates Grace Frederick and Adalene Krutsinger were named to the West all-star team along with Wauneta-Palisade’s Monique Gooden, Chase County’s Allison Owings, and Hitchcock County’s Amanda Horinek and Kyleigh Scott.

North Platte High School’s Abbie Hedgecock and Peyton Donovan Negley round out the team.

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