MSSU baseball falls 7-2 to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Warrensburg, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team got a home run from Johnny Balsamo and two hits each from Mike Million and Denver Coffee, but the Lions couldn't hold off 23rd ranked Central Missouri and fell to the Mules, 7-2 in MIAA action. 

Southern (23-22, 11-20 MIAA) got a two-run homer from Balsamo to account for both runs. Million and Coffee had a pair of hits each, while Lenz scored a run. Alex Phillips, Lenz and Balsamo had a hit each. 

Corbin Osburn started and went six innings, striking out three, but falling to 4-4 on the season. Bradly Hersheyand Seth Mesey threw an inning in relief each. 

The Mules (31-12, 22-9 MIAA) got home runs from Justin Graff-Rowe, John Fairchild and Harrison Schnurbusch to power the offense. Luke Lucas started and went five and a third to move to 5-1, while Coby Seiz got his third save. 

The Mules got a run in the first, but Southern went ahead 2-1 after Balsamo's blast. 

Central got a run in the third to tie it in the second and went ahead with a run in the fourth which proved to be the game-winner. 

The two teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 2 pm from Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Four MSSU softball players named to All-MIAA team

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)


With the 2018 softball season coming to close, the Missouri Southern Lions had four players slide onto the All-MIAA team released Thursday afternoon.

The Lions were represented by senior outfielder Abi Corbett on the first team, while senior Shelby Friend (SS), sophomore Erika Lutgen (1B), and freshman Natalie Hamm (P) each earned honorable mention.

Corbett competed in all 52 games and recorded 71 hits for first in the MIAA and fourth in the entire Division II softball landscape while also leading the conference in stolen bases (35) as well. On top of grabbing those numbers, the veteran capped off her career first in at-bats (741), hits (270), and stolen bases (107), to go along with a second place showing in games played (216) and runs scored (138) to ink herself into the MSSU softball record books.

Friend completed her career as a Lion by taking second on the team in slugging percentage (.449), RBIs (27), and home runs (2), third in total bases, and fourth in batting average (.323), hits (51), runs scored (23), and doubles (9). The senior's effort earned her Hitter of the Week honors after going an impressive 8-for-12 stand in the team's home-and-home series against rival Pittsburg State.

Lutgen made the start at first base in all but one game in her sophomore season and registered a team-high 15 doubles which tied her for sixth in the NCAA. The second-year player led Southern in five other offensive categories, including slugging percentage (.563), total bases (85), RBIs (33), walks (19), and (home runs (5) all transforming into a .364 batting average for second on the team as well as hits (55).

Hamm as a rookie pitcher closed out the season leading in earned run average (3.02), opponent batting average (.218), strikeouts (107), and games started (24) to close out her first year in the circle.

Below is a full list of the All-MIAA recipients.

2018 All-MIAA Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year- Brenda Holaday, Washburn
Player of the Year- Carrie Abrams, Central Oklahoma
Pitcher of the Year-Megan Deiter, Washburn
Defensive Player of the Year- Shelby Uhl, Missouri Western
Freshman of the Year- Bri Francis, Washburn

2018 All-MIAA First Team
Pitcher- Megan Deiter, Washburn
Pitcher- Claire Miller, Southwest Baptist
Catcher-Kala Holder, Pittsburg State
First Base-Hannah Porter, Lindenwood
Second Base-Kaitlyn Weis, Northwest Missouri
Shortstop- Morgan Heard, Central Oklahoma
Third Base-Savannah Moore, Washburn
Outfield-Carrie Abrams, Central Oklahoma
Outfield-Abi Corbett, Missouri Southern
Outfield-Samantha Stallbaumer, Washburn
Designated Player-Jessica Schuler, Northeastern State
*Utility/Non-Pitcher-Taylor Dames, Central Missouri
*Utility/Non-Pitcher-Sara Breckbill, Fort Hays State
Utility/Pitcher-Stormee Galka, Lindenwood
*denotes tie in voting

2018 All-MIAA Second Team
Pitcher-Jayden Chestnut, Central Oklahoma
Pitcher-Rachel Smith, Northwest Missouri
Catcher-Bri Francis, Washburn
First Base-Danielle Sprinkle, Emporia State
Second Base-Annelise Rockley, Emporia State
Shortstop-Austine Pauley, Lindenwood
Third Base-JoBi Heath, Central Oklahoma
Outfield-Lauryn Deer, Central Missouri
Outfield-Shelby Uhl, Missouri Western
Outfield-Emilee Baker, Washburn
Designated Player-Karli Allen, Northwest Missouri
Utility/Non-Pitcher-Taylor Kirk, Washburn
Utility/Pitcher-Destiny Ojigoh, Emporia State

2018 All-MIAA Honorable Mention
Central Missouri- Alexa Bradley-Pitcher, Katie Giacone-Pitcher, Allie Dishinger-Catcher, Hailey Crabtree-First Base, Alexis Koop-Second Base, Kaitlyn Markin-Shortstop, Emily King-Third Base, Payton Summers-Designated Player
Central Oklahoma-Halley Randolph-Catcher, Carli Jones-First Base, Bailey Thompson-Outfield, Allie Eicher-Designated Player
Emporia State-Kenzie Garvin-Outfield
Fort Hays-Candace Bollig-Third Base, Grace Philop-Outfield, Bailey Boxberger-Designated Player
Lincoln-Jordan Lawson-Outfield
Lindenwood-Megan Clark-Second Base
Missouri Southern- Natalie Hamm-Pitcher, Erika Lutgen - First Base, Shelby Friend-Shortstop
Missouri Western-Kenzie Hilzer-Pitcher, Bekah Mueller-Catcher, Shellby Atwell-First Base
Nebraska Kearney -Sara Sempek-First Base, Cheyenne Hamilton-Third Base, Lex Ray-Outfield, Alexis Howe-Utility/Non-Pitcher, Meg Householder- Utility/Pitcher
Northeastern State - Gail Young-Pitcher, Kyla Ibarra-Catcher, Paige Gann-First Base, Kaleigh Hinkle-Second Base, Kelsey Harmon-Shortstop, Haley Acrey-Third Base, Jessica Boone-Outfield, Sierra Crick-Outfield
Northwest Missouri-Rebecca Maher-Shortstop, Erin Keeney-Third Base, Jaedra Moses-Outfield, Abbi Gilson-Utility/Non-Pitcher
Pittsburg State-Kristen Van Hoosen
Southwest Baptist-Megan Schellert-Second Base, Jaidyn Mawhinney
Washburn - Kelsee Henry-Pitcher, Alyssa Carney-Designated Player

MSSU basketball signs Division I transfer

(From MSSU Lions Athletics)

Missouri Southern head coach Jeff Boschee has announced the signing Division I transfer Cam Martin to complete his 2018 recruiting class.

Martin is a 6-9, 240 pound post that comes to the Lions after a year at Jacksonville State University in the Ohio Valley Conference. Martin helped the Gamecocks to a 23-13 record and a postseason appearance in the College Basketball Insider Tournament.

As a freshman, Martin saw action in 28 games for JSU, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest, while shooting 51 percent from the field and averaging 9.8 minutes per game. He had two double-doubles on the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Austin Peay and a 10-point, 10-rebound game against Belmont.

A native of Harrah, Okla., Martin prepped at Yukon High School, in Yukon, Okla., helping the team to the OSSAA state finals after helping lead Norman North High School to a state runner-up title during his junior year.

Martin was regarded as a preseason top five high school senior in the state of Oklahoma and was a First Team All-State, First Team All-Region and First Team All-District recipient. He was named to the Oklahoma All-State, All-City and Oklahoma vs. Texas All-Star teams. Martin played club basketball with the Oklahoma Wizards and sported a 3.8 GPA in the classroom.

Martin averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds a game as a senior, 25 points and 13 rebounds as a junior and 16 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore for coach Scott Raper and the Millers. As a freshman, he helped his team to a 27-1 record, while helping the team to a Regional Championship as a sophomore and a State Finals appearance as a senior.

The son of Jeff and Mandi Martin, Cameron plans to major in kinesiology at Southern.

"Cam (Martin) is a great kid with a special talent on the court," Boschee said. "He comes from a great family and we have enjoyed getting to know them. He had a good freshman year at Jacksonville State and can provide unique lineup situations with his ability to shoot the ball from the three, while also being a presence on the block. He will play both post positions for us. We feel very fortunate to get a player of his caliber."

MSSU golf coach to be inducted into Joplin Golf Hall of Fame

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern golf coach Mike Wheeler will go into the Joplin Golf Hall of Fame as part of a presentation and golf tournament this weekend.

The dinner to induct both Wheeler and Kevin Roller will be at 6 pm on Saturday night at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club. Roller is the father of former Lion golfer Phillip Roller.

Wheeler is in his eighth season as the head coach at Southern, but his contributions to the Joplin golf community are lengthy. Wheeler served as the chair of the Twin Hills Invitational from 2000-2010 and has been the chair of the Twin Hills Pro Am since 2000. He was the Director of the Joplin Golf Foundation from 2002-2009 as well as Chair of Joplin Junior Golf during that same time frame.

Wheeler served as the Director of the Missouri Golf Association from 2005-2010 and was a rules official with the MGA during the same time. He served as an assistant coach for the Joplin High School ladies golf team from 2007-09 prior to taking over the program at Southern.

"I'm honored to receive this honor," Wheeler said. "The game of golf has been very good to me. I love it and everyone associated with it and I'm very pleased that I get to go in with Kevin (Roller) who was such a great player in this area."

Promotions planned for final Missouri Southern baseball weekend

(From Missouri Southern Athletics)

May 4-6th will be our final home baseball series of 2018! We have a variety of promotions and events that we hope you are able to come out and enjoy! All weekend we will be collecting school supplies for West Central Elementary and all fans who bring supplies will receive a free popcorn voucher.

May 4th

110% Club Appreciation on the Party Deck (Free Food and Drinks for members)
Cub Club Events (Food, Bounce House, and Running out with team)

May 5th

Joplin Little League Day (All little league members get in free and can run the bases after the game)
Baseball Senior Day

May 6th

Dollar Day where admission, hot dogs, popcorn, and cans of soda are just $1
Cub Club Events (Food, Bounce House, and Running out with team)

Late scoring lifts Pittsburg State baseball to win over MSSU

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Pittsburg, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't hold on and the Lions fell 7-4 at Pittsburg State University this afternoon.

Southern (23-21, 11-19 MIAA) got two hits each from Alex Phillips, Denver Coffee and Danny Biggs. Coffee, Biggs, Johnny Balsamo and Easton Fortuna had RBIs, while Philliips, Coffee, Joe Kinder and Jordan Moonscored a run each.

Joey Reeves started and went two innings. River Wright, Bradly Hershey, Seth Mesey, Cam Bednar, Logan VanWey, Cory Cowan and Brennon Covington threw in relief. Bednar took the loss, falling to 2-3 on the season.

PSU (28-14, 20-10 MIAA) got a win in relief from Andy Pagnozzi.

Pitt went on top with a run in the first, but the Lions answered with a run in the fourth and sixth. Coffee scored on an error in the fourth, while Balsamo drove in Kinder in the sixth.

The Gorillas scored four in the bottom of the sixth to go up 5-2 and added another two runs in the eigth to lead 7-2 going to the ninth.

The Lions threatened with two runs in the ninth, but left the bases loaded. Coffee walked to drive in Moon, and then Biggs singled home Phillips for the other run.

The Lions will be in action this weekend as they play a three-game series at Central Missouri beginning on Friday at 6 pm.

MSSU golf finishes ninth at MIAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Spring Hill, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team finished ninth after today's final round in the 2018 MIAA Golf Championships hosted at Sycamore Ridge Golf Club.

The Lions were led by Tristan Haltom as he shot a final round 75 to finish with a three-day total of 219 and tied for 6th individually. Logan Greer shot a final-round 73 and finished tied for 24th at 223 for the tournament. Taylor Haltom shot a final-round 76 and was tied for 36th individually at 230, while Grant Sikes shot a 234 for the tournament. Connor Neil finished at 245.

Lindenwood parlayed a second-round score of 277 to finish the tournament 13 strokes in front of second place Central Missouri and earn both the Tournament and Regular-Season MIAA Titles. Lindenwood earns the MIAA's automatic qualifying spot to the NCAA Super Regional.

Nebraska-Kearney finished third, while Washburn, Central Oklahoma, Fort Hays, Missouri Western, Northeastern State, Southern, Southwest Baptist and Lincoln round out the team scores.

Lindenwood went into the MIAA Tournament tied for fourth in the standings, but won the MIAA Title by two points over Central Missouri. The final MIAA standings are listed below.

1 - Lindenwood - 47
2 - Central Missouri - 45
3 - Central Oklahoma - 44
4 - Washburn - 42
5 - Missouri Western - 36.5
6 - Nebraska-Kearney - 32
7 - Fort Hays State - 20
7 - Northeastern State - 20
9 - Missouri Southern - 19
10 - Southwest Baptist - 17.5
11 - Lincoln - 7

MSSU's Emily Presley named MIAA Women's Field Athlete of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior pole vaulter Emily Presley has been named the MIAA Women's Field Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office today.

Presley wins the award for the second time this season. A junior from St. Clair, Mo., had another NCAA AQ in the pole vault as she won the event at the Central Missouri Mule Relays this past weekend.

Presley set a new stadium record with a height of 13-05.25. Presley continues to lead Division II in the event by nearly four inches and has the top mark in the MIAA by a foot.

Burns and the Lions will be back in action this Friday as Southern plays host to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

MSSU softball ends regular season with 19-12 win over Northeastern State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Tahlequah, Okla. - The Missouri Southern softball squad earned a split at Northeastern State with a high-powered 19-12 game-two victory after falling 4-2 in game one to shut down the 2018 regular season inside Riverhawks Park Saturday afternoon.

Game One
MSSU (22-29, 9-16 MIAA) got out to a 2-0 lead coming out of the third after two-hole hitter Elizabeth Windsordropped a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then with two outs, first baseman Erika Lutgen drove in Windsor on a single toward the same spot to put the Lions up 1-0 in the first. History repeated itself in the third as Windsor doubled again and was knocked in this time by shortstop Shelby Friend for the second run.

Junior pitcher Taurean Guzman prevented the Riverhawks (29-23, 15-10) from plating a single run through five until NSU answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to erase the deficit and end up on top 4-2 toward a game-one victory.

Windsor and Friend each provided two hits to begin the day, while Windsor rounded the bases twice to register both runs in the loss.

Game Two
The Lions put pressure on the Riverhawks' defense right out of the gate for two runs scored and runners on first and third with no outs, causing NSU to make a pitching change. Two batters later, freshman catcher Sydney Gardner launched a three-run shot over the right field wall to increase the lead to five at the conclusion MSSU's half of the first. It was Gardner's first homerun of her colligate career.

NSU responded with a solo homerun to start the bottom of the first and went on to add three more to find themselves down only one after one inning of play. An inning later, Northeastern State recorded a pair of solo-homers to take a one-run lead (6-5), and produced a run in the third and fourth to increase its lead to three.

Southern instantly inserted runners on second and third which brought up Ashley Caldarella who doubled in two RBIs on the first pitch that she saw to bring the Lions within one. Gardner continued her hot hitting through a single to right field to tie the game 8-8.

One batter later brought Emilee Meyer to the plate and she delivered one to center field, scoring Gardner as the Lions regained the lead. They tacked on three more in the fifth off two singles by Windsor and Angel Badalamenti to take a four-run advantage (12-8).

The Riverhawks battled back with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth as both teams combined for ten runs in the inning.

Gardner led off the sixth by reaching on a single up the middle, leading to the Lions loading the bases for Windsor who crushed a grand-slam over the right-field wall to cap off the scoring in top of the sixth (16-11). The Lions ended the on-slough with three runs to extend the lead to seven heading into the bottom of the seventh and secured the 19-12 win.

On-The-Day
Gardner finished at a perfect 4-for-4 clip in game two for a team-high five RBIs and four runs scored. She is now one of 11 players to cross the plate four times throughout a single game in program history. Windsor went a combined 6-for-9 in both games, including a grand slam and two doubles, for five RBIs as well to go along with five runs scored on the day.

Junior college guard signs letter of intent to play at Missouri Southern

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern men's basketball coach Jeff Boschee has announced the signing of Reggie Tharp to a National Letter of Intent to attend Southern and play basketball beginning in the fall of 2018.

Tharp, a junior college transfer, comes to the Lions after two years at Paris Junior College. A Fort Wayne, Ind. native, Tharp averaged 11.9 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. A 6-0 guard, Tharp averaged 5.2 assists per game, while starting 26 of the 28 games he played in.

Tharp helped Paris JC to a 23-8 record this past season. He prepped at Concordia High School where he was a four-year starter for coach Tim Reinking and the Cadets.

The son of Reggie Tharp and Marquetia Gatewood, Tharp plans to major in kinesiology at Southern.

"Reggie gives us depth and experience on the perimeter," Boschee said. "He is extremely quick and explodes to the basket off dribble and ball screens. Reggie will fit our system perfectly with his speed and ability to push the basketball in the open floor. He played and excelled in a very competitive junior college league and led his team to a 23-8 record."

Early runs doom MSSU baseball in 4-3 loss to Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team surrendered four runs, two unearned in the first inning, and couldn't overcome the early hole as the Lions fell 4-3 tonight to Northwest Missouri at Warren Turner Field.

The Lions (23-18, 11-16 MIAA) held Northwest scoreless from the second inning on, but couldn't complete the comeback. Alex Phillips was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Denver Coffee went 2-for-4 at the plate. Cory Canterbury, Mike Million, Richard Fullerton and Garan Stevens had a hit each. Stevens had a run and an RBI, while Fullerton and Johnny Balsamo scored once.

Corbin Osburn started and went seven innings, striking out three and allowing two earned runs, but fell to 4-3 on the season. River Wright threw two innings of perfect ball, striking out one.

Northwest (2318, 18-9 MIAA) got six and two thirds from starter Joseph Hietpas as he struck out seven. Hudson Bilodeau had three hits, while Luke Hassman and Kevin Handzlik had two hits each.

The Bearcats scored four in the first as a single and two bunts, one reaching on an error led to a run, while a double from Hassman scored another. Two more runs scored in the inning.

Southern got a run in the second on an RBI ground out from Stevens. The Lions then scored two more times in the fourth on a single from Phillips, scoring Balsamo and Stevens.

The two teams will be back in action tomorrow with a double-header beginning at noon from Warren Turner Field.

MSSU softball drops doubleheader to Central Oklahoma

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern softball team fell to Central Oklahoma by scores of 4-0 in game one and 8-2 in game two inside the Broncho Softball Stadium Friday Afternoon.

Game One
MSSU (22-28, 9-15 MIAA) fell behind early, 2-0, in the first inning after walking-in both runs.

The Bronchos (28-19, 16-8 MIAA) added two more down the line to take game one, 4-0.

Emily Harris and Shelby Friend posted both hits for the game in the shape of two singles for the Lions.

Game Two
The Lions led off with a RBI-single by Elizabeth Windsorto score Abi Corbett in the first.

UCO came right back in the third to take a 2-1 advantage. Then tacked on four others in the fifth and two more in the sixth to win 8-2 to conclude the day.

Windsor recorded a 2-for-4 stand at the plate and knocked in both RBIs (2) for Southern in the loss.

Next Up
Southern gets right back at it tomorrow afternoon in its final matchup of the 2018 season against Northeastern in a MIAA doubleheader at 1:00 pm.

Schedule change made in MSSU baseball team's weekend series with Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team, in another effort to insure all three games get played, has pushed its final game of the series with Northwest Missouri up a day.

Originally slated to play games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Saturday's game will now be played on Friday as part of a double-header. Games on Friday will begin at noon with two, nine-inning games being played.

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

Late comeback falls short as MSSU baseball falls to Central Oklahoma

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team nearly tied the game twice, but couldn't complete the comeback as the Lions fell 9-7 today at Warren Turner Field to Central Oklahoma.

Southern (23-17, 11-15 MIAA) got a 2-for-4 day at the plate from Johnny Balsamo as he added a home run and a double to go with three RBIs and two runs scored. Denver Coffee went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Mike Million had a home run, two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Cory Canterbury had an RBI and a run scored, while Garan Stevens went 2-for-4. Richard Fullerton drove in a run, while Dan Lenz and Kearon Redmon scored once.

Seth Mesey started and went five and two thirds of an inning, falling to 2-1 on the season. Will Bausinger threw an inning and two thirds of shutout ball, while Brennon Covington threw an inning and two thirds, as well.

UCO (29-14, 21-8 MIAA) got a 2-for-4 day with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored. Tyler Culver got the win, while Josh Rutland picked up the save.

UCO scored two runs in the second and a run in the third to go up 3-0 going to the bottom of the third.

The Lions answered back with four runs in the fourth, started off by a home run from Balsamo to right-center. Coffee added an RBI double and Fullerton drove in a run in the inning too.

UCO then added a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to go up 6-4 after six innings.

Mike Million homered to left to get within one in the eighth and the Lions had runners at the corners with one out in the inning, but a close play at first on a double-play ended the inning and the Lions' threat.

The Bronchos got a three-run home run from Sparr in the ninth, his second of the game that proved to be huge. Southern would score two in the ninth. Balsamo doubled home Redmon and Canterbury hit a sacrifice fly to score Balsamo, but Southern couldn't score after that.

The Lions will be back in action this Thursday as Southern plays host to Northwest Missouri in a three-game MIAA series. First pitch from Warren Turner Field is slated for 4 pm.

St. Louis basketball standout signs letter of intent to attend Missouri Southern

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern men's basketball coach has added another St. Louis area prep standout to his 2018 recruiting class as Jadis White has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Southern and play basketball starting in the fall of 2018.

White is a 6-1, 165 pound point guard that hails from St. Louis and prepped at Chaminade Prepratory School. A four-year member of the basketball team, White played for coach Frank Bennett and the Red Devils.

This past year, White led the St. Louis area in assists with 7.43 per game, tallying 223 on the season. He averaged 12.9 points per game, while shooting 48 percent from teh field and pulling down 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest. He had six double-doubles on the season and currently sits in second in the all-time assists category at Chaminade behind current Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. He also ranks tenth on Chaminade's all-time steals list.

White was a first-team All-Conference pick as a senior and an honorable mention pick as a junior. He helped Chaminade to a third-place finish in the Missouri Class 5 State Championship as a freshman, a State Championship as a sophomore, a fourth-place finish as a junior and a second-place finish as a senior.

White is the son of Christopher and Nikita White and is undecided on his future major at Southern.

"We are excited to add Jadis White to our team," Boschee said. "He has a great pace to his game and has a great understanding of how to play. He played for one of the best high school programs in the country along side some high profile players. He impressed us with his ability to pass the basketball and with the right work ethic, he has a chance to be a great guard for this University."

Southwest Baptist late rally nips MSSU baseball 4-3

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team scored runs in the first two innings, but Southwest Baptist used a three-run sixth to take the deciding game in the series today, 4-3 at Warren Turner Field.

Southern (23-16, 11-14 MIAA) got two hits each from Alex Phillips and Cory Canterbury, while Canterbury drove in a run and Phillips scored once. Johnny Balsamoscored twice and had two walks, while Denver Coffee had a hit and an RBI. Joe Kinder and Dan Lenz had a hit each.

Zac Shoemaker went six and two thirds of an inning, striking out three, but fell to 4-3 on the season with the loss. Logan VanWey threw two and a third hitless, striking out three in the process.

SBU (15-24, 9-17 MIAA) got three hits and two RBIs from Clint Jack, while Elias Czech recovered from a rocky start to throw seven innings and strike out seven to move to 2-3 on the season. Brandon Hatfiled picked up his first save of the year.

The Lions got single runs in the first and the second. Balsamo scored in the first on an RBI bunt single from Coffee. Balsamo then manufactured a run in the second as he stole third and went home on an error to give Southern a 2-0 lead after two.

SBU scored a run in the fourth and three in the sixth to go up 4-2 after six.

The Lions added a run in the seventh on an RBI double from Canterbury, scoring Phillips.

Southern will be back in action on Tuesday evening as the Lions play host to Central Oklahoma. First pitch from Warren Turner Field is slated for 5 pm.

MSSU softball doubleheader postponed until Wednesday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team has announced that its pair of MIAA contests against the Lindenwood Lions today will be played Wednesday.

Southern planned to start today's doubleheader at noon and then later at 2:00 pm, but due to weather issues, Wednesday will be the set date with game one to leadoff at 1:00 pm and game two to follow at 3:00 pm.

MSSU scheduled to play Lindenwood on Saturday before the weather conditions made it very unlikely to happen, so they changed it for Sunday earlier this week before the recent changes.

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

MSSU's Burns, Presley earn automatic qualifying marks at Pitt State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Pittsburg, Kan. -- Emily Presley and Bryan Burns both picked up NCAA Automatic Qualifying marks, while Burns broke his own Missouri Southern school record as the men's and women's track and field teams competed at the David Suenram Classic hosted by Pittsburg State today.

The teams picked up 23 top-five finishes at the meet.

Burns bested his record in the discus by almost six inches as he picked up an AQ in the event with a mark of 190-04. The mark is second-best in the NCAA this year and tops in the MIAA by nearly nine inches. Josh Fuller was 11th in the event, while Trace Henault placed 14th.

Presley won the pole vault with an AQ of 13-07.00, while Elena Bisotto was fourth. Presley's mark is just more than four inches off of her tops this season.

Other event winners included Rachel Ray in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:06.74 and Matt Willis in the men's 400m hurdles. Willis had a time of 55.08. Kelsey Evans and Breanna Setchfield placed third and fourth in the women's 400m hurdles, while Taylor Emery and Stephen Dixon placed sixth and eighth in the men's.

Jasmine Deckard was second in the 100m dash in a time of 12.19, while Kassidy Owens placed 10th. Dausen Gourley and Korey Robinette placed 8th and 12th in the 100m, while Kristen Koch was 4th in the women's 200m dash. Deckard and Owens placed 12th and 13th in the event.

Robinette and Gourley placed fifth and sixth in the men's 200m, while Kristen Koch was third in the 400m dash. Sara Lin was fourth in the women's 800m, while Jon Johnson, Nathan Painter and Tadd Caprop placed fifth, seventh and eighth in the men's 800m. Janna Hautala was 10th in the women's 1,500m, while Mady Gepfordplaced 18th.

Willis was second in the 110m hurdles, while Dixon was 11th. The women's 4x400m relay team of Ray, Ashlynn Vanatter, Koch and Deckard placed second in a time of 4:11.60.

Wynter Nekola was second in the high jump with a height of 5-03.75, while Dean Howard and Zach Wuestplaced sixth and eighth in the men's high jump.

Jordyn Manier was seventh in the men's long jump, while Chance Johnson and Brendan Watkins placed ninth and tenth. Watkins placed fourth in the triple jump, while Adrian Broadus was eighth.

Katie Skelton was fourth in the shot put with a distance of 44-06.00, while Jenson Maydew was eighth. Burns was fourth in the men's shot put, while Fuler was 14th. Skelton placed ninth in the women's discus and fourth in the hammer. Burns was fourth in the men's hammer with a provisional of 194-05, just seven inches off of a school record, while Junior Joseph was sixth in a provisional of 185-03. Fulmer was ninth and Henault placed 14th. Garrett Austin placed sixth in the javelin with a distance of 179-01.

The Lions will be back in action next week, split between the KU Relays and the Missouri S&T Dewey Allgood Invitational.

MSSU golf team to compete in MIAA Broncho Stampede

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's golf team will head to Edmond, Okla. tomorrow to start the first of two spring MIAA points events as the Lions will compete in the 2018 MIAA Broncho Stampede, hosted by UCO at Rose Creek Golf Club.

The Lions come into the event in sixth place after the two MIAA fall events. Tristan Haltom is in fifth place in the MIAA Individual points standings, while Taylor Haltomand Connor Neil are in 13th and 14th.

Southern will bring Tristan Haltom, Taylor Haltom, Neil, Logan Greer and Adam Vining to represent the Green and Gold at the event.

This event will feature every MIAA golf playing school, as well as Southern Nazarene from the Great American Conference.

Live results are available at the link above and the complete MIAA standings going into the event are listed below.

Team Standings (Through 2 Events)
1. Central Oklahoma (21.5)
2. Washburn (19)
3. Lindenwood (16.5)
4. Missouri Western (15.5)
5. Central Missouri (15)
6. Missouri Southern (12)
7. Southwest Baptist (10.5)
T8. Northeastern State (8)
T8. Nebraska Kearney (8)
T10. Lincoln (3)
T10. Fort Hays State (3)

MSSU baseball falls to Southwest Baptist 6-5

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team tied the game at four in the seventh against Southwest Baptist, but the Bearcats scored two runs in the eighth that proved to be the game-winner and the Lions fell 6-5 today inside Warren Turner Field.

Southern (23-15, 11-13 MIAA) got a good offensive day at the plate from Cory Canterbury as he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, a home run and two runs scored. Denver Coffee went 3-for-5, while Johnny Basamo had two hits and a run. Alex Phillips ad a hit and a run, while Mike Million had a hit and an RBI. Garan Stevens had a hit while Easton Fortuna scored a run. Richard Fullerton had a hit and an RBI.

Jared Flores started and went six innings, striking out seven, while walking one and got a no-decision. Cam Bednar threw two innings of relief and allowed two runs, falling to 2-2 on the season. Joey Reeves and Brennon Covington threw the ninth.

SBU (14-24, 8-17 MIAA) got a three-RBI day from Hunter Hisky.

Southern got on board first with a run on the first when Canterbury doubled home Balsamo.

SBU scored four in the top of the fifth to go up 4-1, but the Lions answered back with two in the fifth on a Canterbury home run and a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Fullerton to tie it up.

The Bearcats, however, answered back with a sacrifice fly and a home run to go ahead 6-4. A late run from the Lions on an RBI from Canterbury got the Lions within a run (6-5), and Southern threatened in the ninth, but couldn't complete the comeback.

The two teams will be in action tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Warren Turner Field is slated for 3 pm. This is a time change from the original 1 pm on the schedule.

MSSU softball games rescheduled because of impending weather

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Due to possible thunderstorms hitting the Joplin area today, the Missouri Southern softball team's weekend series with Lincoln (Mo.) and Lindenwood have been changed.

The Lions planned to play Friday and Saturday against the two programs, but will now compete with the Lincoln Tigers on Saturday beginning at 2:00 pm and then face LWU leading off at noon on Sunday.

With these two matchups being part of the last home series of the 2018 season, Saturday will remain as Senior Day to recognize the Lions' players that intend to graduate before next season.

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