Monday, December 13, 2021

Crowder College baseball coach named Coach of the Year


(From Crowder College)

Crowder College head baseball coach Travis Lallemand has been named Coach of the Year by the Midwest Scouts Association. The honor was presented to him at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City this past weekend.

“Coach Lallemand was chosen not only for the results he gets on the field, but the quality of the program he runs. He consistently develops players and builds good relationships with professional scouts,” touted Dusting Smith, Midwest Area Scout for the Texas Rangers and Association President.

Lallemand has head coach for the Roughriders since 2005. His career record of 653 wins and 280 losses has produced 6 Region Championships and named Region 16 Coach of the Year, 3 South Central District Championships, and 3 trips to the NJCAA College World Series with the most recent earning 3rd place in NJCAA Division I Baseball (2010, 2017, and 2021). 








Since 2010, the Roughriders have appeared in the NJCAA Nation poll each year and have won 40 plus games 10 of those seasons, including tow 50 plus win seasons.

Roughrider baseball players under his leadership have performed as follows:

Coach over 100 players who have signed with Division I programs
35 MLB drafted players
26 pitchers selected in MLB Amateur Draft with 50 signing with NCAA Division 1 schools
Over 200 players moving on to 4-year schools or professional baseball
48 Region 16 1st team players
11 NJCAA All-Americans
5 Region Players of the Year
4 Region 16 Defensive Players of the Year

Prior to his head coaching position Lallemand served as an assistant coach on the pitching staff for three seasons at Crowder. Lallemand is originally from Girard, Kansas. He prepped at Girard high School and went on to play collegiate baseball at Labette Community College before transferring to Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition from the MW Scouting association. I have worked with most of these individuals for the better part of my career here with a few new scouts coming on board each year, and we have developed a trusting relationship over that time. I have sat in ballparks all over the Midwest with most of these guys evaluating players and discussing our current players to come see and it means a lot that they selected me for this award,” stated Lallemand.

Lallemand and his wife Jennifer reside in Neosho with their son, Luc.

The Midwest Scouts Association is a non-profit organization consisting of scouts from all 30 MLB teams. The main purpose of the organization is to assist those in the baseball community. Additionally, the organization holds a players showcase every summer for free consisting of the best talent from the Midwest. Induction into the Hall of Fame is voted every one to two years with one coach being honored.

Photo (L-R): Dustin Smith, MWSA President presents the award to Travis Lallemand, Crowder College Roughrider Head Baseball Coach)

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame to honor MSSU/College Heights great Katie Gariss Marsh


(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday its Class of 2021 to be inducted at the annual Basketball Luncheon that features Missouri Southern Hall of Famer Katie (Gariss) Marsh earning the organization's Filbert Five Award.

The ceremony will be held at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield on December 14 and is set for 11 am. An individual ticket is $50 in advance, or $60 at the door. For ticket prices and availability, call 417-889-3100.








A High School product from nearby College Heights Christian School, (Gariss) Marsh scored 2,000 career points as a Cougar and was a Class 2 All-State selection in 1998. At the conclusion of her four-year Missouri Southern career (Gariss) Marsh ranked 8th in career scoring and rebounds with 1,230 points and 588 rebounds, currently she ranks ninth in career rebounds and tenth in scoring at Missouri Southern.

As a junior in 2000-01 (Gariss) Marsh was a first-team All-MIAA and All-District selection before being an All-American after averaging 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game to finish second in the MIAA in scoring and rebounds. Her nine double-doubles in her career rank tied for ninth in a Lion career and featured eight double-doubles as a junior.

(Gariss) Marsh was the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2002, one of only two Missouri Southern student-athletes to ever earn such honor. (Gariss) Marsh graduated with a perfect 4.00 GPA, while making it through the honors program at Southern, serving as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, and actively participating in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She was a two-time Academic All-American, a two-time MIAA Presidential Scholar, a two-time Academic All-MIAA pick, and a three-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll honoree.

Marsh was inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. Currently she lives in Joplin and works for Mercy Orthopedics of Southeast Kansas.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Missouri Southern soccer coach resigns


(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern Director of Athletics Rob Mallory has announced a change in the leadership of the MSSU soccer program as head coach Aaron Tilsen has stepped down from his position.

Tilsen was 10-36-3 in three seasons at Southern.

A national search for a replacement will be conducted immediately.

"I want to thank Coach (Aaron) Tilsen for his service to Missouri Southern, and good luck in his future endeavors," Mallory said.