Missouri Southern spring football practice begins

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern football team opened spring practice Wednesday inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

The Lions will have 15 practices with the complete schedule below. Weekday practices will begin at 3:30 p.m. with Saturday practices beginning at 10 a.m.

Fans, as always, are welcome to view the practices anytime. Start times and dates are subject to change, however, as weather permits.

2018 Football Spring Schedule 

Monday, April 2 - 3:30 pm
Wednesday, April 4 - 3:30 pm
Friday, April 6 - 3:30 pm
Saturday, April 7 - 10 am
Monday, April 9 - 3:30 pm
Wednesday, April 11 - 3:30 pm
Friday, April 13 - 3:30 pm
Saturday, April 14 - 10 am
Monday, April 16 - 3:30 pm
Wednesday, April 18 - 3:30 pm
Friday, April 20 - 3:30 pm
Saturday, April 21 - 10 am

MSSU golf finishes 12th at St. Edwards Invitational

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Austin, Texas -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team improved its team total by three strokes and finished 12th overall at the St. Edward's Invitational today hosted at Onion Creek Country Club.

Logan Greer finished with a three-day total of 224 and tied for 35th individually. Tristan Haltom was tied for 39th at 225, while Connor Neil finished with a 229. Taylor Haltom shot a 230 and Grant Sikes finished with a 241.

Cameron won the team title with a three-day total of 864, one stroke in front of St. Edward's which shot a 865. Western New Mexico was third, followed by West Texas A&M and Regis to round out the top five.

Oklahoma Christian was sixth followed by Rogers State, Dallas Baptist, UT-Permian Basin, Fort Lewis, Texas A&M International and Southern.

The Lions will be back in action next week when the Lions travel to Mountain Home, Ark. to compete in the Henderson State Invitational at Big Creek Golf Club. Action will take place on April 2-3.

MSSU's C. J. Carr named honorable mention All-American

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Already a two-time All-Region selection, CJ Carr has been named an honorable mention All-American pick by the Division II Bulletin today.

Carr was named a first-team All-MIAA and first-team All-Region selection by the NABC and the Conference Commissioner's Association, as well as a member of the MIAA All-Defensive Team this year.

This season, Carr led the MIAA in steals and assists, while ranking fifth in scoring and second in minutes. He also ranks 17th nationally in steals and 19th in assists per game. Carr averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds 2.2 steals and 6.0 assists per game.

A two-time All-MIAA player, Carr finished his career with 1,111 points and moves up the all-time scoring ladder in MSSU history into 14th place. His point total is the third-most points scored in MSSU history by a two-year player (Taevaunn Prince, 1,303 - Marvin Townsend, 1,167).

Carr is one of three players from the MIAA on the All-Ameican team, joining Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri (first-team) and Brady Skeens of Washburn (Honorable Mention). The complete list of the All-American team is in the story links above.

Spring Table Tennis Tournament set at Memorial Hall in Joplin

(From the City of Joplin)

This year’s Spring Table Tennis Tournament is a two-day event, encouraging novice players to participate on the first day. Scheduled for Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, Tournament Director Janus Lazarus is hoping to get more players involved by offering the novice divisions on Friday, April 13. The second day, April 14, will offer a tournament event for all ages.

“My goal for the upcoming tournament is to broaden participation to Novice Seniors and Novice Juniors,” he said. “I would like to invite seniors and juniors who play in their basement or other places to experience a real table tennis tournament.”

The Novice Senior division is for those over the age of 50 and the Novice Junior group is for players under the age of 18. By increasing the number of players, Lazarus is hoping to help the Club reach their goal of buying a robot. Cost estimates of the robot is $1,800. It would be used to improve the skill of their players.

An Exhibition City Challenge will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 14, as members of the City Council play against staff from the Park & Recreation Department.

The tournament will be held at Memorial Hall, 212 W. 8th Street in Joplin. This non-sanctioned tournament will follow USA Table Tennis (USATT) rules and regulations. The tournament is organized by the Joplin Table Tennis Club (JTTC), which was established in 2014.

“Generous support from our sponsors and team’s hard work made our sanctioned tournament in November 2017 a success,” he said. “There were over 40 players from Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas compete in the tournament to get the $750 prize award.

Admission is free of charge to spectators. For more information, please call 417-319-1441 or email joplinttclub@gmail.com.

Late runs lift Missouri Western to 7-5 win over MSSU

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

St. Joseph, Mo. -- Missouri Western scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Griffons over the 25th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team, 7-5  Friday night in game one of the series.

The Lions (19-10, 7-8 MIAA) got a 2-for-3 day at the plate from Alec Alvarez as he drove in two and scored twice. Mike Million went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI, while Johnny Balsamo, Dan Lenz and Denver Coffee had a hit each. Balsamo and Cory Canterbury had a run each.

Corbin Osburn started and went six and two thirds of an inning, allowing three earned runs and striking out eight, while walking just two. Cam Bednar threw two thirds of an inning, allowing two runs, one earned, and got saddled with the loss to move to 2-1 on the season. Logan VanWey threw two thirds of an inning strking out one.

Western (15-13, 8-7 MIAA) got two hits each from Fahd Shakeel and Maurice Bruce.

The Lions got on top first with a run in the second after an RBI from Million, scoring Alvarez. Western added two in the second to go up 2-1, but the Lions answered with two more in the third to lead 3-2. Alvarez had a two-RBI single to fuel the inning.

After the Griffons added two more in the bottom of the third, Southern added two more in the sixth on RBIs from Lens and Coffee to go up 5-4.

Western tied it at five in the bottom of the sixth and scored two go-ahead runs in the eighth that proved to be the game-winner.

The two teams will be back in action Saturday evening with first pitch coming at 5 pm.

Cardinals sign all-star closer Greg Holland, trade for minor league all-star pitcher

(From the St. Louis Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have signed free-agent right-handed relief pitcher Greg Holland to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Holland, 32, pitched for the National League Wild Card-qualifying Colorado Rockies in 2017 after spending his first six Major League seasons with the Kansas City Royals (2010-15). The three-time All-Star saved 41 games in 2017, tied with the Dodgers Kenley Jansen for the National League lead and he tied the Rockies franchise single-season saves record (Jose Jimenez – 2002).

Holland has a career record of 21-18 with a 2.60 ERA in 370 career appearances covering 377.0 innings with 500 strikeouts. He has converted 186 saves in 206 opportunities and ranks 4th among MLB relievers in save percentage (90.3%) since 2010.

In 2017, Holland was named National League Comeback Player of the Year and also earned National League Relief Pitcher of the Month for April and May converting 19 of 19 saves and his first 23 saves, not recording a blown save until June 15.

Holland will wear uniform No. 56 and Bullpen Coach Bryan Eversgerd will change to No. 72.

Cardinals Acquire RHP Casey Meisner from A’s for Josh Lucas

The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired right-handed pitcher Casey Meisner (MIZE-ner) from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Josh Lucas.

The 6-foot-7 hurler is a two-time minor league All-Star, once in the South Atlantic League in 2015 and again in the hitter-friendly California League in 2017. He finished the 2017 season with Midland (AA) of the Texas League.

Over a five-year minor league career, Meisner has compiled a 30-34 record with 3.66 ERA over 85 career starts (104 appearances) covering 491.2 innings pitched with 425 strikeouts.

Meisner will be assigned to Springfield (AA).

MSSU athletes represented on MIAA's Winter Academic Awards list

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The MIAA has announced its Winter Academic Awards and the Missouri Southern Athletic Department is represented by several on the list.

Seven student-athletes earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award. The Award is earned by achieving a cumulative grade point average of 4.00 or better at the certifying institution. The student-athletes with this honor must also have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying institution (excluding summer terms).

Three student-athletes earned the Scholar-Athlete Award. To earn the Scholar-Athlete Award, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50, have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying institution (excluding summer terms), and, if competing in a championship sport of the MIAA, earn All-MIAA honors. If competing in a sport without an MIAA championship, the student-athlete must either be selected to an All-Region/District team in a team sport, or qualify for the national meet in an individual sport.

The complete lists are below.

Academic Excellence Award

Allie Heckemeyer MSSU WTF Sr. 4.00 Kinesiology St. Elizabeth, Mo.
Gabriel Hill MSSU WTF So. 4.00 Biology Camdenton, Mo.
Kristen Koch MSSU WTF So. 4.00 Biology Harrisonville, Mo.
Rachel Ray MSSU WTF Jr. 4.00 Kinesiology Alma, Ark.
Katie Skelton MSSU WTF Sr. 4.00 Biology Ash Grove, Mo.
Ryan Drendrel MSSU MTF Jr. 4.00 Education Naperville, Ill.
Kyle Parr MSSU MTF So. 4.00 Physics Rossville, Kan.

Scholar-Athlete Award

Chelsey Henry MSSU WBB Jr. 3.719 Marketing Management Neosho, Mo.
Matt Willis MSSU MTF Sr. 3.874 Education Newton, Kan.
Allie Heckemeyer MSSU WTF Sr. 4.00 Kinesiology, St. Elizabeth, Mo.

Patty Vavra inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Springfield, Mo. -- Former Missouri Southern women's track and field and cross country coach Patty Vavra, as well as the Missouri Southern women's track and field and cross country programs will both be inducted today into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as part of the organization's Women's Sports Luncheon.

The event, which is sponsored by the Bee Payne Stewart Foundation and presented by Central Bank and Central Trust is held at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield.

Vavra coached the women's track and field and cross country programs at MSSU for 22 seasons, guiding 43 individuals who earned more than 80 track and field All-American and 10 cross country All-American honors. She earned 12 Coach of the Year honors from the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association).

Under her guidance, the 2009 cross country team won the NCAA Regional, its third consecutive, and placed third at the NCAA Division II national championships. In 2007-2008, the MSSU women's cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams combined to win the MIAA Triple Crown. Overall, Vavra's cross country teams won seven MIAA championships, while indoor track won two conference titles, and the outdoor team won it all three times. Previously, Vavra coached Carthage High School, guiding two individual state champions.

The women's track & field program has enjoyed numerous successes throughout its history. The indoor team won the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) in 2004 and 2008, while the outdoor team won the MIAA in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since 1994, the program has produced four national champions and more than 100 All-Americans.

The women's cross country program has long produced memorable moments and athletes. Since 1994, it has produced 10 All-Americans and 35 All-Regional performers as well as four MIAA champions. The program's 2007, 2008 and 2009 teams won an NCAA Division II Regional, with the 2009 team placing third at the NCAA D-II Championships. Additionally, the Lions have won the MIAA Title seven times (1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014).

Vavra and the women's program will join Jacquie Dowdy, who earns the President's Award, as well as the Diamond High School Volleyball Program, Central High School and Drury University swimmer Michelle Langsford Dickemann, former Eldon High School and Camdenton High School volleyball coach Ann Gulshen, and longtime Missouri State Lady Bears basketball assistant Lynette Robinson.

Carl Junction, Sarcoxie, Lamar archers fare well at state tournament

(From the Missouri Department of Conservation)

The tenth annual Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP) state tournament held March 23-24 in Branson drew 3,132 student archers in grades 4-12 from a record setting 140 schools across the state. Winning teams and individuals, along with other teams and individuals who had qualifying scores, will go on to compete in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) tournament in Louisville, Ky., on May 10-12.

MDC’s Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who coordinates MoNASP, said this year’s tournament was the largest one ever.

“To put the size of the state tournament in perspective if you laid every arrow end-to-end that was shot at the tournament, they would stretch 111 miles,” Edwards said.

MoNASP is coordinated through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri in partnership with 670 participating schools and numerous supporting organizations throughout the state. More than 185,000 Missouri students in grades 4-12 participate in MoNASP.

 “The growth of the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program has been tremendous over the past couple years and this surge has led students outdoors with their families to participate in this lifetime sport,” said Edwards. “Many local conservation groups and civic organizations are also volunteering to help support MoNASP in their communities. Students are connecting with family members, coaches, and teachers through archery. This connection and confidence gained through archery will spread into other parts of their lives.”

Edwards noted this year’s MoNASP state archery tournament, hosted by MDC and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, drew more than 10,000 spectators.

Top Tournament Scores

“It seems like I say this every year, but I’m so impressed with the scores this year,” he said. “Each year the scores just get better and better. Missouri students have a very strong chance at making the podium at nationals in May.”

The top overall archers this year include Norwood R-1 sophomore Savannah Sadler, who shot an impressive score of 295 out of 300. Top overall male archer was Helias High School’s sophomore Jacob Wankum, who shot an impressive score of 292 out of 300. 

George Guffey Elementary once again continued its dominance by winning the team division again this year.

“Congratulations to George Guffey Elementary for winning their team division in elementary for the tenth straight year,” Edwards said. “We have had ten state tournaments and they’ve won every one of them, which is a tremendous achievement.”

Other team and individual winners from this year’s MoNASP state bullseye archery tournament include:

High School Division

1st: Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro

2nd: Carl Junction High School, Carl Junction

3rd: Sarcoxie High School, Sarcoxie

Middle School Division

1st: Carl Junction Middle School, Carl Junction

2nd: Sarcoxie Middle School, Sarcoxie

3rd: Hillsboro Junior High School, Hillsboro

Elementary School Division

1st: George Guffey Elementary School, Fenton

2nd: Lamar Elementary, Lamar

3rd: Sarcoxie Elementary, Sarcoxie

Individual High School Males

1st: Jacob Wankum, Helias High School

2nd: Donald Holupka Hillsboro High School

3rd: Logan Ems, St. Clair High School

4th: Blake Stark, Clinton High School

5th: Andrew Hasenbeck, Helias High School

Individual High School Females

1st: Savanna Sadler, Norwood R-1 High School

2nd: Frankie Goforth, Carl Junction High School

3rd: Brooklynn Weis, Jefferson City High School

4th: Kamryn Twehus, Blair Oaks High School

5th: Madison Genge, Hillsboro High School

Individual Middle School Males

1st: Peyton Willeford, Hillsboro Junior High 

2nd: Jackson Miller, Summit Lakes Middle

3rd: Elijah Buntin, Carl Junction Middle

4th: Stetson Wiss, Lamar Middle

5th: Caden Clough, St. George Catholic

Individual Middle School Females

1st: Liberty Lyon, Our Lady of the Presentation

2nd: Ally Nordell, Sarcoxie R-2

3rd: Mariana Nelson, Carl Junction Middle

4th: Jocelyn Scheppers, Trinity Lutheran

5th: Olivia Hohler, Carl Junction Middle

Individual Elementary School Males

1st: Chris Lara, Sarcoxie

2nd: Ethan Mazzola, George Guffey Elementary

3rd: Mac Klouzek, St. George

4th: Bridger Markway, St. Stanislaus

5th: Koen Littlejohn, Lamar

Individual Elementary School Females

1st: Paige Kelley, George Guffey Elementary

2nd: Lilly Sargent, Carl Junction

3rd: Kynlee McCulloch, Lamar

4th: Renee Berkey, Immaculate Conception Jefferson City

5th: Jessie Jiang, George Guffey Elementary

For complete MoNASP state bullseye tournament scores go to: https://nasptournaments.org/TournamentDetail.aspx?tid=3361.

MoNASP 3D state tournament team and individual winners include:

High School Division

1st: Carl Junction High School, Carl Junction

2nd: Sarcoxie High School, Sarcoxie

3rd: Lee’s Summit West High School, Lee’s Summit

Middle School Division

1st: St. Stanislaus, Wardsville

2nd: Carl Junction Middle School, Carl Junction

3rd: Sarcoxie Middle School, Sarcoxie

Elementary School Division

1st: Compass Elementary, Platte City

2nd: Lamar Elementary, Lamar

3rd: Sarcoxie Elementary, Sarcoxie

Individual High School Males

1st: Donald Holupka, Hillsboro High School

2nd: James Filbeck, Carthage High School

3rd: Jacob Winslow, Lee’s Summit West High School

4th: Garret Wright, Fox High School

5th: Cayden Kinter, Helias High School

Individual High School Females

1st: Micah Edwards, Sarcoxie High School

2nd: Frankie Goforth, Carl Junction High School

3rd: Sophia Holupka, Hillsboro High School

4th: Coral Corbin, Carl Junction High School

5th: Kamryn Twehus, Blair Oaks High School

Individual Middle School Males

1st: Jackson Sargent, Carl Junction Middle School

2nd: William Herrbold, St. Stanislaus

3rd: Michael Kloeppel, St. Joseph Catholic Westphalia

4th: Ethan Lubbering, St. Thomas the Apostle

5th: Elijah Bruemmer, St. Stanislaus

Individual Middle School Females

1st: Olivia Hohler, Carl Junction Middle School

2nd: Alyssa Willis, Sarcoxie Middle School

3rd: Ally Nordell, Sarcoxie Middle School

4th: Mariana Nelson, Carl Junction Middle School

5th: Haili Barton, Spokane Middle School

Individual Elementary School Males

1st: Porter Campbell, Compass Elementary

2nd: Bridger Markway, St. Stanislaus

3rd: Koen Littlejohn, Lamar Elementary

4th: Chris Lara, Sarcoxie Elementary School

5th: Gfiffon Talken, Saint Francis Xavier

Individual Elementary School Females

1st: Kynlee McCulloch, Lamar Elementary

2nd: Donna Rodebush, Lamar Elementary

3rd: Lilly Sargent, Carl Junction Elementary School

4th: Lauren Brooks, Sarcoxie Elementary School

5th: Alexis Medina, Carl Junction Elementary School

For complete MoNASP 3d state tournament results go to: https://nasptournaments.org/TournamentDetail.aspx?tid=3360.

MoNASP is an affiliate of NASP and promotes education, self-esteem, and physical activity. Since NASP’S beginnings in 2002, more than 10 million students have participated in the program through 10,000 schools in 47 states and 10 countries.

For more information on MoNASP, visit mdc.mo.gov/monasp. 

MSSU softball sweeps doubleheader from Southwest Baptist

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Bolivar, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team outscored the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 12-3 in a doubleheader sweep by winning game one 4-1 and then capping off the day with a game-two 8-2 victory inside the SBU Softball Field Wednesday afternoon.

Game One
Lead-off hitter Abi Corbett reached on a third-strike wild pitch and then stole second base to put herself in scoring position. Teammate Elizabeth Windsor grounded out to the right side, leading Corbett to advance to third, which allowed three-hole hitter Shelby Friend to lift one toward right field deep enough to bring Corbett home for the first run of the game (1-0).

The Lions' (16-20) added a couple of insurance runs as MIAA Co-Hitter of the Week, Shelby Friend, knocked in two RBIs from a single to centerfield to extend the lead to three (4-1).

They were able to manufacture base runners and put pressure on the Bearcats' defense towards four runs scored on only three hits in the first game on the day.

Freshman pitcher Natalie Hamm gets her fifth win and fourth complete game of the season (5-4) after allowing only one run on four hits, while striking out seven batters.

Game Two
Southern capitalized in the second inning from a Windsor double into the left-center field gap to score two runs followed up with a Friend RBI-single, both with two outs on the board, to lead 3-0 at the completion of two.

The squad scored two more runs in the third after the shortstop dropped a pop-fly ball, which would have been the third out recorded. 

SBU (12-19) finally got on the board in the bottom half of the third on a double and cut the lead to 5-1. Both teams added a run in the fourth, but the Lions kept the offense going with a run in the sixth and seventh to close out the first doubleheader of the week in the shape of an 8-2 win.

Junior pitcher Taurean Guzman limited the Bearcats to two runs on six hits in a complete-game performance for her eighth win of the year. 

Corbett, Windsor, and Friend all registered three hits as the one-two-three punch at the top of the lineup. The trio combined for four RBIs and two runs scored. Angel Badalementi added a 2-for-5 line with a run batted in.

Next Up
The Lions continue its six games in three days stretch by matching up with the Fort Hays State Tigers for an 11:00 am start time at Joplin High School.

MSSU baseball posts 4-3 come-from-behind win over Pittsburg State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Pittsburg, Kan -- The 25th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team went down 2-0, but came-from-behind to take out Pittsburg State 4-3 at Al Ortolani Field this afternoon.

The Lions (19-9, 7-7 MIAA) got a 3-for-4 day at the plate from Alex Phillips as he added an RBI. Cory Canterburywent 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Denver Coffee added two hits. Johnny Balsamo had a hit, a run and an RBI, while Alec Alvarez drove in a run.

Corey Cowan started and went four innings, striking out three, while allowing three runs. Joey Reeves pitched the final four innings, allowing just one hit, striking out two and walking none, to move to 2-0 on the season.

Pittsburg State (19-10, 11-6 MIAA) got three hits from Colton Pogue.

The Gorillas scored a run in each of the second and third innings, before the Lions answered back with three in the fifth. Balsamo drove in Dan Lenz for the first run and Canterbury drove in Balsamo on a sacrifice fly. Phillips then doubled home Easton Fortuna for the third run of the inning.

PSU tied it at three in the bottom of the fifth before the Lions got the go-ahead run in the seventh on an RBI from Alvarez.

The Lions will be back in action this weekend, playing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Missouri Western.

Schedule for Missouri Southern women's basketball camps released

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Head coach Ronnie Ressel and the Missouri Southern Women's Basketball summer camps are back with four different opportunities to learn the fundamentals and take your game to the next level.

The camp season tips off with the Lion Spring Fling & Shooting camps on April 14th before taking a month to prepare for a stretch of three more full of day and overnight fun throughout June.

To register you can click on the link www.mssuwomensbasketballcamps.com and find all camp dates, times, and key information. For further info, you can also get ahold of the staff at 417-625-9613.

A list of the full schedule is below with all of them being held inside the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center on the campus of Missouri Southern.

Camps:
Lion Spring Fling & Shooting Camp | April 14th |4th - 8th graders
Check in: 8:30 am
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Check in: 12:30 pm
Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

High School Elite Camp | June 18th & 19th | 9th - 12th graders
Check in: 12:00 pm (18th)
Check out: 12:00 pm (19th)

Team Camp | June 19th - 21st | Varsity, JV, Freshman, and Junior High teams
Check in: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (19th)
Check out: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm (21st)

Young Players Camp | June 25th - 27th | 4th - 8th graders
Check in: 8:30 am each morning
Check out: 12:00 pm each afternoon

MSSU softball games moved to Joplin High School

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Due to pending weather conditions, the Missouri Southern softball squad will play its pair of MIAA contests against Fort Hayes State and Nebraska-Kearney at Joplin High School, beginning on Thursday.

The Lions battle FHS on Thursday as game one leads off at 11:00 am with game two to follow at 1:00 pm. They continue on to face UNK at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Friday set for the same location.

Stay tuned to www.mssulions.com for any further changes should they occur.

Southern hits the road to play the Southwest Baptist Bearcats tomorrow in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 pm.

MSSU softball doubleheader rescheduled for Wednesday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Because of possible weather issues hitting the Bolivar/Joplin area tomorrow afternoon, the softball team's MIAA doubleheader with the Southwest Baptist Bearcats has been rescheduled for Wednesday.

The times for each game remain the same as game one will start promptly at 1:00 pm, followed by game two at 3:00 pm.

Stay tuned to www.mssulions.com for any further changes should they occur.

MSSU golf in 12th place after day one of St. Edwards Invitational

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Austin, Texas -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team sits in 12th after day one of the 2018 St. Edward's Invitational, held at Onion Creek Country Club.

Tristan Haltom paced the way for the Lions who had a team total of 303 in each of the two 18-hole rounds played today.

Tristan Haltom shot a first-round 75 and a second-round 73 to finish tied for 22nd at 148 for the first day. Logan Greer shot a 78 in round one, but improved to fire a 71 in round two to finish tied for 29th with a 149.

Taylor Haltom finished tied for 51st at 154, while Connor Neil shot a 156 and Grant Sikes shot a 162.

Cameron holds the day one team lead after shooting a nine-over total of 577. St. Edward's is second, just one shot back, while Western New Mexico, Oklahoma Christian and West Texas A&M round out the top five.

Dallas Baptist was sixth, followed by Fort Lewis, Regis, Texas-Permian Basin, Rogers State, Texas A&M International and Southern to round out the team totals.

A final round of 18 will be played tomorrow to determine the tournament champion.

MSSU's Akannam, Presley named MIAA Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kansas City, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern women's track and field team swept the MIAA weekly awards as Destiny Akannam and Emily Presley were named the MIAA Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced today.

Akannam, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., took home first place in the 400m dash at the 2018 Texas-Arlington Bobby Layne Invitational this past weekend. She hit a provisional time of 55.56, which beat out ten other Division I Athletes. Akannam's mark ranks third nationally so far this season and is tops in the MIAA. She was also part of a fifth-place 4x100m relay team for the Lions.

Presley, a junior from St. Clair, Mo., and the reigning Division II Indoor and Outdoor National Champion in the pole vault, posted a win in her first outdoor event of the season at the Texas - Arlington Bobby Layne Invitational this past weekend. Presley, posted a provisional height of 13-03.50, just two centimeters off of an NCAA Automatic Qualifying mark. She defeated three Division I Athletes in the event. Her mark is tops in Division II so far this season by nearly a foot.

Phillips 10th inning single lifts MSSU baseball to 1-0 win over Emporia State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

An RBI single from Alex Phillips in the bottom of the tenth inning helped lift the 20th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team over Emporia State, 1-0 today at Warren Turner Field in Joplin.

The Lions (18-9, 6-7 MIAA) got a stellar start from freshman Zac Shoemaker who went nine innings, holding the Hornets scoreless and striking out seven, while walking just two. Cam Bednar pitched a perfect tenth inning to get the win and move to 2-0 on the season.

Easton Fortuna, Cory Canterbury, Phillips and Alec Alvarez had a hit each, while Johnny Balsamo scored the game-winning run.

The Hornets (15-11, 6-7 MIAA) got a solid start from Max Simpson, who held the Lions to just one hit over six and two thirds of an inning. Nathan Geiber pitched the final three innings and got saddled with the loss to move to 0-2 on the year.

The game was scoreless until the tenth when Balsamo reached on an error by the shortstop. Kearon Redmonwalked to follow and after a fly out, Phillips singled deep to the hole in the right side and despite the second baseman stopping the ball from reaching the outfield, Balsamo's hustled home for the winning run.

The Lions will play at Pittsburg State this Tuesday night at 6 pm.

MSSU golf team headed to Austin

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's golf team will travel to Austin, Texas on Monday and Tuesday as the Lions compete in the St. Edward's Invitational at Onion Creek Country Club.

The Lions will be one of 13 teams competing in the tournament, joining host St. Edward's, Rogers State, Texas A&M International, Texas-Permian Basin, Western New Mexico, Dallas Baptist, Regis, Texas State, Oklahoma Christian, Fort Lewis, West Texas A&M and Cameron.

The Lions are coming off of a 12th place finish at Central Oklahoma this past week where Connor Neil finished tied for 12th individually. Neil will join Tristan Haltom, Taylor Haltom, Grant Sikes and Logan Greer as the travel group.

The teams will play 36 holes on day one and 18 holes on day two. Live results can be found by clicking on the link above in the story links.

MSSU softball sweeps doubleheader from Pittsburg State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern softball team took out visiting Pittsburg State 6-2 in game one, followed by a 4-2 victory to close out the non-conference sweep inside the Pat Lipira Softball Complex Saturday afternoon.

Game One

The Lions (14-20) fell behind 1-0 after a RBI-single by the Gorillas in the first. Then, back-to-back singles by Emily Windsor and Shelby Friend tied and put the Southern ahead by one going into the fourth.

The Gorillas, (13-22) after going quiet in the fourth scored three runs in the fifth to go up two. Once again, the Lions knotted it up at four apiece before first baseman Erika Lutgen smacked a double in the gap to send the go-ahead runs towards home plate and held on for a 6-4 victory in the game one.

Freshman pitcher Natalie Hamm went the distance allowed three earned runs while striking out four.

Lead-off hitter Abi Corbett had a 3-for-4 day at the plate and was responsible for scoring half of the Lions' runs. Windsor put together a 2-for-4 line, knocking in two RBIs and scoring one in the win.

Game Two

Both teams traded runs in the first and then again with PSU scoring in the top of the second and MSSU putting one on the board in the bottom half of the third.

It wouldn't be until the sixth where the Lions plated the game-winner when Corbett ran home on a ground out to second.

Two batters later, Lexi Ferrari flew out for a sacrifice fly and scored Friend as Missouri Southern went on to win 4-2 to sweep the second doubleheader of the weekend.

Junior pitcher Taurean Guzman threw 3 2/3 innings without giving up a run or hit in recording her seventh win of the season. Five batters for the Lions contributed one hit to the winning cause.

Next Up

The Lion are back in action on the road against Southwest Baptist in a MIAA doubleheader on Tuesday, March 27 at 1:00 pm.