MSSU pitcher Zach Parish selected All-American by Conference Commissions Association

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior pitcher Zach Parish has been named to his second All-American team as the lefty has been named an honorable mention selection by the Conference Commissioners Association (CCA).

Parish, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year, was recently tabbed as the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region Pitcher of the Year, as well. He was a first-team All-MIAA selection, while also being a first-team All-Region selection by the CCA, the ABCA and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association. Parish was named an All-American selection yesterday by the NCBWA, as well.

Parish led the MIAA in strikeouts with 136, games started with 16 and wins with nine. He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings, third in hits allowed, fourth in WHIP, and fifth in ERA.

This year Parish finished 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and his 136 strikeouts are a school record. He threw 101.0 innings in 16 starts with one complete game and two shutouts, while holding batters to a .199 average. 

He ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts and third in games started, while helping the Lions set the school record for season strikeouts by the pitching staff with 558 k's of opposing hitters this season, finishing just five away from tying the MIAA single-season record.

MSSU men's track and field, cross country top program in MIAA for fifth time in six years

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

New Orleans, La. -- For the fifth time in the last six years, the Missouri Southern men's track and field and cross country program is the top program in the MIAA as the Lions finished eighth in the final United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Program of the Year standings released today.

Teams earn points based on NCAA finishes in the cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

Southern finished 11th in the 2018 Division II Cross Country National Championships, while the indoor and outdoor track and field teams finished 25th and 24th, respectively at the NCAA Championships.

The Lions are the only team from the MIAA team in the top-17 this year, after finishing seventh last season. Southern finished 9th in 2013-14 and 7th in 2014-15. There were no MIAA teams in the top ten in 2015-16 and the Lions had the program's top finish ever with a 3rd-place finish in 2016-2017.

This year, the Lions were led during cross country by the MIAA and Central Regional Champion in freshman Gidieon Kimutai. Kimutai went on to finish fourth nationally at the Division II Cross Country Championships. Kimutai and his coach, Jamie Burnham, were named the Regional Athlete and Coach of the year, while Burnham also earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors. Southern recently posted four All-American performances at the 2019 Outdoor Nationals, while the Lions had a pair of All-Americans in the indoor season.

Southern's Zach Parish named Central Region Pitcher of the Year

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior pitcher Zach Parish was named the Central Region Pitcher of the Year, while senior third basemen Freddie Landers was a first-team All-Region selection as the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings announced its regional awards today.

Landers and Parish will now go on the ballot for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors, while Parish will be up for National Pitcher of the Year honors. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Americans will be announced the evening of Friday, May 31 following the Opening Ceremonies at the NCAA Div. II World Series. The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams for all divisions will be announced Wednesday, June 19.

This is the third All-Region team for the pair as they both have been part of the Division II Conference Commisioner's Association (CCA) team, as well as the National College Baseball Writers Association team. Parish and Landers are two of five MIAA players on the first team, while the league saw five members on the second team. Central Missouri's Erik Webb was the Region Player of the Year.

Parish was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and led the MIAA in strikeouts with 136, games started with 16 and wins with nine. He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings, third in hits allowed, fourth in WHIP, and fifth in ERA. This year Parish finished 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and his 136 strikeouts are a school record. He threw 101.0 innings in 16 starts with one complete game and two shutouts, while holding batters to a .199 average. He ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts and third in games started, while helping the Lions set the school record for season strikeouts by the pitching staff with 558 k's of opposing hitters this season, finishing just five away from tying the MIAA single-season record.

Landers led the Lions with a .349 batting average and finished second on the team with 11 home runs and fourth with 36 RBIs. He slugged a team-high .602, while also leading the team with a .494 on-base percentage. He led the MIAA in hit by pitch with a MSSU record 22 times taking one for the team. Landers ranked sixth nationally in hit by pitch, while ranking second in the MIAA in slugging, fourth in total bases, sixth in walks and runs scored, seventh in hits and eighth in average.

MSSU's Landers, Parish named All-Americans

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Already named to three different All-Region Teams, Missouri Southern baseball players Freddie Landers and Zach Parish have both been named All-Americans today as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its list.

Both Landers and Parish were honorable mention picks as the pair was named to All-Region teams by the NCBWA, the D2 Conference Commisioners Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Parish was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and led the MIAA in strikeouts with 136, games started with 16 and wins with nine. He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings, third in hits allowed, fourth in WHIP, and fifth in ERA. This year Parish finished 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and his 136 strikeouts are a school record. He threw 101.0 innings in 16 starts with one complete game and two shutouts, while holding batters to a .199 average. He ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts and third in games started, while helping the Lions set the school record for season strikeouts by the pitching staff with 558 k's of opposing hitters this season, finishing just five away from tying the MIAA single-season record.

Landers led the Lions with a .349 batting average and finished second on the team with 11 home runs and fourth with 36 RBIs. He slugged a team-high .602, while also leading the team with a .494 on-base percentage. He led the MIAA in hit by pitch with a MSSU record 22 times taking one for the team. Landers ranked sixth nationally in hit by pitch, while ranking second in the MIAA in slugging, fourth in total bases, sixth in walks and runs scored, seventh in hits and eighth in average.

Three MSSU women's track and field athletes named Academic All-District

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team has had three individuals named to a Google Cloud Academic All-District selection as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) recently.

Morgan Ash, Elena Bisotto and Rachel Ray all earned first-team selections and each will have their named put on the national ballot for Academic All-American considerations.

To be selected for the award, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in academic standing, as well as not being a first-year transfer to the institution. Student-athletes must also maintain a minimum of a 3.30 GPA, as well as participate in at least 50 percent of their team's competitions. The award is voted on by sports information professionals throughout Division II.

Missouri Southern is part of District 7, which puts the Lions up against student-athletes in the MIAA, the Great American Conference and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The group is three of 11 MIAA student-athletes that made up the All-District team as the MIAA dominated, earning 11 of the 13 total slots.

Ash just wrapped up a stellar first-year with the Lions after redshirting last season, finishing as the National Champion in the javelin at this past weekend's NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Bisotto was a national qualifier this year, placing just outside of All-American contention, and was also a national qualifier at the Indoor Championships this year. Ray was the MSSU EO and Virginia Humphrey winner this year as the top student-athlete at MSSU.

Ash, a junior from White City, Kan. carries a cumulative 3.81 GPA in biology, while Bisotto, a sophomore from Mestre Venezia, Italy caries a 4.00 in biology. Ray, a senior from Alma, Ark. graduated this May with a perfect 4.00 GPA in kinesiology.

MSSU's Morgan Ash wins national championship in javelin at NCAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kingsville, Texas - Morgan Ash won a National Championship and the Missouri Southern women's track and field program posted its highest-ever finish as the men and women competed in the final day of the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

The women finished sixth as a team with 41 points, just one point out of fifth-place and six points from a podium finish. The men finished 24th with 12 total points.

Altogether, the Southern men and women had 12 All-American performances in the Championships, with eight coming in today's final day of competition.

Ash picked up her first All-American finish as well as a National Championship today in the Javelin. She utilized her final throw of the day to win the title as she hit a mark of 168-8 (51.41m) to finish three feet in front of second-place. Katelyn Mooney also picked up All-American honors in the javelin as the freshman finished seventh with a distance of 153 feet. Elizabeth Pomatto was just outside of All-American contention with a ninth-place finish. Alexis Kuehl was 18th.

Desirea Buerge nearly made it two National Championships in the day as she finished as the national runner-up in the shot put with a personal best and new school record of 53-09 (16.38m). The throw was just nine centimeters behind the National Championship toss. Payton Roberts was an All-American with a fourth-place toss of 16.06m (52-08.25).

In the pole vault, Emily Presley finished as the national runner-up with a height of 3.98m (13-00.75). It is the sixth All-American finish for Presley in her career as she finishes up her outdoor eligibility with two National Championships and four All-American honors. Elena Bisotto was 12th in the event, while Lauren Sutherland placed 19th.

Morgan Smith finished with an All-American performance in the hurdles as she crossed the finish line in a time of 13.98 to finish eighth. It is the fourth All-American performance of her career at Southern and second this year as she picked up honors in the indoor season, as well.

On the men's side, Rajheim Carby picked up All-American honors in the javelin with a seventh-place toss of 64.93m (213 feet), while Rajindra Campbell was fifth in the shot put for All-American honors with a new PR of 18.43m (60-05.75).

Southern had 12 All-Americans led by Buerge with a pair of All-American performances. The complete list is below.

2019 MSSU Outdoor Track and Field All-Americans
Rajindra Campbell - shot put
Morgan Smith - 100m hurdles
Rajheim Carby - javelin
Emily Presley - pole vault (National Runner-Up)
Payton Roberts - shot put
Desirea Buerge - shot put (National Runner-Up), discus
Morgan Ash - javelin (National Champion)
Katelyn Mooney - javelin
Josh Norville - long jump
Travis Petersen - hammer
Claire Luallen - long jump

MSSU's Buerge makes All-American during day two of NCAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kingsville, Texas -- Desirea Buerge was an All-American and Morgan Smith qualified for the finals of the 100m hurdles as the Missouri Southern track and field program competed in day two of the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Texas A&M - Kingsville.

Buerge hit a distance of 175-01 (53.38m) on her sixth and final attempt to push herself from fifth to fourth place this afternoon. The heave earned was her third-straight All-American performance in the discus as she has put up a top-eight or better performance every year at the Championships. Payton Roberts was just outside of the finals in 11th place.

Smith recovered from hitting a hurdle during the race to qualify eighth with a time of 13.92. She won her heat and will be guaranteed a top-eight spot tomorrow with the finals are ran.

In other action, Rajindra Campbell was 19th in the discus, while Adrain Broadus and Kennan Harrison placed 17th and 18th in the triple jump.

Southern will have a busy day tomorrow in the final day of action, starting with a quartet of individuals in the women's javelin as Morgan Ash, Elizabeth Pomatto, Katelyn Mooney and Alexis Kuehl will compete in the event at 11:30 am.

Buerge and Roberts will compete in the shot put at 1:15 pm, while Rajheim Carby will take part in the javelin at 2:25 pm. Emily Presley, Elena Bisotto and Lauren Sutherland will compete in the pole vault at 2:30 pm, while Campbell will take part in the shot put at 5:05 pm. Smith will compete in the finals of the 100m hurdles at 5:55 pm to round out the action.

MSSU men's women's track and field earns three All-Americans on day on NCAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Kingsville, Texas - The Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams walked away with three All-American finishes on day one of the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Texas A&M Kingsville.

Claire Luallen (long jump), as well as Travis Petersen (hammer) and Josh Norville (long jump) picked up All-American honors for the Lions on the first day of the Championships.

Luallen opened up the day with a seventh-place finish in the long jump, posting a distance of 19-10.25 (6.05m) to earn All-American honors.

Travis Petersen picked up the second All-American honor of the day as he posted a distance of 62.93m (206-5) in the hammer throw. Josh Fulmer was 17th in the event.

Josh Norville picked up the third All-American honor of the day when he set a new MSSU school record in the long jump, leaping to a distance of 25-03.5 (7.71m) to place 8th in the event. The distance breaks the previous MSSU record of 24-11.25 set by Jordyn Manier in 2017.

Earlier in the day, Kirsten Leisinger was 17th in the women's hammer throw.

The Lions will be back at it tomorrow in day two of the Championships. Desirea Buerge and Payton Roberts will start it off with the discus at 1:30 pm, while Rajindra Campbell will throw his discus at 4:30 pm. Adrain Broadus and Kennan Harrison will compete in the triple jump at 4:45 pm, while Morgan Smith will run in the prelims of the 100m hurdles at 6:40 pm.

MSSU's Parish, Landers named first team All-Region

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Zach Parish and Freddie Landers have ended up on their second All-Region team as the duo both picked up first-team honors today as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced the All-Central Region team today.

Both Parish and Landers will go on to the national ballot for All-American consideration. Parish and Landers are two of five MIAA players to earn first-team honors, joining Erik Webb and Jonathan Sprinkle of Central Missouri, as well as Caleb Sneed of Southwest Baptist. Webb was the Central Region Player of the Year.

Parish was a first-team selection and Landers was second-team when the Conference Commissioner's Association team was announced last week. The pair were both first-team All-MIAA selections.

Parish was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and led the MIAA in strikeouts with 136, games started with 16 and wins with nine. He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings, third in hits allowed, fourth in WHIP, and fifth in ERA. This year Parish finished 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and his 136 strikeouts are a school record. He threw 101.0 innings in 16 starts with one complete game and two shutouts, while holding batters to a .199 average. He ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts and third in games started, while helping the Lions set the school record for season strikeouts by the pitching staff with 558 k's of opposing hitters this season, finishing just five away from tying the MIAA single-season record.

Landers led the Lions with a .349 batting average and finished second on the team with 11 home runs and fourth with 36 RBIs. He slugged a team-high .602, while also leading the team with a .494 on-base percentage. He led the MIAA in hit by pitch with a MSSU record 22 times taking one for the team. Landers ranked sixth nationally in hit by pitch, while ranking second in the MIAA in slugging, fourth in total bases, sixth in walks and runs scored, seventh in hits and eighth in average.

MSSU's Schneider, Farrell honored by Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Current Missouri Southern assistant softball coach Jakki Schneider, as well as former player and current Athletic Business Manager Brooklyn Farrellwere both honored by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame yesterday in Springfield.

Schneider received the Hall's Diamond Nine Award, while Farrell was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Webb City High School Softball Program.

Schneider (formally Prater) stared at both Nixa High school and the University of Central Missouri and is the current assistant softball coach for the Lions. At Nixa, Schneider was a four-year letter winner, four-time All-Central Ozark Conference and was All-District. She was the 2009 Nixa MVP.

As a senior she batted .534 with 47 hits and 36 RBI. At Central Missouri, Schneider holds 28 career and season records, including batting average, runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. She was a three-time All-MIAA selection, and also earned All-Region as a senior, plus earned the Dr. Peggy Martin Award as the top senior female student-athlete. She helped the Jennies to a 49-16 record as a senior, the MIAA championship, the Central Region title and a trip to the NCAA Division II World Series.

Farrell was a four-year starter for the Lions and before that was a member of the Webb City High School Softball Program. A three-year starter for WCHS, Farrell was an All-State selection as a senior, helping Webb City to a State Championship in 2007 and a third-place finish in 2008. Farrell played for the Lions from 2011-2014.

The Lady Cardinals have been one of the state's winningest programs since their first season in the fall of 1994. Webb City has advanced to ten Final Fours, winning it all twice in Class 3 (2004, 2007). Webb City also was state runner-up twice (2000, 2013), third four times (2005, 2008, 2010, 2011) and fourth twice (1997, 2003).

MSSU track and field teams open competition in NCAA Championships Thursday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The nationally-ranked Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams will open up the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships tomorrow as the Lions travel to South Texas for the final meet of the season.

The Championships are being hosted by Texas A&M - Kingsville University inside Javelina Stadium on May 23-25.

The No. 4 ranked women have qualified 12 individuals in 14 events, while the No. 20 ranked men have qualified seven individuals in eight events. It is the deepest group and most individuals ever to qualify for the Missouri Southern program.

Action begins on Thursday with Kirsten Leisenger in the hammer throw at 12:30 pm. Claire Luallen will compete in the long jump at 3 pm, while Travis Petersen and Josh Fulmer take action in the hammer throw at 3:30 pm. Josh Norville will conclude action for the Lions on day one with the long jump at 6:20 pm.

Day two will start with Desirea Buerge and Payton Roberts competing in the discus at 1:30 pm, while Rajindra Campbell will throw the discus for the men at 4:30 pm. Adrain Broadus and Kennan Harrison will take part in the triple jump at 4:45 pm, while Morgan Smith will conclude day two with the prelims of the 100m hurdles.

A quartet of individuals in the women's javelin will start action on the final day as Morgan Ash, Elizabeth Pomatto, Katelyn Mooney and Alexis Kuehl will compete in the event at 11:30 am.

Buerge and Roberts will compete in the shot put at 1:15 pm, while Rajheim Carby will take part in the javelin at 2:25 pm. Emily Presley, Elena Bisotto and Lauren Sutherland will compete in the pole vault at 2:30 pm, while Campbell will take part in the shot put at 5:05 pm. Smith will compete in the finals of the 100m hurdles at 5:55 pm if she advances.

Live results and video are available by clicking on the links above, as well as on the schedule pages.

MSSU baseball season ends with 10-9 loss to St. Cloud State in NCAA Tournament

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Warrensburg, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern Baseball team got three RBIs from Garan Stevens and two each from Troy Gagan and Denver Coffee, but the Lions fell victim to a late comeback falling 10-9 to 14th-ranked St. Cloud State University in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lions (35-21) end their season in the NCAA Tournament with the third trip to the NCAA post season in the last six years.

Stevens, in his first start of the season, didn't disappoint as the senior went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game. Troy Gagan was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Freddie Landers was 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Matt Miller and Mike Million had a home run each, while Landers, Gagan, Coffee and Dan each had a double. Dexter Swims had a hit with an RBI and a run scored.

Zac Shoemaker started and went five and two thirds of an inning with three strikeouts. Will Bausinger and Joey Reeves went an inning, while Logan VanWey and Bradly Hershey threw, as well with Reeves picking up the loss in relief.

SCSU (41-13) got four hits from Ethan Ibarra and three from Najee Gaskins.

The Lions started the scoring with three runs in the first. Million homered to lead off the game and Gagan doubled home Landers and Ryan Hunter.

The Huskies scored a single run in each of the second and third innings to get within one run (3-2) going to the bottom of the third. Southern answered and scored four runs in the third with Swims starting things off with an RBI, beating out a double-play to score Landers. Coffee doubled home Miller and Stevens hit a two-RBI single to score Coffee and Swims to put the Lions up 7-2 going to the fourth.

The Huskies added a run in the fourth to make the score 7-3, but the Lions answered with two runs in the fifth on RBIs from Coffee and Stevens.

SCSU, however, scored seven unanswered runs over the final four innings, going ahead for good in the eighth inning. Southern had a chance in the ninth when Landers singled to start the inning, but the Lions couldn't finish off the comeback.

The Lions set the school record for season strikeouts by the pitching staff as Southern punched out 558 opposing hitters this season, finishing just five away from tying the MIAA single-season record. Zach Parish broke the single-season individual strikeout record with 136 k's, 20 more than the previous record. The Lions' .971 fielding percentage was just shy (.973) of breaking the school record in that category.

MSSU's Buerge, Allen earn Central Region awards

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern junior thrower Desirea Buerge has been named the Central Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year, while Brian Allen has been named the Central Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its regional awards today.

Buerge, a junior from Webb City, Missouri, is ranked second nationally in the shot put at 16.21m (53-2) and third nationally in the discus at 55.54m (182-3). She eclipsed the NCAA DII Automatic Qualifying Mark 10 times between the discus and shot put and was the MIAA champion in each event.

Buerge owns the MSSU school records for indoor and outdoor shot put, as well as the discus.

Allen, who is in his sixth year with the school as an assistant, has developed one of the most elite groups of women throwers at the NCAA DII level. He currently has the MSSU javelin squad in the No. 1 spot on the #EventSquad rankings with the No. 1 and 2 ranked athletes.

He also has the No. 2 NCAA seed in both the shot put and discus. His throwers accounted for 12-NCAA qualifiers this season, four of which are automatic. His women's group scored 64 points at the MIAA conference meet and broke three school records this year.

The Lions will begin the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships next weekend in Kingsville, Texas.

MSSU falls 8-1 to Central Missouri in NCAA tournament opener

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Warrensburg, Mo. -- Freshman Matt Miller hit his team-high 12th home run of the season, but the Missouri Southern baseball team fell 8-1 to No. 12 ranked Central Missouri today in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament.

The Lions (35-20) will play the loser of the nightcap between St. Cloud State and Central Oklahoma at 3:30 pm tomorrow from Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

Southern got a pair of hits from Ryan Hunter and Miller added a home run. Freddie Landers, Dexter Swims and Denver Coffee had a hit each for the Lions.

Zach Parish started but didn't have his normal stuff as he went just four and a third, striking out two hitters and fell to 9-2 on the season. Bradly Hershey threw two thirds of an inning, while Brennon Covington threw the final three innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit.

Central (39-14) fot three hits from Mason Janvrin, while three other Mules had two hits each. Ben Kelsch started and went the distance, striking out eight and walking one.

Southern will play again at 3:30 pm tomorrow against the loser of the Central Oklahoma and St. Cloud State game. The winner of that game will move on to play at 7 pm against the loser of the winner's bracket game.

Crowder tournament games to be shown on KNEO.org

(From Crowder College)

Crowder College Baseball will be available to watch live on KNEO.org, just click the Crowder link on the homepage.

Games are Friday, May 17, 3pm vs. Connors State and 6pm vs. Delgado.

You may also get a play by play update using iScore at the following link: http://data.iscorecentral.com/iscorecast/baseball/scorecast.html?c=7DD42FB6C7

Crowder baseball players earn All-Region 16 honors

(From Crowder College)

Crowder College baseball players were honored by being named to the All-Region 16, 1st and 2nd team.

Players earning 1st team honors are:

· Michael Chrisman – Outfielder

· Freilin Cabrera – Infielder

· Ross Carver – Pitcher

Players earning 2nd team honors are:

· Colten Nix – Infielder

· Sam Chaput – Catcher

· Colin Brougham – Pitcher

· Colten Weber – Pitcher

All-Defensive team honors went to:

· Colten Nix

· Jorden Hussein

After winning the Region 16 tournament the Roughriders (47-14) and ranked #10 in Division I baseball, will host the South Central District, May 17-19, at Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin. The winner of the district will advance to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, CO.

(Photos from top: Ross Carver, Colten Nix, Colten Weber, Michael Chrisman, Freilin Cabrera, Sam Chaput, Jorden Hussein, Colin Brougham)

Missouri Southern men's basketball adds two recruits

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern men's basketball coachJeff Boschee has announced the addition of a pair of freshman for the 2019-20 season to join an already talented Lions squad.

Winston Dessesow of Baltimore, Md. and Tyriqe Jackson of Lonoke, Ark. will join a team that finished the season 25-8 and earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.

Dessesow is a 6-0 guard that played at Admiral Farragut Academy in Baltimore for coach Julian Allen and the Blue Jackets. A four-year letter winner on the court, Dessesow averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals as a senior.

Dessesow was a two-time All-Conference pick and was named All-County as a senior when he concluded his career as a 1,000 point scorer for the team. The son of Dayna Davis, Dessesow plans to major in kinesiology at Southern.

Jackson is a 6-6 combo guard that prepped at Lonoke High School for coach Dean Campbell and the Jackrabbits. A four-year letter winner at the school, Jackson was a 1,000 point scorer, as well, while earning All-Conference honors three times, as well as All-State honors as a senior.

He scored a career-high 38 points in a game against Malvern as a senior. The son of Lester Jackson, Tyriqe plans to major in kinesiology at Southern.

"We are excited to add Winston and Tyrique to our 2019 class," Boschee said. "The two of them, along with Martin (Macenis) are needed young pieces added to this program. We emphasize great character with our recruits and these two exemplify that. Winston is a guard who can really handle and score the ball. He has the ability to play both guard spots. Tyrique gives us length and size on the perimeter. I really love his athleticism and ability to shoot the ball. Both had great high school careers and we are looking forward to coach them through their college careers."

Crowder College softball players earn Region 16 honors

(From Crowder College)

The Crowder College Roughrider Softball team had nine players earn Region 16 honors as well as tournament team honors. The Roughriders claimed the Region 16 championship advancing to the District J tournament to play Indian Hills for a ticket to the national tournament in St. George, UT. The team finished the season 54-5 and ranked #9 in NJCAA Division I Softball. Two of the five losses were to Indian Hills in the District J Championship.

Pitcher, Maddy Prough (Bentonville, AR) was named Region 16 player of the year. Prough had 29 appearances on the year with a .99 ERA.

Region 16 honors were earned as follows:

1st team

· Payton Wildeman (Bentonville, AR); Outfield

· Lexi Lowrance (Kearney, MO); Infield

· Prough and Bailey Buffington (Bauxite, AR); Pitcher

· Baylor Miles (Van Buren, AR); Catcher

· Lexi McClellan (Ozark, AR); Utility

2nd team

· Kenzie Kallio (Oologah, OK) and Kristen Wade (Vilonia, AR); Infield

· Aspen Younce (Pleasant Hille, MO); Pitcher

All-Tournament team honors went to:

· Buffington, Shelby Chavers (Bauxite, AR), Dia Jackson (Vian, OK), McClellan, Prough, Marissa Smith (Haskell, OK), and Wildeman

MSSU baseball to open NCAA play Thursday at Warrensburg

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team will open up the 2019 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament as the Lions will take on No. 12 Central Missouri at 3:30 pm tomorrow in Warrensburg.

Southern is one of four teams competing in the Division II Central Region II Tournament as Division II has mirrored the Division I format for regional play. The NCAA has broken up each region into two separate tournaments with the winners of those tournaments to play each other next week in a best-of-three Super Regional for the right to go to Cary, NC for the Division II World Series.

The Lions and Central will play at 3:30 pm, while St. Cloud State and Central Oklahoma will play the night cap at 7 pm.

About the Lions (35-19): In Bryce Darnell's 12th season at the helm of his alma mater, the Lions were picked to finish sixth in the MIAA preseason poll, but finished just one game out of first and Darnell was awarded with the MIAA Coach of the Year award. Darnell is 359-274 in 11 plus seasons as the head coach at MSSU.

The Lions were well-represented in the MIAA post season awards as Dexter Swims was the MIAA Freshman of the Year and Zach Parish was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year. Parish leads the MIAA in strikeouts with 134 and wins with nine. He ranks second in hits allowed, WHIP, games started and ERA. Parish and Swims were both first-team All-MIAA selections, as well as third basemen Freddie Landers. Landers leads the Lions with a .349 batting average and is tied for the team-lead with 11 home runs. He leads the MIAA in hit by pitch, while ranking second in slugging and on-base percentage and fourth in home runs and total bases.

About the Mules (38-14): The Mules came-from-behind and defeated the Lions in an elimination game on Championship Sunday en route to the 2019 MIAA Tournament Championship this past weekend. Central is led offensively by MIAA Player of the Year Erik Webb as Webb leads the MIAA in doubles, home runs, RBIs, sacrifice flies, total bases and triples, while ranking second in batting average.

The Mules as a team are hitting .332 as a team, tops in the MIAA, while sporting a 4.11 team ERA.

Last time vs. UCM: The Lions and Mules have played five times this year with UCM holding a 3-2 record over the Lions. Southern last played UCM in the NCAA post season in 2013 when UCM eliminated the Lions 7-3 in Mankato, Minn.

Series history: The Lions and Mules have met quite extensively over the years with the Mules holding an 84-25 overall record against the Lions.

Next up: The winner of this game play the winner of the Central Oklahoma/St. Cloud State game at noon on Friday.

Follow the Regional: Complete links to the tournament home page, live stats, live audio and live video can be found above in the story links or on the baseball schedule page.

MSSU Watch Party: Can't make it to Warrensburg, but want to watch the games in style? The MSSU athletic department will be hosting a watch party in the North Endzone Facility on campus to help cheer on the Lions. Admission is free, but please RSVP via 417-625-9317.

Southern's Parish, Landers named All-Region selections

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Zach Parish and Freddie Landers were both named All-Region selections today as the Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) announced it's Division II All-Central Region honors.

Voted on by sports information and media relations personnel in the central region, the list consists of players from the MIAA, the Northern Sun and the Great American Conference.

Parish was named a first-team selection and his name will go on the ballot for All-American consideration. Landers was a second-team pick.

Parish was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and leads the MIAA in strikeouts with 134 and wins with nine. He ranks second in hits allowed, WHIP, games started and ERA. Parish and Landers were both first-team All-MIAA selections. This year Parish is 9-1 with a 2.23 ERA and his 134 strikeouts are a school record. He has thrown 96.2 innings in 15 starts with one complete game and two shutouts, while holding batters to a .182 average.

Landers leads the Lions with a .349 batting average and is tied for the team-lead with 11 home runs. He leads the MIAA in hit by pitch, while ranking second in slugging and on-base percentage and fourth in home runs and total bases.

The Lions will open up the 2019 NCAA Division II Central Regional tomorrow afternoon when the Lions take on No. 12 Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Crowder to play in district baseball tournament at Joe Becker Stadium this weekend

(From Crowder College)

The Crowder College Roughrider Baseball team won the Region 16 tournament last weekend advancing them to the South Central District tournament. Crowder is the host team for the District tournament which will be played at Joe Becker in Joplin, MO, May 17-19.

Tournament schedule is as follows:

· Friday, May 17 @ noon – Delgado, LA vs. Connors State, OK

· Friday, May 17 @ 3pm – Crowder vs. Connors State

· Friday, May 17 @ 6pm – Crowder vs. Delgado

The top two teams advance to play Saturday, May 18 at 1pm. A third game would be played, if needed, on Sunday, May 19 at 1pm. This is a double elimination tournament with the winner advancing to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, CO, May 25-June 1, 2019.

This makes the 5th Region 16 championship for Coach Lallemand. The team is 47-14 on the season and ranked #10 in NJCAA Division I Baseball.

For more information visit our website: crowderathletics.com

MSSU track and field teams qualify 19 for NCAA Division II Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The nationally-ranked Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams have qualified 19 individuals for the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The event will take place on May 23-25 in Kingsville, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University - Kingsville.

The No. 4 ranked women have qualified 12 individuals in 14 events, while the No. 20 ranked men have qualified seven individuals in eight events. It is the deepest group and most individuals ever to qualify for the Missouri Southern program.

Leading the way for the women are a talented group of throwers. The Lions qualified four individuals in the javelin, have two qualifiers in the shot put and discus and another in the hammer throw.

Desirea Buerge and Payton Roberts both qualified for the shot and the discus, while Kirsten Leisinger has qualified in the hammer throw. Morgan Ash and Elizabeth Pomatto are the top two performers in the javelin and they will be joined by Katelyn Mooney and Alexis Kuehl.

Emily Presley is the top-ranked pole vaulter and she is one of three Lions competing in the event, joined by Elena Bisotto and Lauren Sutherland. Claire Luallen has qualified in the long jump, while Morgan Smith will take part in the 100m hurdles.

On the men's side, Rajindra Campbell leads a group of throwers that again are impressive this year. Campbell has qualified in the shot and the discus, while Travis Petersen and Josh Fulmer will compete in the hammer. Rajheim Carby will take part in the javelin.

Josh Norville will compete in the long jump, while Adrain Broadus and Kennan Harrison will take part in the triple jump.

MSSU falls 5-4 to Central Missouri in MIAA semi-final

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team led 4-3 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but Central Missouri rallied for a 5-4 win over the Lions Sunday in the MIAA Baseball Tournament semifinals.

Offensively, Mike Million led the way today, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI. Matt Miller and Ryan Hunter both had a home run, while Denver Coffee, Dan Lenz and Troy Gagan had a hit each. Coffee Drove in a run, as well.

Brennon Covington started and went two innings, striking out three and walking none and gave way to Joey Reeves in the third. Reeves pitched masterfully, throwing six and a third innings of relief, limiting the Mules to just two runs, while striking out five to suffer the hard-luck loss. Reeves threw nine innings of relief in the past two days for the Lions.

Central Missouri (37-14) got three hits each from Erik Webb and Harrison Schnurbush with Mason Janvrin driving in the winning run. Jonathan Sprinkle threw five and two thirds of an innings of relief, striking out ten batters.

Southern had homers from Miller and Hunter in the second to go up 2-0. Central got a run back in the bottom of the second and went ahead on a homer from Webb in the third, leading 3-2 after three.

Million homered off of Sprinkle in the seventh to tie the game at three and Coffee drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth to score Million with the go-ahead run.

The Mules, however, answered with an RBI double from Zach Whalin and Janvrin's game-winning single to put the game away.

MSSU baseball qualifies for NCAA Tournament, will open play Thursday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

For the third time in head coach Bryce Darnell's career, the Missouri Southern baseball team has qualified for the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the Lions will head to Warrensburg to take on Central Missouri in the opening round this Thursday, May 16.

Times and a complete schedule have yet to be announced, but will be posted on this site as soon as they are. This will be the third game in a row the Lions have faced off with the Mules and the fifth time this year the two teams have faced each other. Southern is 2-3 against the Mules after losing a heartbreaking 5-4 game to Central in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament.

The Lions will be the No. 7 seed in the the tournament as Central Missouri is the No. 2 seed and will host one four-team tournament as part of the Central Region. St. Cloud State is the No. 3 seed and will face off with No. 6 seed Central Oklahoma. All games will be played at Crane Stadium/Tompkins on the campus of UCM.

Southern is 3-1 against Central Oklahoma this year, 2-3 against UCM and did not play St. Cloud State. The winner of the tournament being played in Warrensburg will go on to face the winner of the other regional tournament in a super-regional which will be a best-of-three series at the highest seed.

The other region will be hosted by No. 1 seed and defending National Champion Augustana. The Vikings will take on No. 8 seed Oklahoma Baptist. No. 4 seed Minnesota State will take on No. 5 seed Arkansas-Monticello. The complete regional field is listed below.

2019 NCAA Central Region Championship Qualifiers

1. Augustana (40-14)
2. Central Missouri (38-14)
3. St. Cloud State (39-12)
4. Minnesota State (39-13)
5. Arkansas-Monticello (33-14)
6. Central Oklahoma (36-18)
7. Missouri Southern (35-19)
8. Oklahoma Baptist (33-19)

MSSU track and field teams pick up 10 provisional qualifying marks at Emporia State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Emporia, Kan. -- The nationally-ranked Missouri Southern track and field teams were in action today as the Lions came away with ten NCAA Provisional Qualifying marks at the Emporia State Sam Williams Twilight.

Rajindra Campbell picked up a win in the discus with a provisional distance of 183-10, while Josh Fulmer was 14th. Campbell was then second in the shot put, again picking up a provisional distance of 59-08.50. Travis Petersen and Fulmer both picked up NCAA provisional marks in the hammer as Petersen was second with a distance of 197-06 and Fulmer was third with a throw of 185-05.

Katelyn Mooney picked up a provisional and a second place finish in the javelin with a mark of 153-04, while Alexis Kuehl was fourth with a provisional mark of 147-09. Kirsten Leisinger hit a mark of 169-05 to finish second in the hammer, while Alexandra Rodriguez was fifth.

Payton Roberts hit an NCAA provisional mark of 149-10 in the discus to finish fifth, while Leisinger was sixth. Roberts hit another provisional in the shot put, hitting a mark of 49-03.75.

Lauren Sutherland and Jordan Banker both had provisional marks in the pole vault, as Sutherland was fifth at 12-00.75, while Banker hit the same mark, but finished eighth on fewer misses. Megan Tramel was 13th. Dean Howard was third in the pole vault with a mark of 15-07.75.

The Lions will have a small group of athletes at Nebraska-Kearney tomorrow to wrap up the regular-season and will find out who has qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships next week.

Southern wins two to advance to MIAA Championship game

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Pittsburg State -- The Missouri Southern baseball team, facing elimination today, won a pair of games, first dispatching of Lindenwood and then coming-from-behind to defeat 7th-ranked Central Missouri and advance to Championship Sunday at the MIAA Tournament.

Southern (35-18) will face off with Central Missouri again tomorrow morning at 9 am for the right to move on to the MIAA Championship Game.

The Lions had stellar performances on the mound today as Zac Shomaker went six and two thirds in game one with eight strikeouts to get the win and Bradly Hershey threw seven and a third in game two of releif to shutdown the Mules and pick up a much-needed win and break for the bullpen for the Lions. Shoemaker moves to 8-2 on the season, while Hershey is 5-1. Logan VanWey and Joey Reeves threw in relief in game one, both throwing shutout innings against Lindenwood (28-25).

Reeves started the game against the Mules (36-14) and went an inning and two thirds, giving up three runs on five hits. Hershey closed out the game and put out the fire.

The Lions got three hits from Freddie Landers in game one, including a double and a triple. Denver Coffee had a pair of hits, while Mike Million, Troy Gagan, Dexter Swims, Calem Nutting, Jon Leighton, Ryan Hunter and Garan Stevens had a hit each.

The Lions scored the first seven runs of the game against Lindenwood. Leighton picked up an RBI in the second, while Gagan added one in the third. Coffee had an RBI in the fifth before an RBI triple from Landers in the seventh. Coffee, Swims and Matt Miller added RBIs in the inning.

Game two saw the Mules go up 4-0 in the game, scoring a pair of runs in the first and a single run each in the second and third. 

Million got the Lions on the board in the third, singling home Hunter, while Gagan added a sacrifice fly and Million then scored on a wild pitch to get the Lions within a run (4-3) after three.

Matt Miller homered to lead off the fourth inning to tie the game at four and Landers singled home Hunter in the seventh with the go-ahead run.

Hershey shut down the Mules, holding Central Missouri scoreless the final six innings of the game.

The Mules and Lions will be back at it tomorrow morning at 9 am in another elimination game. The winner of that game will advance to the MIAA Championship game to be played at either 12:30 pm or 4 pm.

MSSU falls 2-0 to Central Oklahoma in MIAA Tournament, elimination game Saturday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Pittsburg, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team dropped a 2-0 decision today to Central Oklahoma in the second round of the 2019 MIAA Baseball Tournament in Pittsburg.

The Lions (33-18) will move on to play Lindenwood tomorrow at 9 am in an elimination game. If Southern wins, the team will play directly following that game against the winner of the Central Missouri - Pittsburg State game being played tonight.

Southern got two hits from Mike Million and a hit each from Freddie Landers, Denver Coffee, Matt Miller and Dexter Swims.

Will Bausinger started and went eight innings, striking out six and walking none in the tough-luck loss. River Wright and Bradly Hershey threw in relief for the Lions.

UCO (35-16) got three hits from Joe Mondragon and two from Dru Barrier as starter Gabe Littlejim went six innings and struck out five to get the win. Landon Bond, Junior Obeso and Josh Rutland threw in relief with Rutland picking up the save.

The Lions will be back at it tomorrow morning at 9 am against Lindenwood in day three of the 2019 MIAA Baseball Tournament.