Cody Barham named assistant softball coach at Missouri Southern

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern head softball coach Hallie Blackney has named Cody Barham as the program's new assistant coach effective immediately.

Barham comes to Southern after serving as an assistant with the University of Tulsa and prior to that, Oklahoma State for a pair of seasons.

"Our student-athletes and I are excited to welcome Cody to our family," Blackney said. "His passion and work ethic are unmatched, and I look forward to what our program will accomplish on and off the field in the future."

At Tulsa, Barham spent a season with the Golden Hurricane where he worked with the catchers, as well as coaching first base. At Oklahoma State, he worked with pitchers and catchers and helped the Cowgirls to a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Women's College World Series. The coaching staff at OSU was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.

Prior to OSU, Barham spent four seasons as an assistant and the junior varsity head coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan. There, he worked primarily with the pitching staff and oversaw the development of the outfielders. Former OWU pitcher Jenna Daniel ranks as one of his top talents, as she was named the MCAC Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and 2015, the KCAC Pitcher of the Year in 2016 and earned NAIA Second-Team All-America honors in 2016.

A native of Owasso, Okla., Barham has also coached at the high school level at Bartlesville High School.

Barham said he is looking forward to wearing the Green and Gold and getting started with the program.

"I am thankful for the opportunity to work aside Coach Blackney as we continue to build something special at Missouri Southern," he said.

MSSU assistant track and field coach named to Pittsburg State Hall of Fame

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern track and field assistant coach Brian Allen will be inducted into the Pittsburg State University Athletics Hall of Fame the school has announced.

Allen, who will be entering his eighth season as an assistant coach with the Lions, has helped the Southern throwers to huge successes in his tenure.

The Lions have posted more than 20 All-American performances under Allen's guidance as well as nearly 30 All-MIAA marks.

Allen was an All-American thrower at PSU from 2006-10, earning nine All-American honors and 15 All-MIAA performances. He was the MIAA Men's High Point Winner at the 2009 and 2019 MIAA Outdoor Championships, earning 28 points at each Championship. Allen was a four-time MIAA Champion.

Allen was selected as the 2010 Division II South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and still holds the PSU records in the weight throw and hammer.

MSSU women's basketball adds graduate transfer

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern head coach Ronnie Ressel has announced the signing graduate transfer Carley Turnbull who joins the Lions for the 2021 season.

Turnbull is a 5-10 senior that comes to the Lions after three years at from Monmouth College in Monmouth Ill. where she has already graduated and will have one more year of eligibility.

This past season, Turnbull helped the Fighting Scots to a 21-7 overall record including a 14-4 Midwest Conference record where they finished in second place. They went on to win the conference tournament for the second time in program history to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

As a junior, Turnball saw action in all 28 games, averaging 16 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest, while shooting 44 percent from the field and averaging 29.5 minutes per game. She had a season-high 30 points during a Jan. 31st contest at Ripon College where she was 13-of-14 from the free throw line.

A native of Mesa, Ariz., Turnbull prepped at Mesa High School, helping the Jackrabbits to the state playoffs her sophomore and senior year, making an appearance in the final four in her senior year.
She averaged 16 points per game with 6.5 rebounds and shot 49 percent from beyond the arch. She was an All-Region selection as a junior and senior and an All-State selection her senior year.

The daughter of Mark and Carrie Turnbull, Carley plans to seek a masters degree in management at Southern.

"We are extremely excited to add Carley (Turnbull) to the Lion Family. She is a graduate transfer that will bring a lot of playing experience to our team," said Ressel. "Carley can score at all three levels and is a very versatile player. She comes from a great family and will be a very nice addition to our 2020 recruiting class."