Hays saw their season come to a close on Saturday at the AAA State Legion tournament as they lose 6-5 to the Ottawa Arrows.  Hays took the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a Cole Murphy single to plate Trey Riggs.  Hays just missed a double play to end the game with runners at first and second.  Brock Huddleston who is headed to Emporia State as an offensive lineman hit a ball to the gap in right center field that rolled to the wall and scored two runs, the winning run from first.

Highlights

Hays was not hit through the first five innings.  The Eagles scored a single run in the second on an Ottawa error.  The Arrows answered back with a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the second.

Ottawa scored another run in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead.  Hays finally broke through in the sixth inning on a Grant Coffman two run single.  Coffman later scored on a fielding error to tie the game at four.

Coach Dustin Schumacher

Palmer Hutchison went six and two-thirds innings in the loss.  The tournament and summer for Hays comes to a close one game shy of the state title game.

Each team had three errors in the contest.  Ottawa scored their six runs on seven hits and received four walks and a hit batter.  Hays scored their five runs on four hits and received six walks and one hit batter.

MARYSVILLE – Luke Ruder and Gavin Schumacher each drove in three runs and Tate Garcia turned in five solid innings as the Hays Monarchs moved to 2-0 at the AA State American Legion tournament with a 8-3 win over Garnett Friday.

Each team got a run in their half of the first and Garnett took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second and the score would stay that way until the Monarchs scored four runs in the top of the fifth.

Hays tied the game at two on an error and Luke Ruder followed that with a two-run double giving the Monarchs a 4-2 lead. Another error allowed the Monarchs to take a 5-2 lead.

After Garnett got a run back in the sixth inning the Monarchs loaded the bases for Gavin Schumacher who promptly unloaded them on a three-run double giving Hays an 8-3 lead and they would go on to win by that score.

Monarchs coach Ryan Post

Garcia allowed three runs on four hits over five innings to earn the win.

Luke Ruder and Schumacher each went 1-for-4 with three RBI’s.

The Monarchs are 22-10 on the season and will play Iola Saturday at 6 p.m. in Marysville.

Hays had just one error through the first two games at the AAA State Legion tournament in Ottawa.  Both resulted in wins.  Hays held a three run lead through two innings against Great Bend on Friday night, but seven errors over the next three innings were too much to overcome as the Eagles fall 10-7.

Starting pitcher Grant Coffman slammed a three run double off the left field fence in the first inning to get the Eagles started.  Coffman then sat down the first six batters that he faced.  Hays had the bases loaded in the second inning with no out but could not score.  Hays then didn’t score in the third with runners at the corners and one out.  In all Hays would strand 14 base runners.

Highlights

Great Bend struck for the first time in the bottom of the third.  Aided by four of the Eagle’s seven errors the Chiefs scored four runs to take the lead.  Hays answered with three more in the top of the fourth inning led by a Trey Riggs two-run double.  Riggs later scored on a wild pitch for a 6-4 advantage.

Another error in the fourth inning cost Hays two runs and the game was tied at six through four innings.

The Eagle’s took their last lead of the game in the fifth inning.  After loading the bases with nobody out, Hays forced in a run after a Trey Riggs walk but could not add any more.  Great Bend retook the lead in the bottom of the inning, this time for good.  Aided by two more Eagle errors, Great Bend scored three runs to grab the lead for good at 9-7 after five innings.

Hays loaded the bases in the sixth with two out and didn’t score.  They then put two on with one out in the seventh but were doubled up to end the game.  Great Bend had added another run in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin of 10-7.

Coach Dustin Schumacher

Hays received thirteen walks and a hit batter in the loss.  Grant Coffman took the loss, pitching six inning allowing seven hits, walking four, hitting two batters and striking out two.  Four different pitchers took the mound for Great Bend.

Hays stays alive in the double elimination tournament as Friday was their first loss.  Hays plays Ottawa who eliminated Chanute 5-2.  The game will be at 10 a.m. Friday

RENTON, Wash. (AP) – Kansas City and Seattle have swapped linebackers, with D.J. Alexander joining the Seahawks and Kevin Pierre-Louis being sent to the Chiefs.

The clubs made the trade Friday on the cusp of training camp for both teams.

Alexander was a Pro Bowl selection last season as a special teams player for the Chiefs and played sparingly on defense. He had 16 total tackles in the regular season on defense and made one start.

Pierre-Louis never matched his potential with the Seahawks. An exceptional athlete, Pierre-Louis struggled with injuries and with inconsistent performance when he got on the field. Pierre-Louis appeared in 34 regular-season games with one start. He had 43 total tackles playing outside linebacker for the Seahawks.

Jonathan Zweygardt
Hays Post

The Hays Monarchs waited until they were down to their final out in the seventh inning before recording their first hit Thursday against Marysville in the first round of the AA State American Legion Baseball tournament, but Zane Staab would make that hit count.

Down 2-0, with two outs and runners at first and second Staab delivered a two-run single tying the game at two.

Then with the game still tied at two in the top of the eighth inning the Monarchs first two runners of the inning reached base setting up a Chase Werth two-run single to give Hays a 4-2 lead. The Monarchs added another run on a wild-pitch to take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth.

Marysville threatened, scoring two runs to cut the deficit to 5-4 but the Monarchs held on for the win.

Ricky Hockett earned the win for the Monarchs going seven and a third innings allowing four runs, three earned on seven hits while striking out 11 and walking two.

Monarchs coach Ryan Post

The Monarchs improved to 21-10 and they will take on Garnett in the second semifinal game Friday evening in Marysville.

Doniphan County takes on Iola in the other semifinal game.

In the elimination games Hoisington takes on Russell at 10 a.m. Friday and Beloit will play Marysville after that.

Hays moved to 2-0 at the AAA Legion Tournament in Ottawa on Tuesday night with a 10-3 victory over Oskaloosa. They did so by following the same blue print they used the night before. Strong pitching, timely hitting and a big inning. In this case two big innings on their way to a 10-3 victory.

Oskaloosa scored on a squeeze play in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Hays immediately struck back with a four run top of the second inning. Hays continued to be aggressive on the base paths. Hays initially tied the game on an fielding error with the bases loaded. Then with two out Palmer Hutchison singled into left field. After the first two runs scored on the play, Oskaloosa looked to have caught Hutchison trying to advance to second. They however dropped the throw allowing a third run to score and Hays to take a 4-1 lead.

Highlights

Oskaloosa got a run back in the third inning, but starting pitcher Cole Murphy continued to keep the River Bandits off balance as he cruised through the next three innings, allowing just two base runners.

The Eagle’s offense continued to tack on runs with a single run in the fourth and sixth. Each of the two runs scored on wild pitches.

Hays notched their second four run inning of the game in the seventh. The big hit came off the bat of Cole Murphy who drove in two runs on a double. Dylan Scheibler also drove in a run on his first at-bat of the tournament.

Coach Dustin Schumacher

Cole Murphy used just 94 pitches in the complete game victory. His complete game along with Trey Riggs doing the same thing the night before allows Hays to have the maximum amount of pitching remaining in the double elimination tournament.

Hays will play Great Bend at 6:00 on Friday evening. They are the two remaining teams in the tournament without a loss. Great Bend beat Nickerson with a 7th inning walk-off sacrifice fly.

Earlier in the day during elimination games, Chanute beat Leavenworth 10-0 in six innings. Ottawa beat Arkansas City 5-0. Chanute will play Oskaloosa at 10:00 in the morning. They will be followed by Ottawa and Nickerson. Both games are elimination games. The winners of those two games will play following the Hays and Great Bend game.

IRVING, Texas – Kansas basketball player Frank Mason III has been named the 2016-17 co-Big 12 Men’s Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday. Mason shared the honor with Texas swimmer Will Licon, while West Virginia soccer defender Kadeisha Buchanan was the female recipient.

Nominees were submitted by Big 12 institutions and selected based on athletic performance, academic achievement and citizenship by a media panel as well as fan voting conducted through Big 12Sports.com.

Mason was the consensus 2017 National Player of the Year as well as a consensus All-America First Team selection while leading the Jayhawks to their 13th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season title. He also captured the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and was named Big 12 Player of the Year and to the All-Big 12 First Team. Mason became the only player in KU and Big 12 history to average more than 20 points and five assists in the same season. He led the Big 12 in scoring overall (20.9 ppg) and during conference play (21.0 ppg) while averaging 5.2 assists.

A two-time national player of the week, Mason posted 23 games of 20 or more points, including his final seven contests and 10 of KU’s last 11 outings in 2016-17. The Petersburg, Virginia native was KU’s leading scorer in 26 games. Mason concluded his career No. 6 on the Kansas scoring list (1,885 points), No. 6 in assists (576), No. 8 in 3-point field goals (185), No. 13 in steals (165) and tied for third in consecutive starts (110). He is the first Jayhawk in school history to rank sixth or higher in both points and assists. Mason was one of the five ESPY nominees for 2017 Best Male College Athlete.

A May 2017 KU graduate, Mason was also active in the Lawrence community with activities that included Ladies Night Out, a yearly sold-out event that benefits Jayhawks for a Cure with all proceeds donated to Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) and the KU Cancer Center in an effort to fund cancer research. A Big 12 Champion for Life, Mason was a counselor at the Wilt Chamberlain Special Olympics Clinic, participated in an annual youth holiday clinic in which men’s basketball student-athletes teach youth fundamentals of the game and visited local elementary schools to read to the students.

Mason is the third Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year with all three being from men’s basketball. He joins Jacque Vaughn who won the honor in the first year of the conference in 1996-97 and Nick Collison in 2002-03.

Licon is an 11-time NCAA champion who won NCAA titles in all five of his events at the 2017 NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships. He became just the fourth swimmer in the history of college swimming, and the first in 17 years, to win NCAA titles in four different individual events through his career at the NCAA Championships. Licon’s 2017 national championships were in the events of 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. He is the first Texas or Big 12 swimmer to win three individual national titles at a single NCAA Championship meet (athletes are limited to a maximum of three individual events).

Buchanan helped lead West Virginia to four Big 12 regular-season titles and three postseason crowns during her time in Morgantown, as well as a runner-up finish in the 2016 NCAA College Cup. This past season, she claimed national honors as the MAC Hermann Trophy recipient, Honda Sport Award winner for soccer and espnW and TopDrawerSoccer.com Player of the Year. She was also a 2017 ESPY nominee in the category of Best Female College Athlete.

Other female candidates for Big 12 Athlete of the Year included: Lindsey Cargill (Baylor), Jhoanmy Luque (Iowa State), Sharon Lokedi (Kansas), Nina Schultz (Kansas State), Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma), Vanessa Shippy (Oklahoma State), Brenley Goertzen (TCU), Chrisann Gordon (Texas) and Gabriela Talaba (Texas Tech).

Male nominees were: Troy Montemayor (Baylor), Monte Morris (Iowa State), Jordan Willis (Kansas State), Samaje Perine (Oklahoma), Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State), Cameron Norrie (TCU), Trey Culver (Texas Tech) and Jevon Carter (West Virginia).

Big 12 Athletes of the Year

Male
2016-17 FRANK MASON, KANSAS & Will Licon, Texas
2015-16 Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
2014-15 Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
2013-14 Bryce Petty, Baylor
2012-13 Collin Klein, Kansas State
2011-12 Robert Griffin III, Baylor
2010-11 Taylor Jungmann, Texas
2009-10 Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2008-09 Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
2007-08 Chase Daniel, Missouri
2006-07 Ben Askren, Missouri
2005-06 Vince Young, Texas
2004-05 Derrick Johnson, Texas
2003-04 Jason White, Oklahoma
2002-03 NICK COLLISON, KANSAS
2001-02 Cael Sanderson, Iowa State
2000-01 Josh Heupel, Oklahoma
1999-00 Charles Howell, Oklahoma State
1998-99 Ricky Williams, Texas
1997-98 Grant Wistrom, Nebraska
1996-97 JACQUE VAUGHN, KANSAS

Female
2016-17 Kadeisha Buchanan, West Virginia
2015-16 Paige Parker, Oklahoma
2014-15 Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma
2013-14 Odyssey Sims, Baylor
2012-13 Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma
2011-12 Brittney Griner, Baylor
2010-11 Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
2009-10 Lisa Koll, Iowa State
2008-09 Destinee Hooker, Texas
2007-08 Sarah Pavan, Nebraska
2006-07 Sarah Pavan, Nebraska
2005-06 Cat Osterman, Texas
2004-05 Cat Osterman, Texas
2003-04 Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State
2002-03 Cat Osterman, Texas
2001-02 Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma
2000-01 Greichaly Cepero, Nebraska
1999-00 Erin Aldrich, Texas
1998-99 Suziann Reid, Texas
1997-98 Vera Ilyina, Texas
1996-97 Nanceen Perry, Texas

OTTAWA, Kan. – One big inning of offense pushed the Hays Eagles to a first round win at the American Legion AAA State Tournament on Wednesday evening.  The big inning was the top of the fourth when Hays turned a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 lead.  They added an insurance run in the top of the sixth for a 7-4 win over the host team, Ottawa Arrows.

Ottawa struck first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Hays got one run back on a Jace Armstrong single in the top of the second.  Ottawa again scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to push their lead up to 4-1.  Trey Riggs then settled in on the mound and the defense came up with big plays behind him.

Hays sent all nine batters to the plate in the fourth inning.  Trey Riggs sent a ground ball up the third base line that struck the bag and ricocheted into left field for two runs.  After Palmer Hutchison was hit by a pitch, Grant Coffman slammed a double up the left field line to score two more runs.  A potential third run was cut down at the plate, but Coffman moved to an unoccupied third base.  The extra base proved to be important as Coffman scored on error during the following at-bat and a 6-4 lead.

Highlights

Hays added another run in the sixth on a RBI single from Palmer Hutchison.

Riggs and the Hays defense posted four straight shutout innings to finish of the 7-4 win.  The Eagles got out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth on a deep fly ball to left field and then turned double plays in each the sixth and seventh innings.

Trey Riggs pitched all seven inning, just coming in under the 120 pitch limit, throwing 116.  He is now 4-5 on the season.  Each Brady Kreutzer, Palmer Hutchison, and Jace Armstrong had two hit games.

Coach Dustin Schumacher

Hays improves to 20-13 overall and will play Oskaloosa in the championship semi-finals Thursday evening.  Ottawa (31-9) who is the two-time defending state champion will play the second elimination game of the day when the face off against Arkansas City.  Oskaloosa used two pitchers in a 1-0 no-hit victory over Arkansas City.  The winning run came on a throwing error in the bottom of the second inning.

Earlier in the day, Nickerson run-ruled Leavenworth 14-6 in five innings.  Nickerson will play Great Bend, who beat Chanute 2-0, in the other championship semi-final at 6:00.  The first game of the day in will see Leavenworth and Chanute in an elimination game at 10:00.

MARYSVILLE, Kan. – The AA State American Legion Baseball Tournament has been delayed a day due to rain. The tournament will now begin on Thursday with first round games.

The Hays Monarchs will face Marysville around 8:30 pm. Russell will play Iola around 3:30 pm.