Miller drives in five as Missouri Southern defeats Emporia State 12-1

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Emporia, Kan. -- Matt Miller drove in five and the 11th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team run-ruled Emporia State today 12-1 to clinch its fifth MIAA series victory of the year.

Southern (23-7, 14-3 MIAA) got a huge day at the plate from Miller as the freshman went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored. Denver Coffee went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, three doubles and a run scored, while Dexter Swims went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Freddie Landers and Alex Phillips had two hits each, while both had a run scored and Phillips drove in one. Ryan Hunter went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, while Mike Million had a hit, a run scored and an RBI. Troy Gagan had a hit, a pair of runs and an RBI.

Zac Shoemaker went all seven as he struck out six and allowed just two hits to move him to 3-2 on the season.

ESU (17-11, 11-6 MIAA) had a hit each from Brian Grove and Alex Pener.

Gagan started the scoring with an RBI double in the first to score Swims. The Lions added four runs in the third on an RBI double from Coffee to score Swims and a three-run homer from Miller, going up 5-0 after three innings.

Coffee added another RBI double in the fourth to start the scoring in the inning, while Miller doubled to score Coffee and Swims. Million had an RBI single to score Gagan, Phillips doubled home Miller and Hunter added a sacrifice fly to score Million as the Lions scored six in the fourth inning.

ESU picked up there only run in the fifth and the Lions added another run in the sixth with Phillips scoring.

The three doubles for Coffee are one off the single-game record for the Lions and it was the first time since 2017 (Richie Gorski) the Lions had a player with three doubles in a game as Gorski had four that game. The two teams will be back in action tomorrow as the series finale will have a 1 pm first-pitch.

MSSU softball splits pair with Washburn

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Topeka, Kan. - The Missouri Southern softball team held the Washburn Ichabods scoreless a single run towards a 3-0 victory before falling to the Ichabods in a one-run game two by 4-3 inside the confines of Hummer Sports Park and Patty Dick Fields Sunday afternoon.

Game One

The pitching trio of Taurean Guzman (5.0), Meredith Iden (1.2), and Abby Atkin (0.1) secured the 3-0 shutout for the Lions (12-15, 3-7 MIAA), allowing a combined seven hits on 31 batters faced throughout the entire game. Guzman's performance earned her the win and second shutout of the season to put her at a 5-4 record in the circle.

In the second inning, freshman Tori Frazier bunted a ball to the pitcher which allowed Ashley Caldarella to score from third with two outs and put the Lions up 1-0.

WU (15-17, 6-2 MIAA) struggled to score as right fielder Sidnie Hurst threw out a runner out trying to get home from second in the bottom of the fourth. Then left fielder Elizabeth Windsor gunned down another runner trotting home from second base to preserve the Lions 1-0 advantage in bottom of the sixth. The Ichabods had two runners on base in both situations.

Southern tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh off of two doubles from Emily Harris and Hurst towards the win. Josie Tofpi led the squad with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate.

Game Two

MSSU struck first with Erika Lutgen driving in Hurst on a fielder's choice to end its half of the inning up 1-0. WU matched in the bottom of the second on an RBI-single and tie the game at 1-1 in the early going.

Both teams went scoreless through the third and fourth innings until the Ichabods registered three runs in the bottom of the fifth to break the tie and take a three-run lead into the sixth (4-1).

The Lions pulled to within one run (4-3) after two doubles by Windsor and Tofpi to cut the deficit to two in the sixth inning. Lutgen capped the inning off with an RBI-single. Washburn hung on to the one-run advantage in the end to conclude Sunday's events with the game-two win.

On Deck

Softball travels to Emporia, Kansas for a doubleheader versus the Hornets tomorrow at 2:00 pm before returning home to host Southwest Baptist on Wednesday at 3:00 pm.

MSSU women's golf to compete at Henderson State Spring Invite

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's golf team will head to Arkansas as the Lions will compete in the 2019 Henderson State Spring Invite on Monday and Tuesday.

The tournament is hosted at Big Creek Country Club in Mountain Home, Ark. The teams will play in a par-72, 5813-yard course where each team will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday.

The Lions will send Kylie Carnes, Maggie Moore, Elizabeth Poe and Taylor Boyett to compete for the Green and Gold.

The tournament will feature teams from Henderson State, Southern Arkansas, Southern NAzarene, Northwestern Oklahoma, Texas A&M Commerce, Central Oklahoma, Lincoln, Lindenwood, Missouri Western, Oklahoma Baptist, Drury and Northeastern State.

MSSU women win 400 hurdles, shot put at Oral Roberts Invite

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Tulsa, Okla. -- The Missouri Southern women's track and field team picked up a pair of event wins and took home the team title today as the Lions competed at the 2019 Oral Roberts Invite at Oneok Sports Complex.

Southern got wins from Elizabeth Adeoye in the 400m hurdles and Desirea Buerge in the shot put, while also scoring 120 points to easily take home the team title by more than 20 points.

Missouri State was second with 96 points, while South Dakota State, Pittsburg State, Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Southwest Baptist and Oklahoma Christian rounded out the team standings. 

Adeoye won the 400m hurdles in a time of 1:03.47, while Rachel Ray was 5th, Miracle Grant was 7th and Deiajuane Watts was 9th in the event.

Buerge won the shot put with an NCAA Provisional Qualifying distance of 15.13m, while Payton Roberts was third and Alexandra Rodriguez finished 16th. Buerge's mark in the shot put currently ranks 5th nationally in the event.

Buerge wasn't done as she hit another NCAA Provisional mark of 48.54m to finish 2nd in the discus. Roberts was 4th, followed by Kirsten Leisinger at 7th and Rodriguez at 14th.

Southern dominated the pole vault with four in the top-4 and six in the top-15. Emily Presley picked up a 2nd-place finish in the event, finishing in a tie for the top height, but falling on more misses at a height of 3.96m, an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Mark which ranks second nationally.

Samantha Petry, Laruren Sutherland, and Elena Bisotto all had a provisional mark of 3.65m and finished 6th, 7th and 8th, respectively. Jordan Banker was 11th at 3.5m, while Megan Tramel finished 15th.

Morgan Smith was third in the 100m hurdles in an NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 14.03, while Claire Luallen and Adeoye placed 6th and 9th. Watts was 14th, while Montasia Shannon and Grant placed 16th and 17th.

Kassidy Owens was 20th in the 100m dash, while Ojurere Shonekan placed 23rd in the event. Shonekan was 29th in the 200m dash, while Jana Hautala (12th), Mady Gepford (12th) and Sara Lin (28th) competed in the 1,500m.

Leisinter was 2nd in the hammer with a distance of 50.64m, while Rodriguez finished 5th and Shonekan was 12th in the long jump. The 4x400m relay team of Shannon, Watts, Owens and Adeoye placed fifth in a time of 49.36.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern travels to San Angelo, Texas to compete at Angelo State University on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Weather conditions force schedule changes for MSSU softball

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern softball team will not only play begin its week against Washburn Ichabods in a doubleheader tomorrow at 3:00 pm, but the game is set to take place inside Hummer Sports Park and Patty Dick Field instead of the Ichabods Softball Complex due to unplayable field conditions (Directions).

The Lions (11-14) also face off with the Emporia State Hornets on Monday at 2:00 pm before returning home to host Southwest Baptist on Wednesday at 3:00 pm.

This Weeks Lineup 

Sunday: WU - 3:00/5:00 pm - Hummer Sports Park and Patty Dick Field
Monday: ESU - 2:00/4:00 pm - Trusler Sports Complex
Wednesday: SBU - 3:00/5:00 pm - Pat Lipira Sports Complex

To keep up-to-date with everything MSSU Athletics, log onto mssulions.com or check @mososports on twitter.

MSSU sets school record for strikeouts in 2-0, 12-inning win over Emporia State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Emporia, Kan. -- The 11th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team set a school record for strikeouts in a game as the Lions had a thrilling 12-inning 2-0 win at Emporia State today.

The Southern (22-7, 13-3 MIAA) pitchers struck out 21 batters in the game with Zach Parish striking out 14 of his own in the start. The performance breaks the previous record set in 1991 when Tim Luther struck out 20 batters himself in a game against Central Missouri. That mark is the individual single-game mark.

Parish went eight innings, scattering six hits with zero walks. River Wright pitched a scoreless ninth with a strikeout, while Austin DesRoche started the tenth and got a strikeout before allowing back-to-back hits. Logan VanWey then came in and after a walk, struck out back-to-back batters to get out of the jam. Cam Bednar threw a hitless pair of innings, striking out three batters in the process to move to 2-0 on the season.

Troy Gagan went 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI, while Freddie Landers had a pair of hits. Dexter Swims, Matt Miller, Jon Leighton and Cole McBride had a hit each. Swims had a walk and an RBI, as well.

Emporia State (17-10, 11-5 MIAA) had three with two hits each. Tanner Cairns started for the Hornets and went ten scoreless innings, striking out eight.

Both teams were scoreless until the 12th when Mike Million walked to lead off the inning. Million was sacrificed over by Alex Phillips and Leighton walked to put batters at first and second. McBride singled through the left side to load the bases, before Swims walked to drive in Million for the first run and Gagan walked to drive in Leighton for run number two.

With the win, the Lions have extended their lead in the MIAA to two games over Central Missouri and ESU. Southern and the Hornets will continue the series tomorrow with a single game at 3 pm.

MSSU men's track and field team takes eighth at Oral Roberts Invite

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Tulsa, Okla. -- The Missouri Southern men's track and field team finished in eighth as a team as the Lions competed at the 2019 Oral Roberts Invite at the Oneok Sports Complex.

Southern picked up 37 points in the team standings today. Coffeyville CC led the team title and was followed closely by South Dakota State. Pittsburg State was third, followed by Tulsa, Oral Roberts, Southwest Baptist, Kansas, the Lions, Oklahoma Christian and Oklahoma State to round out the team standings.

Elijah Smith finished 9th in the discus with a distance of 40.20m, while Adrain Broadus and Josh Norville finished 7th and 16th in the long jump. Dean Howard was 8th in the pole vault with a height of 4.56m, while Smith was 15th in the shot put with a distance of 12.31m.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern travels to San Angelo, Texas to compete at Angelo State University on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

MSSU baseball to play at Emporia State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 11th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team will be back in action this weekend as the Lions travel to Emporia State to take on the Hornets in MIAA play.

The Lions (21-7, 12-3 MIAA) lead the MIAA by a game over the Hornets (17-9, 11-4 MIAA) and next weekend's opponent Central Missouri (18-9, 10-5 MIAA). Games will be played on Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the weekend games starting at 3 pm each day and Monday's finale starting at 1 pm.

Southern leads the conference in walks, doubles, doubles per game, home runs, home runs per game, strikeout to walk ratio, triples, triples per game and fewest walks allowed per game. The team ranks 15th nationally in walks, doubles and triples, while ranking ninth in strikeout to walk ratio and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings. 

Individually, Davin Gummere ranks third nationally in walks and walks per game, while Zach Parish and Will Bausinger rank fourth and eighth, respectively in strikeouts. Cam Bednar ranks fourth nationally in appearances, while ranking 10th in saves. Bausinger is 14th in WHIP (walks and hits/innings pitched), while Parish is 19th in strikeouts per nine innings. Calem Nutting ranks 21st in triples, while Freddie Landers ranks 26th in hit by pitch.

The Lions have hit 31 home runs this year and the Southern pitchers have struck out 303 batters, while limiting hitters to a .237 batting average. The single-season MSSU record for strikeouts was set last year at 422, and the Lions are more than 2/3 of the way there with 32 games left in the regular season.

ESU comes into the game with the Lions having won eight of its last nine games. The Hornets are hitting .263 as a team and have a 4.70 team ERA. Paul Classen (.363) is one of four Hornets hitting over .300, while Jake Barton (3-1, 2.68 ERA) and Tanner Cairns (3-1, 2.58 ERA) lead the pitching staff.

MSSU track wins three events at Oral Roberts

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Tulsa, Okla./St. Louis, Mo. - The Missouri Southern track and field teams had throwers in action at Oral Roberts and distance runners at Washington University as the teams competed in split locations today.

In total, the Lions had three event wins at Oral Roberts including Travis Petersen in the hammer throw, Andrew Wells in the high jump and Elizabeth Pomatto in the javelin, while Gidieon Kimutai won the 5k at Wash U.

At ORU, Pomatto won her second event in a row as she took home the title in the javelin with an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Mark of 148-01 (45.14m). Morgan Ash was second in the event with a provisional distance of 141-01, while Alexis Kuehl and Katelyn Mooney placed fourth and fifth, respectively and Miracle Grant was 19th.

Andrew Wells won the high jump with an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Mark of 6-09.75, while DeShaun Williams was tied for second with a mark of 6-04.75.

Travis Petersen won the hammer throw in an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Mark of 194-02, while Josh Fulmer picked up a provisional mark of 185-09. Trace Henault finished 10th in a distance of 160-00.

Wynter Nekola was fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5-03, while Kirsten Leisinger was second in the hammer with a distance of 166-02. Alexandra Rodriguez was fifth in the hammer with a distance of 158-07.

After day one at ORU, the Lions lead the team score on the women's side with 42 points, 23 points in front of second-place South Dakota State. On the men's side, Southern is second with 32 points, eight points behind first-place Pittsburg State.

At Washington University, the Lions sent distance runners to compete in the competitive 5k. Kimutai won the men's 5k with an NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 14:24.38. Josh Webb was 10th, while Nickson Kiptoo (13th), Cody Berry (15th), Jared Ozee (16th) and Kevin Koester (18th) all finished in the top-18.

In the women's 5k, Ashlee Kuykendall led the way with a 27th-place finish in a time of 18:02.49. Julianna Determan was 33rd, while Kelie Henderson placed 44th.

The Lions will be back in action tomorrow in day two at ORU.

Weather causes changes in MSSU track and field schedule

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Mother Nature has made her way to disrupting the Missouri Southern track and field schedule as the Lions have changed up plans slightly for this weekend's scheduled two events.

Originally slated to go to both Washington University's Distance Carnival today and Emporia State tomorrow, the Lions will now be at Oral Roberts both today and tomorrow, while still heading to Wash U today.

Live results will be available for both events with live video available at Oral Roberts. Links can be found above.

The Southern women are coming off an impressive meet for their throwers where both Desirea Buerge and Elizabeth Pomatto not only broke school records in their respective events, but both automatically qualified for this year's NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the process. The women, as a team, are ranked 14th nationally with Pomatto ranking first nationally in the javelin and Buerge second in the discus.

The Southern men also sent throwers to Emporia State last weekend where both Rajheim Carby and Travis Petersen picked up NCAA Provisional Qualifying Marks in the javelin and hammer, respectively.

Events begin today at 11:15 am at Oral Roberts with throwing events. The remainder of the throws and the rest of the running events will conclude tomorrow at Oral Roberts. Events at Washington Univeristy will begin at 2 pm today and conclude sometime this evening.

You can follow all the action live by clicking on the links above.

MSSU softball announces alumni event

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern softball squad will host an Alumni Gathering around 5:30 pm on Saturday, April 13 after the team's designated Pink Game doubleheader against Northwest Missouri State at noon.

The event is set to take place inside the Alumni Room of the North End Zone Facility with catering provided by our friends from Clark's Cuisine (BBQ).

Weather causes schedule change for Crowder College baseball Autistic Awareness Game

(From Crowder College)

DUE TO WEATHER THE GAME HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY MOVED TO SUNDAY, MARCH 31, SAME TIME.

Also, Crowder College will be running the JUCO World Series Snapchat page this weekend. It is JUCOWS on Snapchat.

Silent auction of the jerseys will still take place. Spectators may purchase a jersey during the weekend event.

Previous News Release

Neosho, MO – The Crowder College Roughrider Baseball team will host the Autism Awareness Month Kickoff game Saturday, March 30, prior to the game starting at 1pm at Roughrider field on the Neosho campus.

The children will take the field at approximately 12:50pm with the team as Wyatt Register will toss the first pitch. Wyatt is 7 years old and attends first grade in the Neosho School District, LINC (Learning Initiative Neosho Schools Crowder College) partnership.

Students and their families from the Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center at Crowder College are invited to attend free of charge.

The baseball team will wear special jerseys in honor of autism awareness month. Coach Lallemand wanted to do something to recognize autism awareness month last season with this being the 3rd annual event. Employees of the Maddox Hill Center will be on hand to assist their students and families as they take the field.

Admission collected at the gate will be donated to the Maddox Hill Center from the baseball program. A Food Truck with concessions will be available at the game for purchase.

Crowder College baseball to hold third annual Autism Awareness Game

(From Crowder College)

The Crowder College Roughrider Baseball team will host the Autism Awareness Month Kickoff game Saturday, March 30, prior to the game starting at 1pm at Roughrider field on the Neosho campus.

The children will take the field at approximately 12:50pm with the team as Wyatt Register will toss the first pitch. Wyatt is 7 years old and attends first grade in the Neosho School District, LINC (Learning Initiative Neosho Schools Crowder College) partnership.

Students and their families from the Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center at Crowder College are invited to attend free of charge.

The baseball team will wear special jerseys in honor of autism awareness month. Coach Lallemand wanted to do something to recognize autism awareness month last season with this being the 3rd annual event. Employees of the Maddox Hill Center will be on hand to assist their students and families as they take the field.

Admission collected at the gate will be donated to the Maddox Hill Center from the baseball program. A Food Truck with concessions will be available at the game for purchase.

MSSU softball games rescheduled

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Due to possible rain throughout Thursday and Friday, the Missouri Southern softball team will begin its Kansas road trip against Washburn and Emporia State on Saturday at 2:00 pm.

Lineup:

Saturday: Washburn(DH) - 2/4 pm

Sunday: Emporia State (DH) - 12/2 pm

The Lions (11-14) are coming off a doubleheader split with current 14th-ranked Augustana last weekend, snapping the Vikings 11-game winning streak in game number one by score of 3-1.

To keep up-to-date with everything MSSU Athletics, log onto mssulions.com or check @mososports on twitter.

MSSU baseball game with Emporia State pushed back a day

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The MIAA baseball series between the 11th-ranked Missouri Southern Baseball team and Emporia State has been pushed back a day due to weather in the Emporia Area.

Originally slated to be three games starting on Friday, the series will now start on Saturday and conclude on Monday. Saturday and Sunday's games will be at 3 pm with Monday's finale slated for 1 pm.

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

MSSU freshman thrower Pomatto named Women's Field Athlete of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern freshman thrower Elizabeth Pomatto has been named the MIAA Women's Field Athlete of the Week, the league announced today.

Pomatto, a freshman from Osawatomie, Kan., made a splash in her first collegiate action of her career, setting a Missouri Southern javelin record, besting the old mark by more than four meters.

She won the event at Emporia State's Spring Invitational last weekend with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 50.63 meters, which is the top mark in Division II by more than a meter and is ninth-best in all divisions so far this season.

Pomatto and the Lions will be back in action this weekend with split squads at both Washington University and Emporia State.

Southern's Cam Martin named Division II All-American

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern sophomore Cam Martin has been named an All-American today as the Division II Conference Commisionser's Association announced its Division II Men's Basketball Awards today.

Voted on by sports information director's throughout Division II, this is Martin's first All-American honor as a Lion as he was named a third-team selection this year. He had previously been named a first-team All-Region selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as well as the CCA and was a first-team All-MIAA selection and a member of the Division II Central Region All-Tournament Team.

Martin averaged 33.7 points and 12.5 rebounds in the tournament as he tied the Missouri Southern single-game three-point record with nine made against Washburn in the opening round. He scored 46 points in that game and that stands as the 10th-most in a single game in Division II (tournament) history. He helped the Lions set the team record for single-game three's in that game as well as Southern made 22 which was one off the single-game tournament record.

This year, Martin became only the second Lion ever to score 700 plus points in a single-season joining Taevaunn Prince. He finished the year averaging 22.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, while shooting 61 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point line and 82 percent from the free throw line. He led the MIAA in scoring, defensive rebounds, double-double's, free throw percentage, free throw's made and attempted, total field goals made and total rebounds, while ranking second in rebounds per game.

Martin ranked third nationally in free throws made and double-double's, while ranking fourth in free throw attempts, 10th in field goal percentage and total points, 12th in total rebounds, 15th in scoring and 22nd in rebounds per game.

MSSU women's golf takes fifth at Natural State Classic

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Heber Springs, Ark. -- The Missouri Southern women's golf team finished fifth today after the final round of the 2019 Natural State Classic hosted by Harding University at the Red Apple Inn and Country Club in Heber Springs.

The Lions had a great day, improving their team score by 12 strokes from day one to day two.

Individually, Kylie Carnes finished 16th with a two-day total of 173, while Maggie Moore was 18th at 177. Elizabeth Poe finished 26th with a two-day total of 204, while Taylor Boyett was 27th at 212.

Southern Nazarene won the team title, eight strokes in front of Harding. Southern Arkansas was third, followed by Arkansas-Monticello and the Lions to round out the team scores.

The Lions will be back in action on April 1-2 as they travel to Mountain Home, Ark. to compete in the Big Creek Invitational, hosted by Henderson State at Big Creek Country Club.

MSSU men's golf finishes 10th at Big Texan

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kerrville, Texas -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team finished tenth today after the final round of the 2019 Big Texan hosted by the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley at Comanche Trace Country Club in Kerrville.

Southern shot a final round 303 today as Logan Greer led the way, firing a final-round, one-under par 71 to finish the tournament at 219 and tied for 29th.

Adam Vining finished at 227 and tied for 51st, while Tripper Jensen shot a 229 and was 56th. Jeremy Dunham was right behind Jensen at 231 and in 57th, while Taylor Haltom shot a 232 and was tied for 58th.

Texas State won the tournament as they shot a 33-under par as a team, finishing eight strokes in front of New Mexico State. Abilene Christian was third, while UT-Rio Grand Valley, Odessa College, Incarnate Word, New Orleans, Prairie View A&M, Our Lady of the Lake, the Lions and Western Texas College rounded out the team scores.

The Lions will have two weeks off before Southern gets back into MIAA play, traveling to Bolivar to compete in the first MIAA points event of the spring, the SBU classic, held at Silo Ridge Country Club on April 15-16.

MSSU women's golf in fifth place after day one of Natural State Golf Classic

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Heber Springs, Ark. -- The Missouri Southern women's golf team is in fifth place after day one of the 2019 Natural State Golf Classic, hosted by Harding University at Red Apple Inn and County Club.

Kylie Carnes leads the Lions with an 89 over the first 18 holes as she finished the day tied for 17th individually. Maggie Moore is in 20th after shooting a 93 in day one, while Taylor Boyett and Elizabeth Poe are in 26th and 27th, respectively, after shooting a 100 and 107.

Southern Nazarene leads the team scores after shooting a first-round 325. Arkansas-Monticello is in second, three strokes off the lead, while Harding, Southern Arkansas and the Lions round out the team scores.

The Lions will have one more round of 18 holes beginning tomorrow morning.

MSSU men's golf in 10th after day one of 2019 Big Texan meet

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kerrville, Texas -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team is in tenth place after day one of the 2019 Big Texan hosted by The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley at Comanche Trace Country Club.

The Lions are playing in a tournament with a majority of Division I teams and Southern turned in two of the top-ten round of the season today, shooting a 296 in round one and 297 in round two.

Adam Vining led the way for the Lions as he shot a 74 in round one and an even par 72 in round two to finish at 146 and tied for 29th. Logan Greer fired a one-under 71 in round one and a 77 in round two to finish at 148 and tied for 37th.

Taylor Haltom shot a 79 in round one, but followed that up with a one-under 71 in round two to finish with a 150 and tied for 47th. Tripper Jensen was even par (72) in round one and had a 79 in round two to finish at 151 and tied for 51st. Jeremy Dunham shot an 81 and improved four strokes in round two to finish at 158 and in 61st.

Texas State leads the team scores after day one after shooting a 25-under 551 as a team over the two rounds. New Mexico State is in second, one stroke back and Odessa College and Abilene Christian are tied for third at 561. UT-Rio Grande Valley is in fifth, followed by Incarnate Word, Prairie View A&M, Our Lady of the Lake, New Orleans, the Lions and Western Texas College to round out the team scores.

The Lions will play a final round of 18 tomorrow to finish out the tournament.

MSSU's Cam Martin earns first-team All-Region selection

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern sophomore Cam Martin has earned his second All-Region honor as Martin was tabbed as a first-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) today.

Martin is a first-team All-District selection and joins Joey Witthus and Trevor Hudgins from Northwest Missouri to be named to the first team as members of the MIAA. Washburn's Javion Blake was a second-team selection. The All-American team will be announced tomorrow.

Martin was a first-team All-MIAA and first-team All-Region (SID's) pick already this year and finished the season as a member of the NCAA Division II Central Region All-Tournament Team as he helped the Lions advance to the tournament finale, before bowing out to No. 1 Northwest Missouri.

Martin averaged 33.7 points and 12.5 rebounds in the tournament as he tied the Missouri Southern single-game three-point record with nine made against Washburn in the opening round. He scored 46 points in that game and that stands as the 10th-most in a single game in Division II (tournament) history. He helped the Lions set the team record for single-game three's in that game as well as Southern made 22 which was one off the single-game tournament record.

This year, Martin became only the second Lion ever to score 700 plus points in a single-season joining Taevaunn Prince. He finished the year averaging 22.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, while shooting 61 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point line and 82 percent from the free throw line. He led the MIAA in scoring, defensive rebounds, double-double's, free throw percentage, free throw's made and attempted, total field goals made and total rebounds, while ranking second in rebounds per game.

Martin ranked third nationally in free throws made and double-double's, while ranking fourth in free throw attempts, 10th in field goal percentage and total points, 12th in total rebounds, 15th in scoring and 22nd in rebounds per game.

The complete All-District team is listed below.

Central
First Team Second Team
Kevin Buckingham, Southeastern Oklahoma Javion Blake, Washburn
Ryan Bruggeman, Southwest Minnesota State Brandon Myer, UM Duluth
Gage Davis, St. Cloud Harrison Cleary, UM Crookston
Trevor Hudgins, Northwest Missouri State Jhonathan Dunn, Southern Nazarene
Cam Martin, Missouri Southern State Ian Smith, Northern State
Joey Witthus, Northwest Missouri State

Coach of the Year: Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State

MSSU baseball improves to 21-7 with doubleheader split against Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 10th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team split a double-header with Northwest Missouri, dropping game one by the score of 6-3, but rebounding to take game two 16-7.

Southern (21-7, 12-3 MIAA) wins its fourth MIAA series of the season, having dropped just one series so far.

The Lions fell victim to late runs from the Bearcats in the opener as Northwest (11-14, 7-8 MIAA) scored three runs over the sixth and seventh innings to put the game away.

Game two saw Southern score three runs in the first and seven runs over the seventh and eighth innings to put the game away.

Game one saw Dexter Swims go 3-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI, while Troy Gagan and Freddie Landers had two hits each. Gagan had a double, a run and an RBI, while Mike Million had a run scored, as well.

Zac Shoemaker started and went six innings, striking out seven, but errors hurt as he allowed just three earned runs, six total, to move his record to 2-2 on the season. Logan VanWey and Austin DesRosche threw an inning each in relief.

Game two saw Swims lead the way again, this time going 4-for-6 with two doubles and a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored. Matt Miller was a single shy of the cycle as he went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and a triple, driving in three and scoring two runs. Denver Coffee had two doubles, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored, while Jon Leighton went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Mike Million had a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored, while Davin Gummere had a hit and a pair of runs. Landers had a hit and arun scored, as well.

Will Bausinger started and went three and two thirds. River Wright threw an inning and a third of hitless relief and picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the season. DesRosche, Cole Woods, Joey Reeves and Brennon Covington threw in relief.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern travels to Emporia State for a matchup with the Hornets.

MSSU women pick up two school records at Emporia State track meet

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Emporia, Kan. - The Missouri Southern women's track and field team picked up two school records today as the Lions competed at the LaQuinta Inn ESU Spring Twilight.

Desirea Buerge (discus) and Elizabeth Pomatto (javelin) both took out school records and automatically qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships today.

Buerge finished third, but was the top Division II qualifier, as she hit a mark of 55.02m, breaking her own school record by nearly three meters. Payton Roberts finished fourth in the event with an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark of 47.39m and Kirsten Leisinger hit an NCAA Provisional mark as well, finishing eighth with a mark of 45.94. Alexandra Rodriguez was 15th at 37.72m.

Pomatto destroyed the previous javelin record by more than four meters as she won the event with a mark of 50.63m that sits as the top mark in Division II at this point in the season. Morgan Ash finished third with an NCAA Provisional Mark of 45.59m, while Alexis Kuehl was fourth with a provisional mark of 43.64m.

Leisinger was third in the hammer throw with a mark of 48.79m, while Rodriguez was sixth at 46.22m.

The Lions finished 7th in the team scoring with 42 team points.

The Lions will be in action next weekend with events at Washington University and Emporia State.

MSSU throwers perform well at LaQuinta Inns ESU Spring Twllight

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's track and field team sent a group of throwers today as the Lions competed at the 2019 LaQuinta Inns ESU Spring Twilight.

Rajheim Carby was one of two Lions to pick up NCAA Provisional Qualifying Marks as he and Travis Petersen (hammer) hit provisional marks.

Carby finished second in the javelin with a provisional mark of 63.13m, while Petersen was third in the hammer with a distance of 59.00m. Josh Fulmer (54.18m) was sixth, while Trace Henault (47.26m) was 11th in the hammer.

Rajindra Campbell was tenth in the discus with a distance of 48.85m, while Fulmer was 18th with a distance of 43.32m.

The Lions finished 14th in the team scoring with 17 points.

The Lions will be in action next weekend with events at Washington University and Emporia State.

MSSU softball splits doubleheader with number 17 Augustana

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

St. Joseph, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team topped the No. 17 Augustana Vikings by snapping their 11-game winning streak in game one (3-1) before the Vikings came back in game two to force a low-scoring duel (2-1) to conclude the Hy-Vee Classic inside the Griffon Softball Field Saturday evening.

Game One
MSSU (11-14) held No. 17 Augustana (20-5) scoreless through five innings in game one of a non-conference doubleheader as part of the Hy-Vee Classic.

It took until the sixth as the Lions produced back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out. This brought up senior Lexi Ferrari who pushed the count to 2-2 and eventually lifted one into right field to score both runners to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth.

With two outs in the seventh, Elizabeth Windsor singled to second base which allowed Ashley Caldarella to run home and extend the lead to three. The Vikings got one back in the ninth, but freshman Abby Atkin came in for the save and succeeded by causing the batter to ground out to second base which left the bases loaded to end the game.

Senior pitcher Taurean Guzman manufactured her fourth win of the season upon completing 6.2 innings and limiting the Vikings to one run (unearned) on three hits as the team earned its first victory of the season over a nationally ranked opponent.

Game Two
The Lions cut the deficit to one in the fifth after the Vikings recorded one run in the first inning and later added a solo home run to take a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Freshman Josie Tofpi walked on three-straight pitches to score the lone run for the Lions in the bottom half of the inning.

Five Lions registered a hit in the loss, including Caldarella who hit a double in the fifth.

On Deck
The Lions travel to the state of Kansas for a pair of MIAA doubleheaders starting with Washburn this Friday, Mar. 29 at 2:00 pm and then Emporia State on Saturday at noon.

MSSU softball splits doubleheader with Northern State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

St. Joseph, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team began the day by blasting nine runs cross the plate towards a 9-1 victory over Northern State in the fifth inning before falling to No. 22 Winona State, 2-0, in a low-scoring affair inside the Griffon Softball Field Friday evening.

Game One
The Lions (10-13) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings of play. Two sacrifice flies insured the first two runs and then an RBI-single by Elizabeth Windsor drove Ashley Caldarella home for the third.

NSU (8-13) got on the board with a run in the fourth, but MSSU answered by exploding for six runs in the fifth to close out game one early in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Windsor went a perfect 3-for-3 in the lead-off spot, scoring two runs in the process. Senior Angel Badalamenti added a 2-for-2 line at the plate, including a double that plated two runs while score one as well. Lexi Ferrari led the squad in RBIs with three.

Senior Taurean Guzman had a brilliant performance in the circle for the Lions as she limited the Wolves to one run on four hits towards her third win of the season.

Game Two

Both the Lions and WSU (15-3) went quite in the first two innings until the Warriors registered the first run of the game on sacrifice squeeze. They added another one on a single up the middle in the sixth that was enough for the win.

Windsor and freshman Josie Tofpi each recorded a hit for Southern in the loss.

On Deck

The Lions Do battle with No. 17 Augustana in a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3:00 pm today on day two of the Hy-Vee Classic.

MSSU baseball game rescheduled as part of Sunday doubleheader

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The MIAA baseball game between the No. 10 Missouri Southern Baseball team and Northwest Missouri has been pushed back due to weather in the Joplin area.

Originally pushed back to 3:30 pm today, the two teams will now play a double-header tomorrow (Sunday) at 1 pm from Warren Turner Field.

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

Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt sign deal for five-year extension

(From the St. Louis Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have signed six-time National League All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a five-year (2020-24) contract extension. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Goldschmidt was acquired by the Cardinals on December 5, 2018 in a four-player trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"Having Paul under contract and serving as a key part of our everyday lineup through 2024 is exciting," stated Cardinals' Chairman Bill DeWitt, Jr. "Throughout his career Paul has demonstrated the traits of both an All-Star player and an admired teammate, and we look forward to having him become part of the great Cardinals tradition for many years."

"When we made the trade to acquire Paul, we knew we had added one of the game's premier players," said Cardinals' President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. "We are all excited for Paul's introduction to St. Louis, and to our passionate fans, who we feel will make this the perfect match."

Goldschmidt, 31, has been a National League All-Star each of the past six seasons (2013-18), and he is a four-time (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018) N.L. Silver Slugger award winner and three-time (2013, 2015, 2017) Rawlings Gold Glove award recipient. Goldschmidt is the lone N.L. player to be named an All-Star each of the past six seasons, and he's one of just three players (Mike Trout and Salvador Pérez) in all of the majors to have done so.

The right-handed hitting Goldschmidt batted .290 in 2018 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI, finishing 6th in National League MVP voting. The 6-3, 225-pound Delaware native has compiled a career .297 batting mark with 209 HR's and 710 RBI in 1,092 games and has hit 30 or more homers in four of the last six seasons, including a league-leading 36 in 2013 when he finished 2nd in MVP voting.

"Goldy" owns a career .398 on-base pct. and .532 slugging mark, and since 2013, ranks 2nd among National League leaders in home runs (181), RBI (602), hits (996), runs (599), walks (575), extra base hits (413). Goldschmidt is the current leader among active MLB first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage and he ranks 5th all-time in MLB history.

Goldschmidt joins All-Star pitcher Miles Mikolas (2020-23) and outfielder José Martínez(2019-20) among Cardinals who were signed to multi-year contract extensions this spring.

Missouri Southern baseball holds on for 7-6 win over Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 10th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team rode a solid start from Zach Parish and held on to defeat Northwest Missouri 7-6 tonight on Warren Turner Field.

The Lions (20-6, 11-2 MIAA) got another great start from Zach Parish as he moved his record to 5-0 on the year, going seven innings and striking out seven, while allowing just one earned run. Bradly Hershey, Cam Bednar and River Wright threw in relief with Wright picking up save number one of the year.

Southern had just three hits on the game, but made good on 13 walks and four hit batters in the game from Northwest pitchers to plate seven runs. Alex Phillips had a two-RBI single, while Troy Gagan and Jon Leighton both had the other hits in the game for the Lions. Denver Coffee, Freddie Landers, Mike Million, Calem Nutting and Leighton all had RBIs in the game. Dexter Swims, Gagan, Coffee, Landers, Nutting, Matt Miller and Leighton scored runs for the Lions.

The Bearcats (10-13, 6-7 MIAA) got two hits from Peter Carlson.

The Lions started the scoring in the fifth as Southern scored three runs without the aid of a hit. Coffee walked to force in Miller, while Landers was hit by a pitch to score Leighton. Million then walked to score Swims.

Northwest scored two runs to cut the score to 3-2 after six, but the Lions picked up four more runs in the seventh with Phillips' 2-RBI single proving to be the game-winning runs. Nutting walked to force home Gagan for the first run of the seventh, while Leighton walked to force home Coffee before Phillips' big it.

Northwest made a game of it in the ninth, but Wright came in to pick up the save and stop the comeback.

The two teams will be back at it tomorrow afternoon with a single, nine-inning game. The game time has been changed from 2 pm to a 12 pm start to avoid the afternon rain.

MSSU announces radio broacast schedule for baseball, softball

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Athletics Department, in conjunction with Fox Sports Joplin, has announced its radio broadcast schedule the 2019 baseball and softball seasons.

Fox Sports Joplin and Southeast Kansas operates on the frequencies of 101.3 and 107.9 FM, as well as 1340 and 1560 AM. The station will broadcast ten MSSU baseball and four MSSU softball games this year with the option for postseason contests, as well. The games will feature a pregame and post game show with interviews with head coaches Bryce Darnell and Hallie Blackney

The first games broadcast on the network will be the the baseball series with Central Missouri on April 5-7. The softball double-header with Northwest Missouri on April 13 will be next on the schedule, followed by a mid-week game against Emporia State for the baseball Lions. The game on April 19 against Northeastern State at Joe Becker Stadium will also be part of the broadcast.

The complete broadcast schedule is listed below.

2019 Baseball-Softball Broadcast Schedule

Softball

April 13 - DH vs. Northwest Missouri - 12 pm
April 23 - DH vs. Rogers State - 2 pm

Baseball

April 5 - vs. Central Missouri - 6 pm
April 6 - vs. Central Missouri - 1 pm
April 7 - vs. Central Missouri - 1 pm
April 16 - vs. Emporia State - 5 pm
April 18 - vs. Northeastern State - 5 pm
April 19 - vs. Northeastern State - 6 pm (Joe Becker Stadium)
April 20 - vs. Northeastern State - 1 pm
April 26 - vs. Pittsburg State - 6 pm
April 27 - vs. Pittsburg State - 2 pm
April 28 - vs. Pittsburg State - 1 pm

MSSU baseball road series against Northwest Missouri moved to Joplin

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

With weather conditions bound to get worse in Maryville, the No.10 Missouri Southern baseball team (19-6, 10-2 MIAA ) welcomes the Northwest Missouri Bearcats (10-12, 6-6 MIAA) to Joplin for this weekend's MIAA trifecta.

The Lions lead off the series at 6:00 pm tomorrow night. Game two to follow at 2:00 pm on Saturday and then conclude competition at 1:00 pm on Sunday.

This will be the second-straight weekend and three-game series where MSSU will be the visitor on the scoreboard.

To keep up-to-date with everything MSSU Athletics, log onto mssulions.com or check @mososports on twitter anytime.

MSSU softball drops doubleheader to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern softball team fell to Central Missouri in game one (5-3) and again in game two (2-0) inside the Pat Lipira Softball Complex Wednesday afternoon.

Game One 

The Lions (9-12, 2-6 MIAA) took the lead in the fifth after falling behind two nothing through four innings of play.

It started when Emily Harris came in as a pinch hitter and delivered a single up the middle to score Josie Tofpi from second to cut the Jennies' lead to one (2-1). Then in the fifth, with the bases loaded , Tofpi singled in the tying run and Ashley Caldarella launched the ball to left field to allow Makalia Leonhart to score the go-ahead run to close out the fifth up 3-2. 

UCM (12-8, 3-1 MIAA) answered with two runs in the sixth and tacked on another in the seventh to take game one by a final score of 5-3.

Leonhart, Tofpi, and Elizabeth Windsor all recorded two hits to lead the Lions in the loss. 

Game Two 

UCM scored two runs in the first and never looked back, going on to take game two by the score 2-0. 0

Windsor led MSSU with a 2-for-3 line at the plate while freshman Sidnie Hurst and Tori Frazier each added a hit as well. Sophomore pitcher Abby Atkin went the distance, registering seven innings of two runs on seven hits and striking out seven in the loss.

Next Up 

Southern hits the road for its final non-conference tournament of the season in St. Joseph, Missouri against teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) leading off with two games on Friday versus Northern State at 4:00 pm and Winona State at 6:00 pm.