March 2015 – Page 16 – North Platte Post Archive

Yordano Ventura to Start Royals’ Opener against White Sox

Posted on March 25, 2015

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Yordano Ventura has been picked to pitch on opening day for the AL champion Kansas City Royals against the Chicago White Sox.

The 23-year-old right-hander went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA as a rookie last season and tossed seven scoreless innings to beat San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series.

The announcement was made by Royals manager Ned Yost on Wednesday.

James Shields, the team’s No. 1 starter last year, signed with San Diego in the offseason.

Yost says left-hander Danny Duffy and right-hander Edinson Volquez will follow the hard-throwing Ventura in the rotation during the season-opening series against the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

Duffy was 9-12 with a 2.53 ERA last season. Kansas City signed Volquez to a two-year contract in December after he went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA last season for Pittsburgh.

Yost says lefty Jason Vargas and right-hander Jeremy Guthrie will round out the rotation in that order.

Husker Winning Streak Snapped at 11 Games

Posted on March 25, 2015

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team (18-7, 3-0 Big Ten) saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday afternoon at Hawks Field when it dropped its first home game of the season, a 4-3 defeat to the Cal State Fullerton Titans (12-12, 0-0 Big West). The Huskers hit in the bottom of the ninth at home for the first time all year and had the tying run on base, but Yutan, Neb., native Tyler Peitzmeier closed out the game for the Titans with his eighth save of the season.

The Huskers outhit the Titans, 9-8, on the afternoon and lost their second game of the year when outing their opponent. NU’s pitching staff racked up 10 strikeouts on the day, but also issued a season-high tying six walks, including three from freshman starter Zack Engelken. The Titans notched five strikeouts, including four from Peitzmeier, and only issued one free pass.

After not allowing a first inning run over their first 11 home games of the year, the Huskers found themselves in a 2-0 deficit after the Titans scored a pair of runs on a two-RBI single by Scott Hurst in the first inning with two outs and the bases loaded.

The Huskers got Engelken off the hook in the second when they tied the game with a pair of runs on two hits and a two-out error by CSF second-baseman Josh Vargas. The Huskers gave back a costly unearned run in the fourth when No. 9 hitter Timmy Richards reached on a fielding error by Jake Placzek and David Olmedo-Barrera followed with a two-run home run over the right-field wall that put the Titans ahead 4-2.

Nebraska was in position to answer in the bottom of the fourth when they had runners on second and third with one out following back-to-back singles by Elijah Dilday and Taylor Fish, but Fullerton starter Miles Chambers got a pop out from Placzek and a fly out from Ryan Boldt to end the threat.

The Huskers put themselves in the same position in the fifth after Blake Headley singled with one out and Ben Miller followed with his third double of the series. Freshman Scott Schreiber stepped in an produced a RBI groundout that cut Fullerton’s lead to 4-3. Nebraska mustered just two base runners over the final four innings and was never able to get the tying run in scoring position.

The Huskers continue their 16-game homestand on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. when they welcome the Texas Longhorns to Hawks Field for the first game of a three-game series.Friday’s opener with be showed statewide on NET and will be streamed on BTN Plus.

Huskers Mix Big Dance with Graduation Success

Posted on March 25, 2015

Lincoln – Nebraska was one of only 19 schools in the 64-team field of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament to post a 100 percent Graduation Success Rate, according to research done by the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

It marked the seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament team the Huskers have produced under Coach Connie Yori that has carried a 100 percent Graduation Success Rate into postseason play.

In fact, Nebraska joins Notre Dame and Tennessee as the only schools in the nation to advance to the 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA tournaments that also had perfect 100 percent Graduation Success Rates in every season.

The Huskers are one of only eight teams in the nation to advance to each of the past four NCAA tournaments and post a perfect GSR, joining Dayton, Duke, Iowa State, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

In 2015, 19 NCAA Division I women’s basketball teams competed in the national tournament and posted a perfect GSR, including American, Dayton, DePaul, Duke, George Washington, Green Bay, Iowa State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Quinnipiac, South Florida, Tennessee, Tulane, UConn and Washington.

In 2007, Nebraska advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time during Coach Connie Yori’s tenure and was one of just eight schools in the 64-team field with a perfect GSR. In 2008, NU was one of 11 schools with a perfect GSR. In 2010, the 64-team NCAA Tournament field that included Nebraska advancing to the Sweet 16, featured 19 teams with perfect Graduation Success Rates. The 2012 NCAA bracket included 22 teams with a 100 percent GSR.

The 2013 NCAA Tournament, in which Nebraska advanced to the Sweet 16, included 25 teams with perfect GSR scores. That number slipped to 21 teams in 2014.

In other academic news on Wednesday, Nebraska’s Rachel Theriot and Allie Havers were named to the academic All-Big Ten team.

6 Teams with 10 or More Losses Most Ever to Reach Sweet 16

Posted on March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

Six of the 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament’s regional semifinals this week have 10 or more losses.

That’s the most ever to advance that far in the tourney.

The fact North Carolina State, Xavier and UCLA have lost 13 games apiece elicits little more than a shrug from people in college basketball. They point to there being more opportunities to lose since regular seasons went from 28 to 31 games eight years ago.

Also, top programs are trying to schedule the best possible nonconference opponents to enhance their resumes for NCAA Tournament selection and seeding.

Plus, teams beat up each other playing 18 conference games in the strongest leagues.

Other Sweet 16 teams with double-digit losses are Michigan State and North Carolina, which have 11 each, and Oklahoma, which has 10.

NFL Changes 3 Compensatory Draft Picks

Posted on March 25, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — The NFL changed three compensatory picks for this year’s draft on Wednesday.

Downgraded was Denver’s sixth-rounder (208th overall) to a seventh-round selection (250th overall).

Carolina, meanwhile, had a sixth-rounder (213th) moved up to the fifth round (174th).

Pittsburgh’s seventh-round selection (252) is now a sixth-rounder (212).

The draft is April 30-May 2 in Chicago.

Five Huskers Named Academic All-Big Ten Team

Posted on March 25, 2015

Lincoln – Five University of Nebraska men’s basketball players were honored Wednesday, as the Big Ten Conference announced its Winter Academic All-Big Ten teams.

Nick Fuller, Kye Kurkowski, Trevor Menke, Shavon Shields and Leslee Smith were among the 32 men’s basketball players from around the conference recognized this afternoon. Nebraska’s five selections led the Big Ten and marked the second straight year that Nebraska has been first or second in Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

It is the fourth consecutive season that both Kurkowski and Menke earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, while Shields, who also earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors this winter, is being recognized for the third straight season. Of the three Husker seniors being honored, both Menke and Kurkowski have received their undergraduate degrees, while Smith is on track to graduate in May.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Under Coach Tim Miles, Nebraska has had 12 Academic All-Big Ten selections over the past three seasons.

The conference office also awards Academic All-Big Ten distinction in the fall and spring seasons and will present the Distinguished Scholar Award at the end of the academic year. Student-athletes eligible for the Distinguished Scholar Award must be letterwinners in at least their second year in residence at their institution. Qualifying student-athletes must have earned a GPA of 3.7 or higher for the current academic year, excluding summer school. The Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award was established by conference Faculty Representatives as an addition to the conference’s Academic All-Big Ten program.

Change to Extra Points Likely in NFL

Posted on March 25, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — Spicing up the NFL’s dullest play, the extra point, appears to be coming for the 2015 season.

While team owners didn’t vote on any extra-point proposals Wednesday, there was so much discussion and interest in potential changes that the issue will be a main focal point for the next set of league meetings in May. In the meantime, co-chairman Rich McKay said his competition committee would “develop alternatives and be ready for a potential vote” in two months in San Francisco.

Among the possibilities are moving the line of scrimmage back for PAT kicks; placing the ball on the 1½-yard line for a 2-point conversion; eliminating the PAT kicks entirely, requiring teams to run a play from scrimmage; and allowing the defense to score, as in college football, if the ball is turned over on a 2-point try.

Nebraska Senator’s Comment About Police Draws Criticism

Posted on March 25, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator facing criticism for comparing police to a terrorist group is defending his comments, despite calls for an apology.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said Wednesday he would not apologize for the statements during a gun bill hearing last week.

Chambers said at the time that “my ISIS is the police” because they are licensed to kill and pose a threat to his Omaha neighborhood. He said if he carried a gun, he would use it as protection against police and would want to shoot first.

Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha called on Chambers to apologize to police, saying his comments were offensive. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer deemed them “reprehensible.”

Chambers points to an Omaha police officer who resigned this week for fatally shooting a robbery suspect.

Nebraska Panel Advances Prison Overhaul Bill for Debate

Posted on March 25, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill designed to reduce Nebraska’s prison crowding and expand parole services is slated for debate by lawmakers.

A legislative committee voted 5-0 Wednesday to advance a measure sponsored by Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha.

The bill is intended to slow population growth in the state prison system, which was 59 percent above its design capacity as of January. Supporters say it also would reduce relapses into criminal behavior in a system criticized for ineffective parole policies, and use probation for low-level offenses.

The measure resulted from an investigation into the Department of Correctional Services last year.

Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney has designated the bill one of his 25 priority bills.

Omaha Man Says Former Girlfriend Bilked Him Out of $125K

Posted on March 25, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man says his former girlfriend bilked him out of $125,000 — and now she won’t return his phone calls.

The 59-year-old man filed a complaint with the Omaha Police Department earlier this month, about a year after he discovered discrepancies in checks that he wrote to his ex-girlfriend.

The man tells police that he wrote two checks, one for $6,000 and another for $6,500, as gifts to a Council Bluffs woman he met at a bar and sporadically dated. He says he later discovered that the check amounts had been changed to $60,000 and $65,000, but that the woman promised to pay him back.

According to the police report, the woman has since blocked her phone number and he doesn’t know her address.