Ronda Hubbard officially named MSSU women's basketball coach

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Director of Athletics Jared Bruggeman has announced that Ronda Hubbard has had the interim tag removed and will be the permanent head women's basketball coach at Southern effective immediately.

"After a comprehensive review of the Women's Basketball program it was clear that we needed to ask Coach Hubbard and her staff to stay on and lead the program forward" Bruggeman said. "We were very pleased with the way she led the program this year with both the academic and athletic successes. It certainly is an achievement to earn 19 wins and have them on the brink of an NCAA regional appearance. I'm more than confident she's the absolute right person to lead the team."

Hubbard led the Lions to a 19-8 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the MIAA after going 13-6 in league play and being picked to finish ninth in both the MIAA preseason polls. The 19 wins ties with former coach Maryann Mitts for the most wins since the 95-96 season and her .704 winning percentage this year is tied for tenth-best in a single-season at Missouri Southern.

Senior forward Dominique Mosley was a first-team All-MIAA selection, while Sharese Jones, Alexis Fitzpatrickand Shonte Clay were all named honorable-mention All-MIAA.

Hubbard spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach on the Lions' bench and helped the team to a 189-145 record, including winning marks and a trip to the MIAA post season tournament in all but one of those 12 seasons.

In 2000-01, Hubbard helped the University of Texas-Pan American post its most wins in a season since becoming an NCAA Division I institution in 1985, and the second most victories in school history.

Prior to her stint at Texas-Pan American, she served on Maryann Mitts' staff as an assistant at Rockhurst University from 1996-2000. There, she helped the Lady Hawks post a 68-45 record and advance to the 1997-98 Sweet 16.

Hubbard was also an assistant coach at Southwest Baptist University from 1994-96, helping guide the team to a 39-19 record. She served as head girls basketball coach at Springfield Catholic High School from 1991-94, where she posted a 76-16 record and won back-to-back Missouri Class 2 state championships.  She continues to hold the Missouri State High School Activities Association's (MSHSAA) record of being the youngest coach to accomplish such a feat.

She earned an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, as well as a master's of science degree in education from Southwest Baptist in 1995. Hubbard earned a bachelor of science in physical education/health, secondary education from Missouri State University in 1991, where she played basketball from 1986-89. Hubbard's educational background is indicative of some of the highest in her field.

"I am equally humbled and excited to continue the longevity of success in our women's basketball program," Hubbard said. "I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Director of Athletics, Jared Bruggeman and Interim President, Dr. Alan Marble for their belief in my ability to lead our program into a new era. It is evident that we share the same vision for our future. I am very proud of our 2013-14 season. We were able to take strides that will inevitably propel us to the next level in the years to come. We have a strong nucleus of experienced players returning, alongside five commitments for our freshmen class. Our staff is excited to complete our roster in the lupcoming weeks." 

Student sports show to air on KGCS

(From Southern News Service)

A new student-produced program, “The Huddle,” is now airing on KGCS-TV.

“The Huddle” – which airs at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings – is a sports-talk show discussing major sports news. Topics covered include the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, as well as college football and college basketball.

The program is produced by communication major Shane Carnahan, and includes other students from the Department of Communication.

KGCS programming is shown over the air on digital channel 22 and on regional cable television systems including Cable One, Mediacom and Suddenlink. The station operates as a service of the Department of Communication at Missouri Southern State University.

Robert Corn finalist for Division II Coach of the Year

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern men's basketball coach Robert Corn has been named one of 12 finalists for the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Division II National Coach of the Year Award. 

The award is presented annually to the top division II men's basketball coach. It is named for one of the best coaches of all-time, Clarence Gaines, who retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. He was elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Corn led the Lions to the 2014 MIAA Basketball Tournament Title. He ended his illustrious career on the sidelines at Missouri Southern after 25 seasons with the most wins ever by a coach at the school (413). He has the fourth-most wins amongst coaches in MIAA history and led the Lions to 16-straight trips to the MIAA Tournament, 21 overall, and this season was named the MIAA Coach of the Year, his fourth overall, after picking up the ninth 20-win season in his career at Southern.

This year the Lions made the program's fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Corn after going 25-6 overall. Southern finished the season as one of the best-shooting teams in the history of the program. The team set the single-season mark for field goal percentage (.510), as well as three-point field goal percentage (.413), besting the marks of .506 from the field in 1980-81 and .391 from long-range in 1988-89. 

The other finalists include Derrick Clark (Metropolitan State), Robert Corn (Missouri Southern), Rick Croy (Cal Baptist), Michael Donnelly (Southern Connecticut State), Leon Douglas (Tuskegee), Stan Gouard (Indianapolis), Steve Hettinga (Lake Superior State), Jeff Oliver (Cal State San Bernardino), Lonn Reisman (Tarleton State), Josh Schertz (Lincoln Memorial), Jeff Wilson (East Stroudsburg) and Greg Zimmerman (Alderson-Broaddus).

The winner of the 2014 Gaines award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet on April 4 in Dallas, site of the Division I Men's Final Four. All finalists and their coaching staffs are invited to the 2014 Awards Banquet.

MSSU softball team drops two to Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 The Missouri Southern softball team dropped a MIAA doubleheader on the road Saturday at Northwest Missouri falling 10-0 in five innings in game one and 3-0 in eight innings as the Bearcats won on a walk-off three-run home run in game two.

The Lions (10-22, 2-6 MIAA) were held to two hits in game one as third baseman Brooklyn Farrell and second baseman Brooke Swadley collected hits, but Southern was unable to plate a run as their best scoring opportunity came in the first as shortstop Michala Wood reached third with two outs, but designated playerAlexah Replogle fouled out to end the threat.

The Bearcats (14-16, 7-7) scored two runs in the first, added three in the second, tacked on two more in the third and finished it off with three in the fourth to take 10-0 lead as they won by the eight-run rule.

The second game saw a pitchers dual as Southern's Haley Kinnison and Northwest's Sarah Baldwin each surrendered just one hit each through seven innings. After Chloe Brown reached base on a two-out error by the pitcher in the top of eighth, the Bearcats would win the game in the bottom of the frame as two of the first three batters got on base as first baseman Stephanie Mark hit a three-run home run to right field to walk off with the victory.

Kinnison was the tough luck loser as she pitched 7.1 innings allowing only three hits while striking out a season-high nine batters. 

Southern wraps up MIAA action on the road on Sunday with a doubleheader at Missouri Western (20-14, 5-7) starting at 1 p.m. at Griffon Softball Field.

Harper walk-off homer gives MSSU baseball victory

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

A home run in the eighth inning from Axel Johnson tied the game and a walk-off double-fromDusty Harper scoring Beau Phillips won it for the Lions as the Missouri Southern baseball team won 2-1 Friday evening in the opening game of a four-game series at Joe Becker Stadium.

Southern (15-12, 12-9 MIAA) picked up a big pitching performance from senior David Reese as the Olathe, Kan. native went all nine innings, striking out seven and walking just one as he allowed just one run, moving to 4-2 on the season. 

Southwest Baptist (14-13, 11-9 MIAA) picked up a home run from Bo Helsel for the Bearcats' lone run in the second inning. Cory Borsh started and went eight innings, striking out one and allowing just five hits, while Sam Vergara picked up the loss to move to 3-1 on the season. 

The Bearcats got on the board in the second on a home run from Helsel to right field. 

The Lions would strand a few runners as the game went along, but Southern finally got on board in the eighth when Johnson launched a lead-off home run to right center to tie the game. 

Phillips reached on a lead-off bunt single to start the bottom of the ninth and Harper lined a double down the right field line, scoring Phillips from first. 

Johnson and Phillips had a pair of hits each in the game, with Johnson adding the home run. Phillips scored a run, while Evin Natick, Logan Moon and Harper had a hit each for the Lions. 

Marquis Addison scores 15 in Division II All-Star game

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Missouri Southern senior guard Marquis Addison scored 15 points as he helped the West All-Stars to a 121-109 victory in the NABC/Reese's Division II All-Star game tonight at the Ford Center in Evansville. 

Addison had seven points at the half and scored eight in the second half to be one of six players for the West roster in double-figures scoring. 

He shot 6-9 from the field and 2-3 from long range, including 1-2 from the free-throw line. He added an assist in 21 minutes of play. 

The West had a 59-52 lead at the break and outscored the East 62-57 in the second half. The game was played as part of the Elite Eight in Evansville. 

MSSU women's track wins four events at PSU meet

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team picked up nine top three finishes, four provisionals and four event winners as the Lions competed at the 2014 Wendy's/Pittsburg State Invite. 

Reagan won both the triple jump and the long jump today. She picked up a win in the long jump with a distance of 18-05.75, while Kaylee Morgan was fourth and Amber White placed ninth. Shelby Newell, Emily Paullus and Traci Walker placed 10th, 14th and 16th in the long jump. Reagan then pulled out a provisional in the triple jump with a distance of 38-08.75.  Newell was fourth in the event, while Mahogany Jones and White placed 8th and 11th, respectively. 

White won the 400m dash with a time of 56.37, while Sydney Potts was second and Walker placed 10th.Whitney Hardy was fourth in the high jump with a height of 5-04.50, while Shelby Sutherland and Taylor Alumbaugh placed 6th and 10th. 

Ashleigh McFarland picked up a provisional in the pole vault with a height of 11-08.50, while Kylie Cornmanplaced second with a provisional in the shot put tossing the weight a distance of 44-04.00. JeAnna Sheppard,Jackie Wallace and Paullus placed 6th, 8th and 9th in the 100m hurdles.

Emily Harris was second in the 1,500m with a time of 4:46.37, while Sierra Gray, Kelly Jo Roberts, Jet Hovisand Cora Butcher-Spellman placed 7th, 8th 11th and 14th. 

Jasmin Hughes was sixth in the 100m dash in a time of 12.54, while Kindra Emberton won the 800m run in a provisional time of 2:13.10. Dana Roberson was third in the event, while Harris was fifth and Roberts 12th. 

Paullus and Sheppard placed 8th and 11th in the 400m hurdles, while White and Alumbaugh placed third and 14th in the 200m dash. Gray and Addie Mengwasser placed 6th and 7th in the 5k with times of 18:44.36 and 18:59.49. 

Morgan went into day two of the heptathlon in second place, and although she won the long jump and placed third in the 200m and javelin, she withdrew from the final event and did not finish the hep. 

The Lions will be back in action on April 5th, traveling to Emporia State for the ESU Relays. 

MSSU baseball sweeps doubleheader from Southwest Baptist

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team came-from-behind twice today and swept a double-header with visiting Southwest Baptist winning game one 7-1 and game two 4-2. 

The Lions (17-12, 12-11 MIAA) went down 1-0 in the first in game one when SBU (14-15, 11-11 MIAA) scored a run on a sacrifice fly from Spencer Blacksher, scoring Landon Young. 

Southern got a run right back in the bottom half of the first when Evin Natick singled to start the inning. He would later score on an RBI single from Logan Moon. 

The Lions scored three more runs in each of the fourth and sixth innings to put the game away. Southern picked up RBIs from Mitchell Osburn, Robbe Ewing and Jared Lupo in the third, while Lupo and Natick picked up RBIs in the sixth. 

Ryan Bates started game one and went all seven innings, earning the complete game and moving his record to 3-2 on the season. He struck out three and walked just one. 

Natick drove in two and went 3-4 in the game, with a run scored. Moon went 2-4 in the game with an RBI, while Ewing was 2-3 with a run and an RBI. Lupo drove in two and scored once, while Osburn had an RBI and two runs scored. 

SBU scored two runs in the top of the third inning off of Lions' starter Payton Walker in game two. The Lions answered back with a run in the bottom half of the third when Matt Smith walked to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Lupo. He moved to third on a ground out, then scored on a passed ball. 

The Lions tied the game with a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Beau Phillips and went ahead with two runs in the sixth. Axel Johnson walked to start the inning and was pinch ran for by Zack Steadman. Steadman moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Lupo and then advanced to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. Osburn pinch hit for Smith and sacrificed Steadman home and Lupo to second for the go-ahead RBI. Phillips then singled home Lupo with a single to center. 

Walker went six and two thirds, striking out seven and walking just two, while allowing just one earned run and three hits. Stephen Vaughn came in for the final out and picked up his fourth save of the season. Walker moved to 4-2 on the season with the win. 

Phillips went 3-4 with three RBIs in the game. Brandon Weller and Johnson had hits in the game, while Steadman, Ewing, Smith and Lupo scored runs for the Lions. 

The two teams will finish up the series tomorrow afternoon, with a single, nine-inning game at 1 pm inside Joe Becker Stadium. 

MSSU men's track picks up eight top 3 finishes at PSU

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's track and field team picked up eight top three finishes, two provisionals and two event winners in the 2014 Wendy's/Pittsburg State Invite. 

Brady Melugin picked up a strong provisional and won the pole vault with a height of 16-05.00, while Raymond Woldvedt and Morgan Hold placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Woldtvedt picked up a provisional of his own with a height of 15-09.75. Zach Wuest was 10th in the event. 

Clark Tanksley was third in the high jump with a height of 6-04.75, while Tylor Albright and Darion Boureplaced second and fourth in the long jump. Albright jumped to a distance of 22-02.25, while Boure was second in the triple jump in a distance of 46-01.50. 

Nicklas Polizzi was third in the discus in a distance of 160-04, while Bryan Burns placed 11th. Burns was seventh in the hammer, while Polizzi was ninth and Burns placed seventh in the shot put. Zach Williams was 11th in the javelin in a distance of 172 feet, while Jazz Allen placed fourth in the finals of the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.75. 

Tyler Rush placed second in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:02.80, while Andrew Webster and Miles Migliaraplaced fourth and fifth, respectively. Alex Mason won the 3k steeplechase in a time of 9:41.44, while Colton Wooldridge and Nathan Henry placed second and fourth in the event. 

Anthony Price was seventh in the 400m, while Drew Buckner placed 26th and Erron Holley placed seventh in the 100m dash in a time of 10.89. Migliara placed third in the 800m with a time of 1:57.42, while Rush, Webster and Buckner placed 7th, 12th and 26th in the event. 

Hold placed 24th in the 200m dash with a time of 23.52, while Woldtvedt, Wuest and Melugin placed 30th, 38th and 41st as the pole vaulters took their shots at the sprints. 

Ryan Jackson wsa second in the 5k with a time of 15:19.44, while Jake Benton and Adrian Todd placed 7th and 11th. 

The Lions will be back in action on April 5th, competing at the Emporia State Relays. 

MSSU men's track second in pre-season MIAA poll

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's track and field program has been picked to finish second in the preseason MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Poll as announced by the league office today. 

The Lions, coming off a 19th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, finished a point and a half behind Pittsburg State for the 2014 MIAA indoor title and sit eight points behind the Gorillas for the top spot in the preseason poll.

PSU has 79 points and eight first-place votes, while the Lions have 71 points and two first-place votes. Central Missouri is third, followed by Nebraska-Kearney, Lincoln, Emporia State, Southwest Baptist, Northwest Missouri, Lindenwood and Fort Hays to round out the poll. 

The Lions will be in action this weekend at Pitt State to open up the outdoor season. The complete MIAA preseason poll is listed below. 

2014 MIAA Preseason Men's OTF Poll
1. Pittsburg State (8)          79
2. Missouri Southern (2)     71
3. Central Missouri (1)        65
4. Nebraska-Kearney          61
5. Lincoln                            46
6. Emporia State                 39
7. Southwest Baptist           34
8. Northwest Missouri         20
9. Lindenwood                    18
10. Fort Hays State             17

MSSU women's track picked to finish second in MIAA

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team has been picked to finish second in the 2014 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Coaches Poll, the league announced today. 

Fresh off a 29th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships, the Lions also finished second in the 2014 MIAA Indoor Championships held in Joplin.

Lincoln was picked first in the poll, with the Lions trailing by only 11 points in second and receiving one first-place vote in the process. Central Missouri was third, followed by Pittsburg State, Nebraska-Kearney, Southwest Baptist, Emporia State, Northwest Missouri, Fort Hays, Central Oklahoma and Lindenwood to round out the poll.

The Lions will open up the 2014 outdoor season this weekend, competing at the Pittsburg State Invite. 

2014 MIAA Preseason Women's OTF Coaches Poll
1. Lincoln (10)                     100
2. Missouri Southern (1)       89
3. Central Missouri               81
4. Pittsburg State                 74
5. Nebraska-Kearney           58
6. Southwest Baptist            53
7. Emporia State                  51
T8. Northwest Missouri        31
T8. Fort Hays State             31
10. Central Oklahoma         19
11. Lindenwood                   18 

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Second round of tryouts scheduled for Joplin Demize soccer team

(From the City of Joplin)

Last weekend roughly 50 players competed for open roster spots on the Joplin Demize National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) soccer team. The coaching staff has decided to hold another round of tryouts in order to further evaluate players and give some of last weekend’s participants another shot to showcase their skills.

The Joplin Demize will hold open tryouts Sunday, March 30, from 11am-1pm and 3pm-5pm on the Joplin Athletic's Bermuda grass fields located at 3301 W. 1st Street, Joplin, Missouri 64801. Players can register on site starting at 10:30a.m. the day of the event. The registration fee for new players is $30.00, and will be waived for players that have already participated in the open tryouts. New players will receive a Joplin Demize shirt with number at registration. Lunch for tryout participants will also be provided after the morning session.

"We felt that we needed another chance to get a look at some of the players that attended the first open tryout and, also, give additional players that we have been in contact with about playing for us this summer another opportunity to showcase themselves since they were unable to participate March 23. We will also be bringing some current Demize players to the invitational sessions to see how the potential prospects compete against more seasoned players," said Chris Hanlon Director of Soccer Operations.

This invitational tryout is being conducted for high school, club, collegiate and men's players that have been in communication with or directly invited by the Joplin Demize coaching staff. Players from the open tryout will receive an email invitation in order to participate. The NPSL side is in the process of building their player pool and roster for the upcoming season, and is looking to fill specific roles and roster positions. The invitational player pool will consist of roughly 30 players.

Southern golf finishes 12th at Jim Bishop Toyota Classic

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern golf team finished 12th Tuesday after a cold and wind-blown final day in the 2014 Jim Bishop Toyota Classic hosted by the University of North Alabama at the Fighting Joe Course of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

The Lions shot a 317 today as the wind and weather made it tough on teams and none of the teams made it below 300 on the afternoon.

Ryan Buerk led the way for the Lions shooting a 77 and finishing tied for 19th with a three-round 230. Ryan Russellfinished tied for 31st with a 238, while Ethan Hutcheson, Andrew Maier and Taylor Lansford shot a respective 240, 243 and 244. 

North Alabama won the team title with a four-stroke win over Missouri-St. Louis. Arkansas Tech was third, followed by Central Missouri and Henderson State to round out the top five. Central Alabama Community College was sixth, followed by Delta State, Wallace State, Wilmington, Harding, Lee, Southern, West Alabama and Lindenwood to round out the team totals. 

The Lions will be back in action on next Monday and Tuesday as they head to Oklahoma City to take place in the Central Oklahoma Invite, held at Gallardia Country Club. 

Two major gifts received for MSSU baseball stadium

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Two major gifts were recently received by the Missouri Southern Foundation for the baseball stadium that is planned at the university.

Rod and Janice Anderson made a $25,000 gift toward the fundraising campaign, and a suite at the stadium will be named in honor of the Board of Governors thanks to the gift. Rod is an alumnus and current member of the Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors.

"I've always been passionate about the student-athletes at Missouri Southern, and we thought this was a great opportunity to help them and to bring a new facility to campus," said Anderson.

Anderson, of Monett, was appointed to the Board of Governors in September of 2003. He served as Vice Chair from 2009-10 and two terms as Chair, from 2009-11. He is a longtime supporter of Missouri Southern and a member of the Lionbacker Booster Club.

Don and Christy Swanson, of Joplin, made a $10,000 gift and will have home stands named in their honor. Don also is an alumnus and has been a member of the Missouri Southern Foundation Board of Directors since 2011.

"We routinely support the University in a variety of areas," said Swanson. "We decided to direct our support toward this campaign right now because we feel sports provide important life lessons and we're excited about the new facility."

The fundraising campaign is a collaboration between the university, the MSSU Baseball Advisory Committee and the Missouri Southern Foundation.

The stadium will be located east of Fred G. Hughes Stadium and adjacent to the MSSU Softball Complex, both of which are located at the Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex. The $2.5 million facility will feature state-of-the-art synthetic turf, regulation lighting, seating for 500, a viewing deck and other amenities.

"We're thankful for these generous gifts," said JoAnn Graffam, executive director of the Foundation. "They are going to make the new stadium a reality for the campus and the community and we couldn't do it without them."

MSSU baseball drops two to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team dropped both ends of a double-header today, falling 2-1 in game one and 8-4 in game two. 

Southern  (14-12 ,9-11 MIAA) picked up a strong pitching performance from David Reese in game one as the senior went six innings, striking out six and walking none. He scattered six hits and allowed just two runs, a pair of single-run innings early in the game. 

Central (18-9, 15-5 MIAA) scored a run in each of the first and second innings, the first coming on an RBI single from Brad Wilson and Dusty Maas doubled home Dylan Hanson to put the Mules up 2-0 after two innings. 

Evin Natick reached on a throwing error in the fifth, allowing Beau Phillips to score the Lions' lone run. 

Natick, Axel Johnson, and Phillips had a hit each for Southern in the game. 

The Lions opened the scoring in game two when Dusty Harper singled home Brad Weller to give the Lions a 1-0 lead in the second.

The Mules answered back with six runs in the bottom half of the inning, before Southern scored another run in the top of the fifth on a Logan Moon RBI single, scoring Natick. Central scored another run in the bottom half of the inning, and the Lions answered back with an Austin White RBI, scoring Johnson. 

An RBI groundout from Matt Smith, scoring Philips made the score 7-4, UCM in the top of the 7th, before another Mules' run put the score 8-4, Central after eight. 

The Lions loaded the bases in the ninth, but Central's Zack Davis came in and picked up the final save to pick up his fifth save of the season and second of the day. 

Drew Noble started for the Lions and went two innings, striking out a run. He allowed four hits and six runs to move his record to 3-3 on the season. Matt Harvey went four and two thirds, striking out a batter and allowing just two earned runs. Jacob Lux and Stephen Vaughn threw in relief in the game. 

Moon, Weller and Robbe Ewing had two hits each for the Lions, while Moon, Smith, White and Harper drove in a run each. Natick, Phillips, Weller and Ewing scored for the team. 

Southern will be back in action next weekend, playing host to Southwest Baptist in a weekend series from Friday through Sunday. 

MSSU softball loses opening games in Missouri Western Tournament

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Despite scoring seven runs and combining for 16 hits on the day, the Missouri Southern softball team lost their opening two games of the Missouri Western Softball Invitational Friday afternoon dropping a hard-fought 6-5 game to fifth-ranked Augustana (S.D.) before losing 5-2 to Minnesota State Mankato at Heritage Park.

The Lions (8-18) were led at the plate by sophomore shortstop Michala Wood who went 3-for-7 from the dish with a double, run and a RBI. Four other Lions finished with two hits each as Shelby Romines, Brooklyn Farrell, Alana Hester and Chloe Brown all ended up with a pair of hits.

Playing as the visitors in game one, Augustana (14-2) got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first as the Vikings tagged on a pair of two-out runs. Southern responded with a run of their own in the second as Farrell hit a RBI single up the middle to score Alexah Replogle from second after she got on base after a error by the Augie shortstop.

After Augustana added a run in the third to go up 3-1, the Lions took their first lead of the game scoring four runs in the fourth to take a 5-3 advantage as Brown hit a grand slam, her sixth of the year, driving in Romines, Farrell and Kathryn Goins. The Vikings answered Southern's scoring with a run of their own in the fourth, and one more in the fifth to tie up the game at five. A scoreless sixth followed by a three and out from the Lions in the top of seventh, Augustana won the game in the seventh scoring the winning run on a Jenelle Trautmann RBI double that scored Mackenzie Alstott from third.

After Shelby Mitchell got the start pitching the first 2.2 innings, Sarah Williams went the next 2.1 innings beforeHaley Kinnison pitched the sixth and seventh as she was tagged with the loss.

Game two saw the Lions face the Mavericks of Minnesota State Mankato (12-6) of the NSIC as Southern was the home team. After a scoreless first three innings, MSUM added three runs in the top of the fourth on a three-run RBI double by Ashley Thell. Southern responded with two runs of their own in bottom of the frame on a double by Wood that drove in Brown from first which was followed by a single from Dawn Grass that scored Wood from second.

Mankato added a single run apiece in the sixth and seventh to go up 5-2. Only able to get two hits in the final three innings of action, the Lions were unable to plate anymore runs as Kinnison pitched all seven innings surrendering only two earned runs and striking out four batters.

Southern returns to action for day two of the MWSU Invite taking on Central Missouri (12-10) at 1 p.m. and Concordia St.-Paul (4-12) at 3 p.m. at Heritage Park.

MSSU baseball loses doubleheader to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team continued its recent slump and the Lions dropped a pair of games Friday at Central Missouri by the scores of 3-2 and 6-3. 

Southern (14-10, 9-9 MIAA) saw a strong pitching performance from Ryan Bates in game one as the senior went all six innings, striking out two and walking none. He scattered eight hits and allowed three earned. 

After a third inning home run from UCM's (16-9, 13-5 MIAA) Kevin Gratza, the Lions answered back with a run in the fourth to cut the lead in half when Brandon Weller singled home Mitchell Osburn. 

Central, however, added a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning that proved to be the gaem-winner.Logan Moon added an RBI triple in the sixth inning, scoring Osburn, but it wasn't enough. 

Moon went 2-3 with an RBI, while Osburn was 1-2 with two runs scored. Weller had a hit an an RBI of his own. 

Game two saw the Lions get on top in the first with an RBI from Moon, scoring Jared Lupo. Payton Walker started for the Lions and went three innings and was tagged with the loss, moving his record to 4-2 on the season. Kanon Hoover, Stephen Vaughn, Jacob Lux and Josh Engler threw in relief. 

Central tied the game with a run of its own in the bottom of the first, but the Lions added another tally when Evin Natick scored an unearned run. 

The Mules scored two in the second and third innings to go up 5-2 and put the game away. Central scored another run in the fifth and Dusty Harper added a home run in the sixth to bring the final tally to 6-3. 

Moon went 2-5 with an RBI, while Natick and Beau Phillips had two hits each. Harper, Welller, and Robbe Ewinghad a hit each oin the game. 

The two teams will finish the series tomorrow, with the games getting moved up an hour in start time. The double-header from Warrensburg will now begin at noon in Crane Stadium. 

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MSSU softball to play in Missouri Western Invitational

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Lions softball team will be back in action this weekend as they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to participate in the 2014 Missouri Western Softball Invitational at Heritage Park playing six games in three days.

The Lions will take on five NSIC opponents along with MIAA foe Central Missouri as they look to improve upon their 8-16 start to the season. Through 24 games, the Lions are hitting .278 as a team with five players hitting over .275 with senior first baseman Dawn Grass leading the charge hitting .378 from the plate as she leads the club in hits (28), RBI's (13), total bases (45) and slugging percentage (.608). Sophomore shortstop Michala Woodcontinues to be solid from the plate as she leads the team in at-bats with 76 collecting 22 hits and scoring nine runs.

One player who has been especially hot for the Lions over the past eight games is senior third baseman Brooklyn Farrell who is hitting .333 collecting six hits and driving in three runs. Senior right fielder Shelby Rominescontinues to improve at the plate as she has collected six hits as well in the last eight games scoring four runs and driving in a pair. In the circle, sophomore Haley Kinnison has been stellar over the past eight games making four starts pitching three complete games while striking out 14 and limiting opponents to a .267 batting average to lower her ERA on the year to 3.71.

Opponents preview

#5 Augustana: The Lions open up play on Friday at noon against the fifth-ranked Vikings of Augustana (S.D.) out of the NSIC. Led by eighth-year head coach Gretta Melsted, Augustana enters this weekend with a 13-2 record and are led at the plate by junior outfielder Mackenzie Alstott who is hitting .543 with 19 hits in 35 at-bats. She also leads the club with a .600 slugging percentage and .579 on-base percentage. Junior pitcher Jenelle Trautmann is the ace in the circle for the Vikings as she sports a 9-1 record with a 1.89 ERA and 44 strikeouts.

Minnesota State- Mankato (Live Stats): The second game of Friday pits the Lions against the Mavericks of Minnesota State-Mankato. MSU-M enters this weekend with a 10-6 overall record and are coming off a 8-2 showing at last week's Rebel Springs Games down in Winter Haven, Fla. In her 30th year at the helm of the Mavericks program, Lori Meyer has an experienced group this year that currently has three regulars batting over .375. Senior shortstop Samantha Holien leads the way from the dish as she hitting .491 (28-57) scoring 19 runs and driving in 17. Coley Ries has a team-low 2.14 ERA with a 4-2 record and 40 strikeouts on the year.

Central Missouri (Live Stats): Saturday's action starts with a matchup with MIAA foe Central Missouri at noon. The Jennies come into this weekend with a 12-8 overall record, winners of seven of their last eight games. UCM is led at the plate by junior pitcher/designated player Jakki Prater who leads the team in hitting at .394 (28-71), runs (21), home runs (12), RBI's (29) and slugging percentage (.972). In the circle, Prater also leads the team as has a 8-3 mark with a 3.92 ERA. 

Concordia St. Paul (Live Stats): Saturday wraps up with a matchup with NSIC opponent Concordia St. Paul. The Golden Bears, led by 10th-year head coach Bob Bartel, enter this weekend with a 3-11 overall record. Junior centerfiedler Alicia Meiser leads CU from the plate hitting .324 (12-37) scoring four runs and two doubles. Junior pitcher Stephanie Kappes leads the team in the circle with seven complete games and 26 strikeouts.

Wayne State (Neb.) (Live Stats): The final day of action on Sunday gets started with a showdown with the Wayne State Wildcats out of the NSIC. The Wildcats enter tournament action with a 11-5 overall mark after sweeping MIAA opponent Nebraska-Kearney at home on Wednesday. WSU is led at the plate by junior first baseman Kati Williams who is hitting .478 (22-46) and has scored 10 runs. Junior Kelcie Bormann is the ace in the circle as she has a 5-1 record with a 1.18 ERA holding opponents to a .229 batting average and has 46 strikouts.

St. Cloud State: The final game of the Invitational pits the Lions against the St. Cloud State Huskies out of the NSIC. The Huskies are led by 17th-year head coach Paula U'Ren and were 28-26 in 2013. At the plate, senior second baseman Breanna Canova is hitting .412 (14-34) with four doubles, nine RBI's and has a team-high .618 slugging percentage. Junior Kelly Franks holds a 2.13 ERA in the circle as the pitcher has thrown two complete games and struck out 48 while holding opponents to a .208 batting average.

After this weekend's action, the Lions return to MIAA play on Saturday, March 29 at Northwest Missouri for a doubleheader with the Bearcats starting at 2 p.m. at Bearcat Field.

Open tryouts set for Joplin Demize soccer team

(From the City of Joplin)

The Joplin Demize will hold open tryouts for spots on their National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) roster on Sunday, March 23 from 11am to 1pm with call backs held from 3pm to 5pm at the Joplin Athletic Fields. Players will be signed after the completion of the Sunday call back scrimmages.

This open tryout is being conducted for high school, club, collegiate and men's players interested in competing for roster spots for the Joplin Demize. The team is in the process of completing their roster for the upcoming season, and they are looking to fill specific positions. All players will receive a numbered Demize t-shirt at the tryout.

Joplin Demize is in the South Central Conference of the NPSL, which qualifies the team for the U.S. Open Cup. The team is will be made of local talent with players from Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Illinois. The new team allows players from local colleges an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Players can register on site starting at 10:30 am the day of the tryouts. The registration fee for players is $30.00, and covers all tryout dates and times.

For more information, please visit JoplinDemize.com

MSSU softball drops two to Rogers State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Lions softball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Rogers State (Okla.) falling 9-1 in six innings in game one before narrowly losing game two 1-0 at Diamond Sports Complex.

Southern (8-16) got a great pitching performance from Haley Kinnison in game two as she went the distance pitching all six innings allowing only four hits and a single earned run while striking out two. The Lions were led offensively by a pair of players as Rachel Harding collected three hits in five at-bats driving in a run in game one.Alana Hester went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in game two.

Rogers State (6-20) got on the scoreboard first in game one as they tagged on one run in both the first and second innings before adding two apiece in the third and fourth to take a 6-0 lead into the fifth. The Lions responded with a run of their own in the top of the fifth as Shelby Romines hit a one-out single to left field. After Brooklyn Farrellwalked moving Romines to second, Harding hit a two-out single to plate Romines and cut the Hillcats lead to 6-1. Unfortunately, RSU added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to go up eight ending the game in six innings. The Hillcats' Yolanda Rios pitched all six innings limiting the Lions to only three hits in game one as she struck out 13.

Looking to get the offense going in game two, the Lions again faced a tough task as the Hillcats played stingy defense and had great pitching as Brooklyne Harbert and Rios combined to shutout Southern limiting them to only five hits. After a scoreless first, RSU scored the game's only run in the second on a one-out single up the middle by Mackenzie Kirk.

Southern had great opportunities to score runs in the third and seventh innings as both times the visitors had runners reach second with two outs or less, but neither time the Lions were able to get a run across the plate. In the seventh, Farrell ledoff with a single up the middle. After a pair of pop-ups, Hester laid down a bunt down the third base line for a infield single to move Farrell to second, but Chloe Brown struck out to end the threat. Kinnison kept Southern right in the games as she matched the duo of Harbert and Rios, but was the hard-luck loser.

The Lions are back in action this weekend as they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. for the Missouri Western Softball Invitational playing six games in three days starting on Friday at noon playing 5th-ranked Augustana (S.D.) (13-2) at Heritage Park.

MSSU baseball schedules changes for this weekend

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball program has changed the schedule for this weekend's games at Central Missouri.

With the chance of weather taking a colder turn near the end of the weekend, the Lions and Central Missouri have moved up their games. 

Originally slated to play one game Friday, two Saturday and another on Sunday, the Lions will now play two on Friday and two on Saturday. 

Friday's double-header will begin at 3 pm, while Saturday's twinbill will start at 1 pm.

Please stay tuned to www.mssulions.com for any further changes to the schedule should they occur. 

MSSU baseball rips College of the Ozarks 28-9

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team scored seven runs in the first and didn't stop, adding a 13-inning run later in the game and the Lions took out visiting College of the Ozarks 28-9 today inside Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin. 

Southern (14-8) was led offensively by Logan Moon as the junior went 2-4 with seven RBIs and three runs scored.Axel Johnson and Brandon Weller each went 4-6 with Beau Phillips chipping in four hits, as well. Phillips, Dusty Harper and Johnson drove in three each, while Harper scored four times and Weller, Robbe Ewing and Zack Steadman scored three runs each. 

Ewing had three doubles, one shy of the single-game record at Missouri Southern and now has 14 on the season. Moon had a home run to right center and the Lions banged out 32 hits, two shy of the single-game record. The 28 runs was four shy of the single-game record, both set against Missouri -St. Louis in 1992. 

Josh Engler started and went two and a third innings, striking out three. Sean Goostree threw an inning and a third, while Skylar Hill got the win with three and a third innings. He struck out four and walked one. Kanon Hooverand Tyler Kjellsen threw an inning each in relief. 

Ozarks (12-13), scored four runs in the third and three in the fourth, to go along with two in the seventh. 

The Lions started out the scoring in the first when Southern scored seven in the inning. Johnson and Harper drove in two each in the inning, while Weller, Phillips and Steadman drove in a run each. 

Moon added a three-run home run to right-center in the third, and the Lions scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth before the team broke out with a 13-run seventh. Moon and Johnson drove in runs in the fifth, while Harper, Steadman and Osburn drove in runs in the sixth. 

The Lions sent 19 men to the plate in the seventh, scoring 11 of the 13 runs in the inning with two outs. 

Southern will be back in action this weekend when the Lions will travel to Central Missouri for a four-game series with the Mules on Friday - Sunday. Friday's game begins at 3 pm, with Saturday's double-header beginning at 1 pm. Sunday's single game will start at noon.