Sports – Page 206 – North Platte Post Archive

Big Ten Announces Baseball All-Big Ten and Individual Award Winners

Posted on May 19, 2015May 19, 2015

Scott Schreiber unanimous all-freshman team selection (Photo courtesy NU Media Relations)

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten on Tuesday announced the 2015 Baseball All-Big Ten teams and individual award winners, as selected by the conference coaches. Illinois’ David Kerian was named Player of the Year, while teammate Tyler Jay garnered Pitcher of the Year accolades. Michigan’s Jake Bivens took home Freshman of the Year honors, while Fighting Illini mentor Dan Hartleb was tabbed Coach of the Year.

Kerian becomes the ninth Illinois standout to claim Big Ten Player of the Year honors, and the first since Justin Parr in 2013. Kerian currently leads the Big Ten in batting average (.383), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.661) and on-base percentage (.467). As Illinois’ starting first baseman, Kerian also paced the Big Ten in putouts (227) during conference play.

Jay becomes the fourth Illinois hurler to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year accolades, and the first since Andy Dickinson in 2001. The Illini’s left-handed closer currently leads the Big Ten in earned run average (0.67) and opponents’ batting average (.161), while ranking second in saves with 12. In 26 appearances, he has finished 24 games for Illinois this season. Entering the postseason, Jay has tallied 62 strikeouts against just six walks.

Bivens becomes the third Wolverine to capture Big Ten Freshman of the Year plaudits, joining Scott Weaver in 1993 and Jason Alcaraz in 1996. He currently ranks sixth in the conference in batting average (.351) and second in on-base percentage (.461). Bivens paces the Big Ten with 12 sacrifice bunts, and has drawn 28 walks on the season.

Hartleb becomes the second Illinois mentor to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. Richard “Itch” Jones was named the Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2005. Hartleb guided Illinois to its 30th Big Ten Championship this season, the Illini’s first outright title since 2005. Illinois enters the Big Ten Tournament on a school-record 26-game winning streak, the longest streak in the nation this season.

The Big Ten also announced the Sportsmanship Award honorees from each institution. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

Eight members of the Nebraska baseball team were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday morning, including Tanner Lubach, Chance Sinclair and Ryan Boldt, who were each tabbed as second-team All-Big Ten performers by the league’s coaches. Josh Roeder earned third-team honors, while Scott Schreiber, Luis Alvarado and Garett King were all named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Senior Blake Headley was Nebraska’s representative on the Sportsmanship Team.

After earning all-freshman honors last season, Boldt was one of three outfielders tabbed on the second team. Entering the Big Ten Tournament, Boldt leads the Huskers in average (.350), hits (75) and runs (45). Boldt’s 75 hits are tied for third in the league with

Michigan’s Carmen Benedetti. Boldt also ranks seventh in the league in batting average and is 10th in runs scored.

Lubach didn’t get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season, but then went got rolling. In his 41 games since, Lubach is hitting .348 (55-for-158) with eight doubles, one triple, four home runs and 19 multi-hit performances. On the year, Lubach is second on the team with a .315 average and is third on the team in RBIs with 25. Over NU’s last 10 games, Lubach has played in nine and leads on the team with a .467 average (14-for-30). Lubach has also been one of the best defensive catchers in the league. For his career, Lubach has thrown out 43 base runners, which ranks second all-time at Nebraska to Cory Burleson’s 46.

Sinclair earned All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season after being a first-team selection last year. While Sinclair’s record doesn’t show it, he has arguably been better this year. The right hander has allowed nine more hits this season (89 to 80), but has issued fewer walks (19 to 24) and struck out 18 more hitters (64 to 46).

Roeder earned All-Big Ten honors following another stellar season working as Nebraska’s closer. The Plano, Texas, native set a new career record at Nebraska this season for saves and enters the tournament with 33 career saves. He now needs on more save to tie Brett Jensen’s single season record of 16 saves. This season, Roeder has converted 15 saves in 16 chances. His only blown save of the year was the result of a unearned run that scored on a two-out error.

Nebraska’s three freshman that were honored were all major contributors to the team this year. King served as Nebraska’s Tuesday starter and the Huskers were a perfect 8-0 in games he started. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., native has posted a 4-1 record with a 3.55 ERA in 50.2 innings entering the Big Ten Tournament.

Schreiber has split time at first base this season and has played in 38 games, including 36 starts. Schreiber is tied for third on the team with three home runs, while also notching two doubles, two triples and 17 RBIs.

Alvarado joined the Huskers from Salinas, Puerto Rico, and has been part of the rotation in left field this season. Alvarado is hitting .300 in the year in 33 games, including 23 starts. He ended the regular season with five doubles and one home run, with two of the doubles and his home run coming last week at Illinois.

The Huskers open postseason play tomorrow at Target Field, when they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at 5:05 p.m. The game will be carried on the Big Ten Network.

The complete list of All-Big Ten teams and award winners can be found below.

ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
C – Jason Goldstein, ILL
1B – David Kerian, ILL
2B – Brandon Lowe, MD
SS – Adam Walton, ILL
3B – Mark Weist, MSU
OF – Casey Fletcher, ILL
OF – Jackson Glines, MICH
OF – Pat Porter, OSU
DH – CARMEN BENEDETTI, MICH
SP – KEVIN DUCHENE, ILL
SP – Blake Hickman, IOWA
SP – MIKE SHAWARYN, MD
RP – TYLER JAY, ILL

ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
C – Tanner Lubach, NEB
1B – Ryan Krill, MSU
2B – Jacob Cronenworth, MICH
SS – Michael Handel, MINN
3B – Jose Cuas, MD
OF – Eric Toole, IOWA
OF – Ryan Boldt, NEB
OF – Troy Montgomery, OSU
DH – Scott Donley, IND
SP – Drasen Johnson, ILL
SP – Calvin Mathews, IOWA
SP – Chance Sinclair, NEB
RP – Nick Hibbing, IOWA

ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
C – Kevin Martir, MD
1B – Tyler Peyton, IOWA
2B – Reid Roper, ILL
SS – Nick Roscetti, IOWA
3B – Travis Maezes, MICH
OF – Ryan Nagle, ILL
OF – Craig Dedelow, IND
OF – Tom Marcinczyk, RU
DH – Pat McInerney, ILL
SP – John Kravetz, ILL
SP – Brett Adcock, MICH
SP – Ryan Riga, OSU
RP – Josh Roeder, NEB

ALL-BIG TEN FRESHMAN TEAM*
C – Chad Roskelly, MSU
1B – SCOTT SCHREIBER, NEB
2B – Grant Peikert, NU
SS – Jake Bivens, MICH
3B – Isaiah Pasteur, IND
OF – Logan Sowers, IND
OF – Brandon Hughes, MSU
OF – Luis Alvarado, NEB
DH – Drew Lugbauer, MICH
SP – Ryan Nutof, MICH
SP – Andrew Gonzalez, MSU
SP – Garett King, NEB
SP – Adam Niemeyer, OSU
RP – Bryan Pall, MICH

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Will Krug, Illinois
Will Nolden, Indiana
Kris Goodman, Iowa
Robert Galligan, Maryland
Eric Jacobson, Michigan
Ryan Krill, Michigan State
Lance Thonvold, Minnesota
Blake Headley, Nebraska
Cody Stevens, Northwestern
Pat Porter, Ohio State
James Coates, Penn State
Joe Eichmann, Purdue
Joe D’Annunzio, Rutgers

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
David Kerian, ILL

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Tyler Jay, ILL

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jake Bivens, MICH

COACH OF THE YEAR
Dan Hartleb, ILL

Unanimous honorees in ALL CAPS
*additional honoree due to tie

Hamels pitches Phillies past Rockies 4-3 for 6th straight

Posted on May 18, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Cole Hamels pitched efficiently into the eighth inning and Odubel Herrera broke a tie in the sixth with a two-run double as the Philadelphia Phillies won their sixth straight game by beating the Colorado Rockies 4-3 Monday night.

Hamels (4-3) allowed one run and struck out seven in 7 1-3 sharp innings. The left-hander is 11-0 since 2014 when the Phillies score three or more runs for him.

Philadelphia is on its longest winning streak since a seven-game run in September 2012.

Herrera had the decisive hit when he sent a two-out fastball from Jordan Lyles (2-4) into right field to make it 3-1. Carlos Ruiz added an RBI single.

Earlier in the game, Herrera lost a routine fly in the lights that could’ve led to a big inning. But Hamels struck out two straight to quell the rally.

Huskers Open Big Ten Tournament with Illinois

Posted on May 18, 2015

Senior Chance Sinclair will start for the Huskers on Wednesday (Photo Courtesy Stephanie Carpenter/NU Media Relations)

Wednesday, May 20 (5:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (6-7) vs. LHP Duchene (10-1)
TV: Big Ten Network
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go.com and BTN2Go App
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Minneapolis – After the Nebraska baseball team (34-21, 9-14 Big Ten) finished the 2015 regular season at Illinois (45-6-1, 21-1 Big Ten) last week, the two teams will meet again in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The No. 8 seed Huskers and the No. 1 seed Illini are scheduled to play at 5:05 p.m. on Wednesday at Target Field, with the game carried nationally on the Big Ten Network.

The Huskers dropped the first two games of the series last week in Champaign, but had a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth in the finale before it was canceled due to rain. Since the game was only in the fourth inning it was not a complete game and it’s as if the game never happened.

The winner of Wednesday’s opening-round game will play on Thursday at 9 p.m., while the loser will fall into an elimination game at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The winner/loser will meet winner/loser between No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Michigan State, who play at 9:05 p.m. on Wednesday night, and that game will be carried on BTN.

Nebraska comes into the Big Ten Tournament with NCAA Tournament hopes still within reach, but the Huskers need to make a deep run in Minneapolis. Nebraska was great at Hawks Field this season with a 21-6 record, but they have struggled on the road with a 13-15 mark, including a 4-3 record in neutral site games. The Huskers are 9-4 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament, but have never faced Illinois.

The Illini enter the tournament as the No. 5 team in the country (D1Baseball) and are on a 26-game winning streak, the longest in the country this season. Illinois captured its 30th Big Ten title last Thursday with a win over the Huskers, the Illini’s first since 2011 when they split with Michigan State. The Illini are 6-2 on the year when playing at a neutral site.

The Huskers and Illini have met 12 times since 1897 and the series is tied at 6-6. Illinois’ series win over the Huskers last week marked the first time the Illini have taken a series from Nebraska, as the Huskers had won the first three series between he two teams. Nebraska and Illinois first met in 1897, with the Illini winning 14-9, and the two clubs didn’t meet again until 2012 when Nebraska hosted Illinois for its first ever Big Ten game on March 23, 2012. The Illini won the opener, 11-3, but the Huskers responded with victories in the final two games to win the series.

2015 District Golf Results; Kort Steele Advances to State

Posted on May 18, 2015

**2015 DISTRICT A-1 BOYS GOLF RESULTS:**
Johnny Goodman
May 18, 2015
Individual Qualifiers: 1. Alex Schaake (11), Creighton Preparatory School, 65 2. Sean Song (12), Omaha Burke, 72 3. David Hansen (12), Creighton Preparatory School, 72 4. Kort Steele (10), North Platte, 75 5. Thomas Pieper (11), Creighton Preparatory School, 75 6. Nolan Maschka (11), Creighton Preparatory School, 76 7. Blake Tooley (11), Creighton Preparatory School, 76 8. Edward Yuan (11), Millard South, 78 9. Myles Shonsey (12), Omaha Burke, 79 10. Tyler Schafer (10), Omaha Burke, 80 T10. Nicholas Zeplin (12), Lincoln Pius X, 80 Qualifying Teams: Creighton Preparatory School, 288 Coach: Morgan Helton Alex Schaake (11), 65 David Hansen (12), 72 Thomas Pieper (11), 75 Blake Tooley (11), 76 Nolan Maschka (11), 76 Omaha Burke, 313 Coach: Larry Seitz Sean Song (12), 72 Myles Shonsey (12), 79 Tyler Schafer (10), 80 Lucas Leinen (11), 82 Connor Fox (11), 93 Lincoln Pius X, 330 Coach: Tom Seib Nicholas Zeplin (12), 80 Justin Coffey (12), 82 Roger Sack (11), 83 Sullivan Zornes (12), 85 Paul Vagts (12), 104 Individual Qualifiers: North Platte Coach: Jim Orcutt Kort Steele (10), 75 Millard South Coach: Chuck Burney Edward Yuan (11), 78 Final Team Scores: Creighton Preparatory School, 288 Omaha Burke, 313 Lincoln Pius X, 330 Millard South, 343 North Platte, 347 Bellevue East, 440 Lincoln North Star, 452

**2015 DISTRICT C-5 BOYS GOLF RESULTS:**
Heritage Hills Golf Course
May 18, 2015
Individual Qualifiers: 1. Jordan Greenwood (10), Kimball, 74 2. Hunter Quinn (12), Southern Valley, 78 3. Tyler Jennings (12), Chase County, 79 4. Cameron Bancroft (12), Valentine, 80 5. Caleb Moyer (12), Cambridge, 83 6. Eric Stevens (9), Bridgeport, 85 7. Trak Lewis (11), Southern Valley, 86 8. Trent Krejdl (10), Southern Valley, 86 9. Nathan Howe (12), Kearney Catholic, 88 10. Brooks Coleman (12), Valentine, 89 10. Zach Schmidt (12), Kearney Catholic, 89 Qualifying Teams: Southern Valley, 341 Coach: Jeremy Epp Hunter Quinn (12), 78 Trak Lewis (11), 86 Trent Krejdl (10), 86 Chance Best (11), 91 Dakota Ridpath (12), 96 Kearney Catholic, 361 Coach: Shawn Dowse Nathan Howe (12), 88 Zach Schmidt (12), 89 Curtis Baack (10), 92 Zachary Thompson (12), 92 Jacob Maaske (9), 96 Valentine, 369 Coach: Devin Muirhead Cameron Bancroft (12), 80 Brooks Coleman (12), 89 Lyle Cate (10), 95 Kyle Johnson (12), 105 Amos Hagedorn (11), 108 Individual Qualifiers: Kimball Coach: Chad Wise Jordan Greenwood (10), 74 Chase County Coach: Larry Munger Tyler Jennings (12), 79 Cambridge Coach: Del Schoenfish Caleb Moyer (12), 83 Bridgeport Coach: Todd Janicek Eric Stevens (9), 85 Final Team Scores: Southern Valley, 341 Kearney Catholic, 361 Valentine, 369 Bridgeport, 375 Chase County, 387 Gordon-Rushville, 397 Cambridge, 398 North Platte St. Patrick’s, 441 Mitchell, 451 Arcadia/Loup City, 455 Ainsworth, 461 Hershey, 474 Bayard, NTS Kimball, NTS

Rodeo is Tradition for North Platte Family

Posted on May 18, 2015

Ron Richardson holds granddaughter Rowan Lee at the 2014 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte. Ron and his wife Nancy have never missed a year of the rodeo.

Five generations of North Platte family have attended rodeo

North Platte, Neb. (May 18, 2015) – Ron and Nancy Richardson’s granddaughter is getting a special rodeo treat.

On her birthday, which is May 23, the soon to be three year old will get a pair of spurs from her grandma and grandpa and a pair of boots from her mother, just in time to wear them to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.

Little Rowan, who is Ron and Nancy’s granddaughter, is the fifth generation of her family to attend the rodeo, held in North Platte the third weekend of June each year.

Her mom, Brooke Lee, has gone to the rodeo with her parents, Ron and Nancy, since she was a little girl. And Nancy, who grew up in Wellfleet, attended the rodeo with her grandparents, beginning when she was just a toddler.

Actually, Nancy estimates she’s never missed a year of the rodeo since she was two, and Ron hasn’t missed many years, either. Before NebraskalandDays came to North Platte, and the rodeo was a separate event held in August, Ron’s grandparents and parents had box seats in front, when the rodeo was held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.

And their own kids went with them when they were young. Jason, who is married to Suzanne and lives in North Platte, and Brooke, who is married to Cody Lee, have gone every year and still attend. Jason and Suzanne’s daughter Daytona has also attended the rodeo.

It’s made great memories, Ron said. When Jason was two or three, his parents dressed him in a Ted Kimzey (a former North Platte rodeo barrelman) look-alike costume and put him in the kids’ parade. Jason won the best dressed costume, and a photographer took a picture of him and mounted it, two feet square, in his studio window. “We got more comments off that thing,” Ron said. “Jason had a ball.”

Nancy remembers getting a picture taken with Rex Allen, and her brother and cousins, back when the rodeo invited a celebrity each year. In 1985, Rex Allen returned for a second visit to the rodeo, and Nancy had her picture taken with him again, this time with Brooke.

Ron and Nancy love good rodeos, and they’ve traveled all over the nation to see them. They’ve been to Frontier Days in Cheyenne and went to Arlington, Texas for the American Rodeo this past March. And they have plans to go to the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up in 2016.

They’ve seen rodeo livestock all over the country, but Ron considers the North Platte livestock to be the best. Bennie and Rhett Beutler of Beutler and Son Rodeo provide the horses and bulls in North Platte. “Beutler has some of the best stock, second to none, in the U.S.,” Ron said. “They’ve been here since the rodeo started, so they must be doing something right. They’re just good.”

Ron, who spent his youthful weekends and summers on the family ranch twenty miles north of Sutherland, appreciates good horseflesh, and his favorite parts of the rodeo is the saddle bronc riding, the tie-down roping, and the bulldogging. “I like good broncs,” he said. “I like it all, but I like the saddle bronc riding the best. And I like to watch good calf roping horses and the bulldogging, in that order.”

This year’s rodeo begins at 8 pm each night, June 17-20 at the Wild West Arena in North Platte. Tickets range in price from $7 to $15 and are available online at NebraskalandDays.com, at the NebraskalandDays new office (2801 Charlie Evans Drive at the Wild West Arena), and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call 308.532.7939.

Nebraska Adds Arkansas State to 2017 Schedule

Posted on May 18, 2015

Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations

The Husker football team will open its 2017 season against Arkansas State at Memorial Stadium. The Nebraska Athletics Department announced the latest addition to the Huskers’ future non-conference schedule on Monday.

The Red Wolves will visit Lincoln on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, kicking off the 2017 campaign. The game will mark the third all-time meeting between the schools, with Arkansas State also playing at Memorial Stadium in 2009 and 2012. Nebraska defeated the Red Wolves 38-9 in 2009, and won 42-13 in the 2012 matchup.

Arkansas State has played in a bowl game five times since making the move to the FBS ranks. The Red Wolves have played in the postseason each of the past four years and have won three Sun Belt Conference titles in the past four seasons. In addition to its 2017 trip to Lincoln, Arkansas State has upcoming non-conference games against USC, Missouri, Auburn and Miami among others.

The addition of Arkansas State completes Nebraska’s 2017 schedule. The Huskers’ non-conference schedule also includes a Sept. 9 game at Oregon and a matchup with Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 16, 2017. The Huskers will also play nine Big Ten Conference games in 2017, including home contests against Rutgers, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Northwestern and Iowa.

The agreement with Arkansas State completes Nebraska’s schedules through the 2019 season. The Huskers will play four non-conference games and eight Big Ten games in 2015, before the conference shifts to a nine-game conference schedule in 2016.

NPCC Athletics Has Solid 2014–15 Seasons

Posted on May 18, 2015May 18, 2015

The North Platte Community College athletic teams enjoyed a solid 2014 – 2015 year filled with close calls, excitement, competitiveness and emotion.

Kevin O’Connor, men’s basketball coach and athletic director at NPCC, said, “We had a solid year with all the sports. The volleyball team were runner-ups in the region and the softball team winning the region.”

Volleyball

The Lady Knights volleyball season started out with the NPCC Subway Classic and ended in the finals of the Region IX Division II tournament losing to Central Community College, who finished second in the final regular season National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll.

The Lady Knights finished with a 20 – 18 record and produced three All-Region IX players: Erika Goodwin, Joli Hopping and Samantha Kennedy. Kennedy and Hopping were both selected for the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference team and along with Samantha Byrn, were selected to the All-Region IX tournament team.

Many former players came back to the college on Dec. 9^th to celebrate and recognize Sally Thalken’s retirement from coaching. Thalken coached the Lady Knights for 34 seasons. She was replaced by Alexa Hopping in December.

Hopping has been busy on the recruiting trail, so far signing seven players for the 2015 – 16 squad. Hopping said, “We have four returning sophomores. Each of them played at some point in the year with quality roles. The incoming freshmen are competitors. They were major players for their programs, and I can’t wait to get them in the gym.

Women’s Basketball

The Lady Knights basketball team finished the season with a 14 – 14 record. Five of the 14 losses were four points or less.

Three Lady Knight’s players: sophomores April Stull from Sweeney, Texas, Aliyah Brown from Omaha, as well as freshman Sarah Mahr from Sidney received All-NCCAC honors. Brown and Stull were also named to the All-Region IX Division II team. Mahr was selected for the All-Tournament team.

Lady Knights head coach Richard Thurin said “The season didn’t end like we wanted. We lost several close games. The ladies competed very hard all year.”

The Lady Knights set a new team record this past season for points allowed. They allowed an average of 58.8 points per game

Thurin said about recruiting, “I like the recruits that we have signed and am looking forward to signing other players that will make a difference.”

The Lady Knights have signed four new players for the 2015 – 2016 season.

Men’s Basketball

The Knights basketball team looked to continue their winning ways. They finished the season with a record of 24 – 9 and advanced to the semi-finals of the Region IX tournament, falling to the host team, Northwest Wyoming.

Sophomore Cameron Williams led the Knights in scoring on the season with 20.9 points per game. Williams will move on to play at Eastern Kentucky University, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program. Williams, along with Marco Pascolo, a sophomore from Udine, Italy, were selected to the All-NCCAC team. Williams and freshman Matt Thomas also were also selected to the All- Region team and All-Tournament team.

Besides Williams, four other Knights are moving on to play at the next level. Pascolo is taking his talents to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, an NCAA Division two school, Riley Rice and C.J. Polk are going to play at University of Minnesota at Crookston, also a Division II School.

O’Connor said, “We had a solid year with a few disappointing losses and did not make our ultimate goal, a trip to the national tournament. We did win the conference for the ninth time in the past 10 years and made it to the Region IX semifinals for the third consecutive year.

Softball

The Knights softball team started out the season slow, but improved throughout the season. It ended with a record of 19 – 29, but went 7 – 1 against Region IX Division II opponents.

Knights head coach Janelle Higgins said “Softball had a solid season in Region IX. We won the Region and advanced to the District Tournament. We have a great group of freshmen returning but will miss our leaders that moved on to four year programs.”

The Knights moving on are Shannon Lieber, who is going to play at Colorado State University at Pueblo, Brittney Odum, who will be going to William Penn University. Mehana Chang will be walking on at Western Oregon University and Sara Runia will walk on at Northern Colorado. The other sophomore on the squad, Christina Rodie, will also be attending the University of Northern Colorado but not playing.

Odum, Runia, Lieber, Baileigh Oleson and Sara Villalobos were selected for the All-Region Division II team. Runia, Lieber, Oleson, Villalobos and Jessica Jarvis were selected to the all-tournament team. Lieber, Villalobos, Chang and Jarvis were selected for the All-NCCAC team. Villalobos was selected as Region IX freshman of the year and head coach Janelle Higgins was named Division II coach of the year.

The Knights ended their season at the District G playoff against sixth rated Kirkwood Community College.

Higgins said, “We are back in full swing of recruiting as of this last weekend and will be in Colorado, Iowa and Nevada over the next three months to find a few 2015 athletes, but filling out 2016 and 2017 as well. Assistant Coach Soliel Atenza will be working the California tournaments this summer as well.”

Academics

Academically, the Knights athletic teams for this past semester had 24 of 51 athletes make the Mid-Plains Community College President’s or Dean’s List. Knight’s basketball player Marco Pascolo was named the Scholar Athlete of the year for the college, majoring in engineering with a 3.95 GPA.

O’Connor said that the school can be proud of how the student athletes have conducted themselves in the classroom and believes that NPCC will lead Region IX in number of academic All-Region players that were placed on the list.

With the new look of the gymnasium and added players, the 2015 – 16 NPCC athletics should continue to be solid and competitive in Region IX.

Wrestler who lost his leg after crash hopes to recover

Posted on May 17, 2015

Doyle Trout signs NLI with Wyoming (photo from Facebook)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska high school wrestling champion who lost his left leg after a car accident this spring is looking forward to his recovery and attending the University of Wyoming in the fall.

But first Doyle Trout graduated from Centennial High School Saturday afternoon and received a standing ovation as he received his diploma.

The four-time Nebraska state champion told the Lincoln Journal Star (https://bit.ly/1QUrhgG ) he’s been overwhelmed by all the support he has received since the April 5 accident.

Trout says he hasn’t even had time to read all the letters he’s received.

Trauma surgeon Reginald Burton says Trout’s life was saved by his seat belt when his left leg was crushed and his right leg broken.

Wyoming is honoring Trout’s scholarship, and he hopes to wrestle again someday.

Edinson Volquez dominates as Royals roll past Yankees, 6-0

Posted on May 17, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez threw three-hit ball for seven innings, Salvador Perez homered and drove in two runs and the Kansas City Royals rudely welcomed Chris Capuano back to the big leagues with a 6-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.

The Royals got production from throughout their lineup to take the rubber game of their three-game set with the Yankees, whom they face again next week in New York.

Volquez (3-3) struck out five without issuing a walk in an effortless performance. He never allowed a leadoff man on base, and just one Yankee reached second all afternoon.

Capuano (0-1) made his season debut after rehabbing a quad strain that he sustained in spring training. The veteran left-hander gave up four runs on four hits and two walks, and left New York in a big hole when he was pulled four batters into the third inning.

The loss was the Yankees’ fifth in their last six games.

Bolsinger stymies Rockies in Dodgers’ 1-0 win

Posted on May 17, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mike Bolsinger pitched three-hit ball for six innings and Yasmani Grandal singled home the only run Sunday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 victory that salvaged a split of their four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Bolsinger (2-0) struck out six, walked two and allowed only one runner past first base in his third start of the season.

Kenley Jansen, who returned from the disabled list Friday after left foot surgery in February and had four strikeouts in the eighth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory, was back in his customary closer’s role and pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Kyle Kendrick (1-5) was the hard-luck loser, limiting the NL West leaders to a run and three hits over seven innings with five walks and one strikeout. The right-hander came in with a 9.27 ERA and 10 home runs allowed in six starts since his 10-0 win at Milwaukee on opening day.