MSSU women's basketball adds Division One transfer

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Women's Basketball head coach Ronda Hubbard has announced the signing of NCAA D-I transfer BriAnna (Bri) Shavers.

"Bri is going to be a tremendous addition to our post core," Hubbard said. "We have a young group in the power forward and center positions and look forward to watching them all grow together over the next few years. Bri will bring strength and versatility to our team that will be needed right away. Her experience at the D1 level will be beneficial to her transition into the ever so tough MIAA.

"Bri has a strong, athletic body and we expect her to make an immediate impact to our rebounding and back to the basket game while also being able to face up with her midrange game. We are ecstatic to welcome Bri to our Lion family."

Shavers comes to Joplin from the University of New Orleans where she saw action in 22 games as a red-shirt freshman after sitting out 2013-14 due to an injury. She played 131 minutes in those 22 contests pulling down 33 rebounds with three steals and three blocks.

A native of Carrollton, Texas, Shavers prepped at Creekview HS for coach Nikke Heath. She averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds during her senior season earning first team All-District and academic All-District honors to go along with second team All-State honors. During her junior season, she was named all-academic and was a honorable mention all-district selection.

Shavers is the daughter of Anna McNeace and has one brother, Jeffery Shavers.

MSSU baseball wins opening round game at MIAA tourney

(From MSSU Lions Athletics News)

The 15th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team picked up another complete-game from Cody Hutchinson and the offense broke out for five runs in the seventh as the #1 seed Lions took out #8 seed Northeastern State 8-1 in the opening game of their MIAA Tournament first-round series.

Hutchinson went the distance for his seventh complete game of the season and moved his record to 10-0 as the Lions (37-11) went up one game to none in the best-of-three series with the RiverHawks (25-23).

NSU got on the board first when an error on a stolen base attempt allowed Gabriel Wurth to reach third. Wurth later scored on an RBI single from Charles Simms.

Hutchinson then settled down and held NSU scoreless from then on.

The Lions tied the game in the fourth on an RBI sacrifice fly from Axel Johnson scoring Evin Natick. But Southern broke the game open in the seventh when the Lions scored five runs. Tee Helsel homered to lead off the inning and after Richie Gorski walked, Jon Davis doubled to the left center wall to score Gorski.

Natick singled home Chris Hoffman and Jon Davis to put the Lions up 4-1 and a bases-loaded walk to Helsel drove in Jacob Bryant with the fifth run of the inning.

Jesse Rall and Bryant had RBIs in the eighth as Southern put two more runs on the board.

Helsel went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Natick drove in two and scored once, while Davis and Hoffman scored two runs each.

The Lions and RiverHawks will be back in action tomorrow evening, as they continue their best-of-three series. First pitch from Turner Field is slated for 6 pm.

MSSU women's track to compete at MIAA

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team will head to St. Charles this weekend as the Lions compete in the 2015 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Lindenwood University.

The Lions finished fourth in the 2014 Championships and are currently ranked 9th in the Central Region.

Southern goes into the meet with 12 provisional marks, four of which would most likely qualify for nationals if the season ended today.

Leading the way for the Lions is Kindra Emberton. She currently ranks 7th in the 800m, while Melanie Bowerranks 7th in the pole vault. Ashleigh McFarland ranks 29th in the vault.

Brittani Reagan and Kaylee Morgan rank 12th and 20th, respectively in the long jump, while Emily Harris ranks 23rd in the 1,500m and 29th in the 5k. Kaitlyn Belisle ranks 27th in the 10k, while Allie Webb ranks 32nd in the discus.

Victoria Foley ranks 47th in the hammer, while Morgan ranks 36th in the heptathlon.

Morgan will start things off for the Lions as the heptathlon kicks off at 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon. The rest of the meet will be run on Saturday and Sunday.

MSSU men's track to compete at MIAA Outdoor Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 19th ranked Missouri Southern men's track and field team will head to St. Charles this weekend as the Lions compete in the 2015 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Lindenwood University.

The Lions come into the meet ranked 19th nationally and 2nd in the Central Region. The team has 19 provisional marks and nine marks that would qualify for nationals if the season ended today.

Leading the way is junior sprinter Jeff Fraley. He has four of the 19 provisional marks. Fraley is ranked tenth in both the 100 and 200m, while being ranked 15th in the 400m. He's also the anchor man on the Lions 4x100m relay team of Jazz Allen, Erron Holley, and Desmond Williams that currently ranks 6th nationally in the event.

Eric Schott ranks 14th in the 10k, while Allen ranks 36th in the 110m hurdles. Morgan Hold and Brady Meluginrank 14th and 25th in the pole vault, while Raymond Woldtvedt ranks 33rd in the event.

Darion Boure ranks 5th in the triple jump, while Keenan Harrison is 20th in the event. Jacob Rowe ranks 32nd in the long jump.

Bryan Burns and Tyler Hovey rank 28th and 29th in the shot put, while Nicklas Polizzi ranks 7th in the discus. Burns also ranks 16th in the discus, while ranking 33rd in the Hammer.

Derek Webb is 11th in the javelin, while Zach Williams ranks 25th in the event.

The Lions will kick things off on Saturday morning with the meet concluding on Sunday afternoon.

MSSU men's basketball adds Division I transfer

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern head basketball coach Jeff Boschee has announced the addition of Division I transfer Vince Fritz.

Fritz, a 6-2 guard, comes to Southern from Sacred Heart University. In five games last season for the Pioneers, Fritz scored five points in limited action. He averaged 5.6 minutes per game on the season.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., Fritz prepped at Blue Valley Northwest High School where he played for coach and father Ed Fritz. A four-year letter winner, Fritz was a two-time first-team EKL selection, while also being named All-State twice. Also a member of the football team at Northwest, He was an All-League punter and defensive back.

On the basketball court, Fritz is the third-leading scorer in school history. He helped lead his team to two Kansas State Championships, including a perfect 25-0 mark his junior campaign and a number 19 national ranking according to USA Today.

A member of a basketball family, Fritz's father is the boys basketball coach at Northwest, while his mother, Ann is the girls basketball coach. His father played basketball at Baker University, while his mother played at the University of Nebraska. His grandfather, Vince Costello, is a member of the Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame.

"We are excited to add Vince to our program," Boschee said. "Vince is a kid we recruited out of high school. He will give us some toughness on both ends of the floor along with an ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter. We are extremely excited to add him to our family."

MSSU announces men's basketball summer camps

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern men's basketball coach Jeff Boschee has announced the dates for the 2015 MSSU Men's Basketball Camps.

There will be four different camps this summer. The Elite Camp is for grades 10-12 and will be on June 7 inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Times will run from 9 am to 4 pm.

The Shooting Camp will be on June 8-11 and will be for grades 2-12. It will be one-day camps from 6-7:30 pm. The Team Camp will be on June 5-6 and will be for both junior varsity and varsity level teams. This will start at noon each day and will be housed in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Individual Camps will be on June 8-12 for grades 2-9. This is a split-day camp with grades 2-6 going from 9 am - noon and grades 7-9 going from 1 pm to 4 pm.

For more information, please click on the link above or call the Missouri Southern Basketball office at 625-9701.

Two weeks in a row- MSSU's Fraley named MIAA Track Athlete of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

For the second-straight week, Missouri Southern sprinter Jeff Fraley has been named the MIAA Men's Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced today.

Fraley, a 5-9 native of St. Robert, Mo., set two more school records this past weekend as the Lions played host to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational. Fraley ran the anchor leg on the 4x100m relay that, for the third-straight week, broke the school record in the event. The group ran the race in a time of 40.43 which ranks sixth nationally and second in the MIAA.

He then went out and broke the school record in the 400m, racing to a time of 47.56. That time currently ranks 15th nationally and is tops in the MIAA.

Fraley and the Lions will be back in action this week when Southern travels to Lindenwood for the 2015 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

MSSU softball closes out home schedule with win

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Softball sent their two seniors out with a win in their final home game of the 2015 season as they split with Northeastern State falling 4-3 in eight innings and winning 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Lea Kungle Field.

Senior Day

Kathryn Goins-Osburn and Brooke Swadley were honored prior to the double header with Northeastern State. The two combined for 313 starts and 321 games played in their careers as a Lion. Swadley has collected 123 hits in her four years with her 100th coming on March 14, 2015 at Nebraska-Kearney. Goins-Osburn is seventh all-time at MSSU on the home run charts with 14 for her career, she also has 17 doubles and 59 RBIs during her three years at Southern.

Game One

Southern got things started in the third as Alana Hester singled to left field with one out. On the very next pitchMichala Wood hit an RBI double to deep left field to score Hester and give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Southern would add another run in the fifth as Wood singled to right and advanced to third on a single from Myranda Stewart and a Northeastern State error. Goins-Osburn then laid down a percect suicide squeeze bunt to score Wood.

Northeastern State would push across three runs in the top of the seventh as they took advantage of two MSSU errors to take a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the inning. Hester led off the home half with a solo home run, the first of her career, down the right field line to send the game into extra innings. The RiverHawks would come away with a 4-3 win following a solo home run to start the eighth.

Kali' Hodson got the start for the Lions going 6 1/3 innings allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits with one walk and eight strike outs. Ashley Lutz worked 1 2/3 innings of relief allowing one earned run on two hits with two strike outs.

Game Two

Southern got the scoring started in the night cap as Wood once again had an RBI double this time scoring Dru Coleman and Lindsey Gorham. Northeastern State would tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth on a two run home run to left field.

Southern would get the lead back for good in the home half of the fifth as Coleman led off the inning with her second hit of the game, this one a single down the left field line. Sydney Blue laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Coleman to second and Hester's single to right put runners on the corners with one out. Following a stolen base by Hester, her 25th of the season, and a walk to Wood; Stewart would reach on a fielder's choice and Coleman scored on a throwing error by the NSU third baseman. Goins-Osburn scored Hester off a rocket line drive single to left for the 4-2 win.

Lutz started inside the circle going four innings allowing two runs, both earned, on three hits with two walks and five strike outs. Shelby Mitchell got the win going three innings in relief allowing just one NSU hit and struck out 4.

On The Day

Wood led the offensive attack on the day going 4-for-6 (.667) at the dish with two doubles and three RBIs. Stewart finished 3-for-7 (.429) with a double and Gorham was 2-for-5 (.400) with a double. Hester had the lone home run, the first of the season at Lea Kungle Field, to go along with two singles for a slugging percentage of .750.

Mitchell finished the day with the win and an ERA of 0.00 and an oppontent's batting average of .091 Hodson had a no decision with an ERA of 1.11 and held the RiverHawks to a .192 batting average.

Up Next

The Lions will close out the 2015 season as they travel to Jefferson City on Monday for a MIAA double header with Lincoln University. First pitch is scheduled for 2pm.

MSSU baseball sweeps doubleheader at Northeastern State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 16th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team swept a double-header today at Northeastern State, defeating the RiverHawks 5-2 in game one and 11-6 in the nightcap.

The Lions (36-11, 26-6 MIAA) have won the most games in a season since the 2001 season and the most games in the regular season since the 1995 season.

In game one, the Lions scored a run in each of the first and second innings. Jacob Bryant singled home Richie Gorski in the first, while Gorski singled home Axel Johnson in the second.

Chad Shannon singled home Bryant in the sixth before the RiverHawks (25-22, 17-19 MIAA) scored two runs in their half of the sixth.

The Lions rebounded to score two more in the top of the seventh on an RBI from Mitchell Osubrn and an NSU balk.

Chris Hoffman started for the Lions on the mound and went six innings, striking out four and walking one, while scattering only four hits. He moved his record to 4-1 on the season. Nick Pettus threw the seventh for his fourth save of the year.

Bryant went 3-4 with a run and an RBI in the game, while Gorski had two hits, an RBI and a run.

In game two, Tyler Burgess started for the Lions and went six innings, striking out six to move his record to 5-1 on the year. Matt Harvey threw the final three innings, striking out four and walking none to pick up save No. 1.

Southern scored a run in the first on a Johnson RBI. The Lions scored two more in the second on a home run from Osburn before NSU picked up two of their own to make the score 3-2 after two innings.

The RiverHawks tied the score at three with a run in the third and after the Lions went breifly ahead in the fifth with an RBI from Jesse Rall, NSU scored three to go up 6-4.

The Lions, however, added five runs in the seventh and two in the ninth to put the game away. Jon Davis had an RBI in the seventh, while Rall added his 15th home run of the season, the second-most all-time in a single season at MSSU. Osburn added a two-run double in the inning, as well.

Osburn went 3-4 in game two with four RBIs and a run scored. Gorski and Rall had three hits each, while Rall drove in three and Gorski scored twice. Davis, Johnson and Shannon scored two runs each.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as MSSU plays host to Northeastern State in the first-round, best of three series of the 2015 MIAA Tournament. Games between the Lions and RiverHawks will be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. First pitch from Turner Field on Thursday and Friday will be at 6 pm with the if-necessary game on Saturday slated for 1 pm.

MSSU golfer Buerk selected to participate in Central Midwest Super Regional

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern's Ryan Buerk was selected to participate at the Central/Midwest Super Regional at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club.

Buerk finished his senior year ranked sixth in the Central Region and will be making his second NCAA Regional appearance, and will be joined by Trey Herman of Fort Hays State, Tyler Koivisto of St. Cloud State, and Corey Knight of Missouri Western.

The Central/Midwest Super Regional will be held at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club on course 4, Dubsdread. Dubsdread is a 7,144 yard par 72 course that has hosted 2007, 2009-2011 BMW Championships, the 1991-2006 Western Open Championships, the 1997 U.S. Amateur, the 1970 & 1989 U.S. Public Links Championship, and the 1987 U.S. Women's Public Links Championship.

At a minimum, the top three teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional (regardless of region) will advance to the finals May 18-22, at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, North Carolina. The remaining eight team berths will be allocated based on the regions represented in the prior year's medal-match portion of the championships, with the maximum number of teams from a given region capped at seven. The finals will be hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University.

There will be four regional sites in which two regions will meet and conduct regional tournaments. The regional tournaments will be paired as follows:

MSSU women's track picks up two wins

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team picked up two wins and ten top three finishes as the Lions competed at the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational today inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Dora Eastin got the winning started as she picked up a win in the 800m, finishing in a time of 2:17.67. Kelly Jo Roberts was 16th, while Miranda Hill and Cora Butcher-Spellman placed 17th and 19th.

Sydney Potts picked up the other win as she ran a 1:04.81 in the 400m hurdles. In other action, Ashleigh McFarland and Melanie Bower both placed second in the pole vault as they leaped to a provisional height of 11-11.75.

The 4x400m relay team of Potts, Kaylee Morgan, Allie Heckemeyer and Destiny Akannam placed second with a time of 4:05.56. Brittani Reagan was second in the long jump with a provisional distance of 19-07.00, while Morgan was third with a provisional of 19-03.50. Shelby Newell placed 15th.

Jenson Maydew placed third in the shot put with a distance of 44-02.75, while Katie Skelton was sixth. Morgan was third in the javelin with a distance of 113-05, while Heckemeyer was fifth.

Sierra Gray was third in the 1,500m with a time of 4:58.26, while Hill, Roberts and Butcher-Spellman placed 7th, 11th and 13th. Ronise Miller and Traci Walker placed 18th and 19th in the 200m, while Eastin placed fourth in the 5k. Lexi Pesek was fifth in the 100m hurdles, while the 4x100m relay team of Mahogany Jones, Walker, Miller and Morgan placed fifth.

Shelby Sutherland placed fourth in the high jump with a height of 5-03.25, while Kylee Hulsey placed sixth and Morgan placed 12th. Skelton placed seventh in the discus, while Maydew was ninth. Allie Webb and Alexis Acklin placed 12th and 15th in the hammer.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as they compete at the 2015 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Lindenwood University.

MSSU men's track breaks two school records

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's track and field team broke two school records today as the Lions competed in the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Jeff Fraley was part of both records falling today. First off, Fraley ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay team that, for the third-straight week, broke the school record in the event. The team of Jazz Allen, Erron Holley,Desmond Williams and Fraley won the event with a new school and stadium record of 40.43. That time is a provisional mark and ranks sixth nationally.

Fraley turned around and placed second, but was the top collegiate runner in the 400m. He ran to a new school record of 47.56, which is a provisional mark and ranks 15th nationally.

In other action, the 4x400m relay team of Fraley, Sam Kohrs, Anthony Price and Thomas Hawkins won the event in a time of 3:14.67. Jacob Rowe won the long jump with a personal best and provisional mark of 23-08.25. Desmond Williams was second, while Darion Boure placed third. Kennan Harrison was 12th.

Boure won the triple jump with a provisional mark of 48-08.25, while Kennan Harrison placed second with a mark of 47-05.00. Boure's mark ranks fifth nationally in the triple jump.

Erron Holley placed seventh in the 200m dash, while Tom Zeilman placed fourth in the 800m. Tyler Rush, Alex Mason and Ben Grant placed 10th, 12th and 13th in the 800m. Jacob Coffman placed 5th in the 1,500m, whileColton Wooldridge, Nathan Henry and Ben Southwick placed 10th, 11th and 16th.

Allen was fifth in the 110m hurdles in a time of 14.56, while placing 12th in the 400m hurdles. Jayce Thomaswas 10th in the high jump, while Raymond Woldtvedt, Morgan Hold and Brady Melugin placed 4th, 5th and 6th in the pole vault.

Tyler Hovey and Bryan Burns placed fifth and sixth in the shot put, while Nicklas Polizzi had a provisional distance of 175-03 to place second in the discus. Burns and Hovey placed fourth and fifth in the event. Polizzi was third in the hammer, while Hovey was eighth. Zach Williams won the javelin with a distance of 188-03.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as they compete at the 2015 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Lindenwood University.

MSSU softball loses doubleheader to Central Oklahoma

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Softball team dropped a pair of MIAA games to Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Lea Kungle Field.

Game One

The Lions gathered six hits, all singles, and left seven on base as they fell 8-0. Central Oklahoma struck first as they pushed across a pair of unearned runs in both the second and third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Then in the sixth inning UCO scored five runs on four hits and then added a run in the seventh.

Shelby Mitchell got the start inside the circle and went 3 1/3 innings allowing two runs, both unearned, on two hits with two walks. Ashley Lutz pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief allowing six runs, all earned, on six hits with three walks and four strike outs.

Game Two

The Lions fell behind in the second inning as UCO put up six runs in the top of the second, all unearned. Southern got one run back in the bottom of the frame as Lindsey Gorham singled home Sarah Williams. UCO got that run back and added another in the top of the third as they Bronchos pulled away with an 8-1 victory.

Kali' Hodson got the start in game two going 2 2/3 innings allowing eight runs, two earned, on seven hits and four strike outs. Lutz came in relief in the third and pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless softball allowing just two hits with three walks while striking out two.

On The Day

Gorham finished with a career day at the dish going 3-for-4 (.750) and the lone RBI. Alana Hester gathered two singles while Myranda Stewart and Kathryn Goins-Osburn also added a single each.

Mitchell finished her day with a 0.00 ERA and an opponent's batting average of .154 with the 3 1/3 innings of work.

Up Next

The Lions will be back in action as they host Northeastern State Sunday for senior day. The senior day recoginition will begin at 12:45 pm with first pitch of the double header set for 1pm.

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Southern signs Siloam Springs golfer

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Men's Golf coach Mike Wheeler has announced the signing of Brandon Coale for the 2015-16 season.

Coale comes for Siloam Springs HS in Siloam Springs, Arkansas where he was a four year starter and letterwinner at the number one position for the Panthers. In 2014, Coale helped lead SSHS to a third place finish in the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) Class 6A. Coale finished fourth place indvidually with a 148 (76-72), one stroke off the individual championship. In his sophomore season he became the only person in history of SSHS to hold the Springdale Invitational title.

Coale was selected by First Tee to play in the Heniz Mentorship program at Shadow Valley Country Club in 2013 and 2014. In 2012, he was selected by First Tee to play in a celebrity fundraiser tournament at the Blessings golf course.

"Brandon is a quality kid with sound fundamentals and a desire to play at the next level. I am looking forward to him joining the squad in the fall," said Coach Wheeler.

Coale plans on majoring in business management and marketing at Southern. He is the son of James Coale and Vida Thomas and has one older brother, Matthew.

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MSSU's Ryan Buerk receives All-MIAA golf honors

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Missouri Southern Men's Golf moved up one spot and senior Ryan Buerk earned All-MIAA honors on the final day of the MIAA Championship.

Southern finished the MIAA Championships in ninth place with a three round total of 965 (344-310-311). Buerk finished in fifth place with a three day total of 227 (79-72-76) as he earned All-MIAA honors. Junior Ethan Hutcheson moved up eight spots on the final day to tie for 26th with a three round 243 (87-78-78) while sophomore Trae Fairchild finished in 43rd with a 248 (88-80-80). Freshman Chas Goines, tied for 47th at 251 (90-80-81) and sophomore Taylor Lansford, 49th at 253 (95-81-77), rounded out the team scores for the Lions.

Central Missouri finished first with a three day total of 897 (310-290-297) with Central Oklahoma coming in second with 924 (315-300-309). Lindenwood finished in third with a three round 943 (323-312-308), Washburn was in fourth with 944 (322-308-314) and Northeastern State rounded out the top five with a 957 (333-315-309). Southwest Baptist was sixth with a total of 960 (328-310-322) followed by Missouri Western with 961 (335-316-310). Lincoln finished in eighth with 964 (325-313-326) then the Lions. Nebraska-Kearney finished in 10th with 973 (327-324-322) and Fort Hays State rounded out the 11 team field with a 985 (348-314-323).

Eric Kline of Central Oklahoma was the individual medalist as he defeated Travis Mays of Central Missouri on the first hole of a playoff. Both finished with a three round 221, 5-over par, score. Two strokes back was Cy Mortiz of Central Missouri for third place and fourth at 9-over 225 was Logan Gray of Central Oklahoma. Buerk rounded out the top five with his 227.

The Lions finished where they started in the conference standings at seventh with 23 points, just seven points back of Missouri Western. Central Missouri, who won the MIAA Tournament, finished in first in the standings with 53 points, two ahead of Central Oklahoma. Northeastern State was third with 42 points, in fourth place was Lindenwood with 38 points, fifth was Washburn with 36 points. Following the Lions was a tie for eighth between Nebraska-Kearney and Southwest Baptist with 17 points, Lincoln finished in 10th with 13 points and Fort Hays State was 11th with 10 points.

Travis Mays of Central Missouri earned Golfer of the Year as he finished the four MIAA events with 46.5 points. Missouri Southern's Buerk finished ninth, earning All-MIAA honors, with 21.333 points for the conference season. While Hutcheson finished in the top 25 for the MIAA season with 7 points.

Central Missouri earned the MIAA automatic berth into the regionals at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. The Lions along with Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State, and Washburn will have to await the NCAA selection show on Friday April 24 at 3pm on ncaa.com to find out their fates.

Men's All-MIAA Team
Travis Mays, Central Missouri (46.5) Golfer of the Year

Cy Moritz, Central Missouri (42.5)

Sam Migdal, Central Missouri (39.5)

Eric Kline, Central Oklahoma 34

Logan Gray, Central Oklahoma (33.5)

Russ Purser, Central Oklahoma (29.5)

Teddy Jones, Central Missouri (29)

Corbin Adams, Lindenwood (21.5)

Ryan Buerk, Missouri Southern (21.333)

Trey Herman, Fort Hays State (18.5)

Wesley Jackson, Central Oklahoma (17) Freshman of the Year

Alex Springer, Central Missouri (17)

Marc Johnson, Northeastern State (Voted on by coaches)

Ron McHenry, Washburn (Voted on by coaches)

Zack Tucker, Northeastern State (Voted on by coaches)

MIAA Coach of the Year: Tim Poe, Central Missouri

Team Standings (Through 4 events)
1. Central Missouri (53)
2. Central Oklahoma (51)
3. Northeastern State (42)
4. Lindenwood (38)
5. Washburn (36)
6. Missouri Western (30)
7. Missouri Southern (23)
T8. Nebraska-Kearney (17)
T8. Southwest Baptist (17)
10. Lincoln (13)
11. Fort Hays State (10)

Individual Standings (Through 4 events)
Travis Mays, Central Missouri (46.5)

Cy Moritz, Central Missouri (42.5)

Sam Migdal, Central Missouri (39.5)

Eric Kline, Central Oklahoma 34

Logan Gray, Central Oklahoma (33.5)

Russ Purser, Central Oklahoma (29.5)

Teddy Jones, Central Missouri (29)

Corbin Adams, Lindenwood (21.5)

Ryan Buerk, Missouri Southern (21.333)

Trey Herman, Fort Hays State (18.5)

Wesley Jackson, Central Oklahoma (17)

Alex Springer, Central Missouri (17)

Zach Tucker, Northeastern State (15)

Marc Johnson, Northeastern State (15)

Clayton Moles, Southwest Baptist (15)

Brad Hager, Northeastern State (13.5)

Corey Knight, Missouri Western (12)

Ryan Dyck, Lindenwood (11.333)

Ronnie McHenry, Washburn (10)

Brent Williamson, Northeastern State (8)

Ethan Hutcheson, Missouri Southern (7)

Alex Green, Washburn (5.5)

Jeff White, Southwest Baptist (5)

Alexander Hughes, Central Oklahoma (3.5)

Scott Sheldon, Missouri Western (3.5)

Joby Gray, Central Oklahoma (2.5)

Jordan Hecker, Washburn (2)

Garrett Blair, Lindenwood (1.5) 

MSSU's Payton Walker named MIAA Pitcher of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior lefty Payton Walker has been named the MIAA/AstroTurf Pitcher of the Week as announced by the league office today.

Walker threw one of three complete-game shutouts for the Lions this weekend against Lincoln. In his game he allowed just one hit and promptly picked off the runner. He faced the minimum batters in the game, striking out eight and walking none.

Walker and the Lions will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as Southern plays host to Pittsburg State in a double-header at Turner Field. First pitch of the Sate Farm Trophy Series matchup is slated for 3 pm.

MSSU volleyball signs Olathe outside hitter

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern volleyball coach John Napier has announced the signing of Lauren Darby to a national letter of intent to attend Missouri Southern and participate in volleyball beginning in the fall of 2015.

Darby, a 5-10 outside hitter is a native of Olathe, Kan. and she comes to the Lions after a season at Hutchinson Community College. Prior to Hutch, Darby played a year at Arkansas-Fort Smith.

This past season at HCC, Darby helped the Dragoons to a 27-14 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in the Jayhawk Conference. She averaged 2.28 kills per set, while also churning out 0.90 digs per set and 0.32 blocks per set for a total of 335 points on the season, earning honorable mention All-Conference honors.

As a freshman at UAFS, Darby played in nine matches. She recorded five kills, added seven digs and a block.

Darby prepped at Olathe South High School where she played for coach Ken Talcott and the Falcons. She was a team captain and a first-team All-Conference pick as a senior. She was named first-team as a junior and second-team as a sophomore, while also being named a team captain as a freshman. She was also a member of the Academic-Athlete Honor Roll.

Darby is the daughter of David and Kim Darby. Her brother Jake was a basketball player at Newman and UC-Colorado Springs. She is a kinesiology major at Southern.

"Lauren Darby comes here with seasoned performance and proven ability to get results at a high level," Napier said. "Her experience at Hutchison CC and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith will help us out with ball control and increasing our offensive numbers. More importantly, Lauren comes here with a successful academic record. Her previous coaches have nothing but positive things to say about her abilities as a teammate and student. We are looking forward to Lauren's contributions to the 2015 season and beyond."

MSSU women's basketball signs All-American

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Women's Basketball head coach Ronda Hubbard announced the signing of NJCAA D-II All-American Deborah Holcomb.

Holcomb comes to the Lions from St. Louis Community College where she earned first team All-American honors her sophomore season. She was a first-team All-Conference and All-Region pick as a freshman, as well as a sophomore.

A native of Denton, Texas, Holcomb finished second in the nation at the NJCAA D-II level with 25.2 points per game. Holcomb also was the first SLCC player to score 1,000 points as she finished with 1,088 for the Archers. During her two years with SLCC, Holcomb helped lead the Archers to a 40-15 record and two NJCAA Region XVI championship games.

"Deborah is going to have an immediate impact on our team because she is such a prolific scorer. She can shoot the 3, has a great mid-range game, and can finish well to the basket. On top of that she shoots a high percentage at the free throw line. All the facets that made her one of the top scorers in the country and a first team All-American," said Coach Hubbard.

During her sophomore campaign Holcomb shot 45.5 percent (278-611) from the field and finished 16th in the nation in steals with 96. She also averaged 8.2 rebounds per contest, while shooting 71.8 percent (112-156) from the free throw line.

Holcomb prepped at Billy Ryan High School where she was a 2011 graduate and played for coach Moesha Allen. Her sophomore season, Holcomb was an honorable mention All-Conference selection, while also being named Newcomer of the Year. She was a first-team All-District pick as a senior.

"Aside from the obvious talent she has, Deb is really driven and a real competitor," Hubbard said. "It was clear early on in the recruiting of her that she is a very special breed that hates to lose and will do anything she needs to, to help her team succeed. Deb is a complete player. Great defender and rebounder as well. I am confident that with her great work ethic, she will quickly become one of the better guards in the MIAA."

MSSU softball loses two to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Softball dropped a pair of MIAA games, 6-4 and 11-0 (5 inn) to Central Missouri Monday evening at Lea Kungle Field.

Game One

Central Missouri took the early 3-0 lead as they pushed across three runs, one earned, in the top of the first. The Lions would get two back in the bottom of the second as Kathryn Goins-Osburn led off with a single through the left side and advanced to third on Michala Wood's double off the center field wall. Both Goins-Osburn and Wood would score on Dru Coleman's double to left to cut the Jennies lead to 3-2.

Southern would add two more runs in the home half of the third to take a 4-3 lead as Alana Hester had a one out single up the middle and scored on Myranda Stewart's double to right center. Stewart tagged and advanced to third on Goins-Osburn's long fly ball to the UCM right fielder and scored on Brooke Swadley's single that hit the third base bag.

Central Missouri scored three runs in the top of the seventh to steal a 6-4 win from the Lions.

Kali' Hodson got the start for Southern and went seven innings allowing six runs, three earned, on 11 hits with three walks.

Game Two

Just like the first game UCM scored three runs to start the game as they went on for an 11-0 win in five innings. Southern managed just four hits, a singles from Hester, Swadley, and Sarah Williams and a double from Stewart.

Ashley Lutz got the start for the Lions and suffered the loss with three innings of work allowing seven runs, all earned, on six hits with four strike outs. Shelby Mitchell pitched two innings of relief allowing four runs, all earned, on ten hits with two strike outs.

On The Day

Wood led Southern's offensive attack going 2-for-4 on the day with a double. Swadley, Williams, and Stewart all finished 2-for-5 (.400) on the day and Stewart collected two of the four doubles for the Lions.

Up Next

Southern will host Central Oklahoma for a MIAA doubleheader on Friday April 24. First pitch from Lea Kungle Field is scheduled for 4pm.

MSSU's Buerk tied for fourth at MIAA Golf Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Men's Golf team continued their improvement from the second half of day one as they carded a 310 on day 2 of the MAA Championships.

Senior Ryan Buerk is still leading the charge for the Lions as he moved up eight spots into a tie for fourth at 7-over, just four shots out of the lead. Junior Ethan Hutcheson carded a 6-over round two and moved up six spots into a tie for 34th. Sophomore Trae Fairchild improved his score by eight strokes on day two but stayed in a tie for 43rd; while freshman Chas Goines took 10 strokes off his day one total as he sits alone in 48th. SophomoreTaylor Lansford also improved on his day one score cutting 14 strokes off as he moved up two spots into 51st.

The Lions stayed in 10th as a team despite the fourth best round score of 310. Central Missouri continued their dominance with a 290 day 2 total for a total score of 600. UCO sits in second with a 615 (315-300), next is Washburn with 630 (322-308), and Lindenwood rounds out the top four at 635 (323-312). Tied for fifth place is Southwest Baptist (328-310) and Lincoln (325-313) at 638. Northeastern State sits in seventh with at 648 (333-315) followed by Missouri Western (335-316) and Nebraska-Kearney (327-324) tied for eighth at 651. The Lions are tenth with a two day total of 654 and Fort Hays State rounds out the 11 team field with a 662 (348-314).

Southern will be paired with Fort Hays State for the third and final round of the MIAA Championships as they start on the back nine with the first player's tee time at 8:30 am.

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MSSU center fielder finalist for Player of the Year Award

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior center fielder Chris Hoffman has been named a finalist for the Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year Award.

The award is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez. Martinez was a three-time All-American and still holds a number of UT records including career home runs (54), career slugging percentage (.736), career on base percentage (.494), single season batting average (.452) and single season slugging percentage (.957).

Hoffman, a 6-1 native of Lake Villa, Ill, is in his first season with the Lions. He is currently leading the team with a .440 batting average, 45 runs scored, 66 hits, 11 doubles, three doubles, 15 stolen bases and a .500 on base percentage. He is second on the team with seven home runs and 36 RBis.

Hoffman has 22 multiple hit games this year and has had seven multiple RBI games. He is tied for the team lead with an 11-game hitting streak from earlier in the season and has helped lead the Lions to a 31-9 record and first place in the MIAA with a 22-5 conference record.

Hoffman ranks 16th nationally in batting average and second in the MIAA. He is 21st in hits nationally and second in the MIAA, while ranking second in the MIAA in on base percentage, sixth in runs scored, fifth in total bases and seventh in triples and slugging percentage.

MSSU baseball completes four-game sweep of Lincoln

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 17th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team completed the four-game sweep of visiting Lincoln Sunday as the Lions took out the Blue Tigers 4-2 in front of a good crowd at Turner Field.

Southern (32-9, 23-5 MIAA) saw an outstanding game from starting pitcher Chris Hoffman. Pitching for just the second time in the last month, Hoffman went eight innings, striking out eight, while allowing just one run and two hits.

Lincoln (3-39, 1-27 MIAA) went on top first with a run in the first inning.

The Lions answered back with a run in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Axel Johnson hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Jesse Rall and Jon Davis had a bases-loaded walk to drive in Mitchell Osburnin the fifth.

Robbe Ewing scored on a wild pitch in the sixth and Ewing added an RBI single to left field in the seventh, scoring Tee Helsel.

The Blue Tigers scored a run in the ninth before Nick Pettus shut the door for his third save of the year.

Hoffman moved to 3-1 on the season and Kanon Hoover threw two thirds of an inning in the ninth, as well.

Ewing went 2-3 with a run and an RBI, while Richie Gorski, Rall, Helsel, Chad Shannon and Osburn had a hit each.

The Lions were scheduled to play a non-conference game against Emporia State on Tuesday, but that game has been cancelled. Southern will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon with a State Farm Trophy Series double-header against Pittsburg State. First pitch from Turner field will be at 3 pm.

MSSU women's track competes in two events over weekend

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team competed at both Missouri S&T and Central Missouri this weekend.

At S&T, Melanie Bower had one of three wins for the Lions. She took home the title in the pole vault with a new personal best of 12-08.00. That mark is a provisional height that is the third-best all-time in the history of MSSU and ranks fifth-best in Division II this season. Ashleigh McFarland finished third in the event with a height of 11-08.

In the long jump, Brittani Reagan took home the title with a provisional distance of 19-04.00. Kaylee Morganplaced second, while Allie Heckemeyer and Shelby Newell placing 8th and 9th and Sierra Barrett was 14th.

Sierra Gray won the 3k in a time of 11:24.11, a new personal best for her. In other action, Traci Walker andDestiny Akannam finished ninth and 11th in the 200m dash, while Ronise Miller was 16th.

Dora Eastin placed second in both the 800m and 1,500m, while Cora Butcher-Spellman was 13th in the 800m and Addie Mengwasser was 6th in the 1,500m. Kelly Jo Roberts ws 12th in the 1,500m, while Spellman andSierra Wells placed 15th and 16th.

Miranda Hill was third in the 3k, while Shelby Werner and Kaitlin Eibl placed 7th and 8th and Sydney Pottsplaced 4th in the 400m hurdles. Shelby Sutherland was third in the high jump, while Kylee Hulsey and Heckemeyer placed 5th and 6th.

Shelby Newell and Mahogany Jones placed 3rd and 6th in the triple jump, while Morgan and Heckemeyer placed 9th and 13th in the shot put.

The Lions sent a group of throwers to Central Missouri, as well. Jenson Maydew placed 7th in the shot put, while Katie Skelton and Alexis Acklin placed 11th and 12th.

Allie Webb was 6th in the discus, while Victoria Foley was 8th, Skelton was 10th and Maydew placed 17th. Foley was 5th in the hammer.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern plays host to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The meet is scheduled to take place on Friday.

MSSU men's 400 relay breaks school record again

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's 400m relay team broke the school record for the second-straight week as the Lions competed at four separate events this week.

Andrew Webster was the lone competitor at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University earlier in the week. He finished 39th with a time of 14:52.

A small group of athletes also competed at the KU Relays on Friday. Darion Boure placed fifth in the triple jump, leaping to a provisional distance of 49-03.00. Kennan Harrison was 12th in a distance of 46-11.

Derek Webb was fifth in the javelin with a provisional distance of 198-04, while Zach Williams placed 13th.Brady Melugin was sixth in the pole vault, while Raymond Woldtvedt placed seventh.

At Central Missouri, Bryan Burns and Tyler Hovey placed 5th and 6th with provisional marks in the shot put. Burns threw a distance of 53-06.25 and Hovey had a mark of 53-03. Burns was second in the discus with a provisional mark of 170 feet, while Nicklas Polizzi placed third in a distance of 169-09. Burns and Poizzi placed 6th and 7th in the hammer throw, with Burns picking up a provisional distance of 178-01. Mitchell Hilger was third in the javelin.

At Missouri S&T, Jeff Fraley helped lead the charge for the Lions. He was the top qualifier in the 100m dash, with a provisional time of 10.41. The mark ranks 9th in Division II and is tied for seventh-best all-time in MSSU history.

Erron Holley qualified third in the 100m, while Desmond Williams was seventh. Neither Fraley or Holley raced in the finals, but Williams finished third in the event.

The 4x100m relay team of Allen, Holley, Williams and Fraley set the school record for the event for the second-straight week. They finished with a time of 40.54, .02 in front of the time the team ran last week. The mark is a provisional time and ranks seventh nationally.

Holley was second in the 200m dash, while Thomas Hawkins, Sam Kohrs and Anthony Price placed 2nd, 4th and 6th in the 400m. Tom Zeilman was 4th in the 800m, while Ben Southwick placed 18th. Southwick was third in the 1,500m, while Jacob Coffman won the 3k in a time of 9:11.28. The time is 14 seconds in front of his previous best.

Allen placed 3rd in the 110m hurdles with a provisional time of 14.53, while Nathan Henry and Colton Wooldridge placed 1st and 2nd in the 3k steeple chase. Jayce Thomas finished sixth in the high jump, whileMorgan Hold was fourth in the pole vault with a provisional height of 16-03.25.

Williams was fourth in the long jump, while Jacob Rowe and Boure placed 6th and 9th and Harrison was 17th. Boure won the triple jump with a provisional distance of 49-07.00. Harrison placed third.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern plays host to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The meet is scheduled to take place on Friday.