Sports – Page 486 – Hays Post Archive

NW Kansan, former Lark will throw first pitch at NBC World Series

Posted on July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging

Raymond Mai, 91, of Utica has been selected by Area Agencies on Aging in Kansas to be honored as Keeping Seniors in the Game! First Pitcher on Sunday, July 26, at the 7 p.m. feature game of the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series.

The 81st NBC World Series happens at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Games begin Friday, July 24, and go until the NBC Championship game on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Mai is one of 16 Kansans over age 80 throughout the state selected for the honor. Keeping Seniors In The Game recognizes the vitality and contributions of older Kansans and raises public awareness of the services of Area Agencies on Aging–the national network of groups that provide unbiased answers and real help to seniors and family caregivers with the goal of helping seniors stay happy and independent in their home communities.

Mai’s baseball connections span decades. He was paid by Damar for two years and also pitched for The Hays Larks for a couple games. His favorite baseball memory is when his Damar team in the West Central Kansas League beat the Hays Larks. Mai recalls that the League was a pretty good in the late 1940s and the Hays Larks always went to the state tournament–so this win was a big deal

Besides keeping up with his favorite sports teams, Mai and his wife, Peggy Sue, keep up with three daughters — Delma, Dana, and Debbie–their six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ray enjoys traveling in Kansas –and enjoys casinos and playing poker. He’s been a member of the Hays Poker Club for 26 years. He is also a member of the Methodist church in Arnold and the Eagles in Wakeeney.

Mai was nominated by the Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging in Hays and also by the Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging in Dodge City that serves Ness County.

“We are very happy to work with the National Baseball Congress Foundation to recognize the vitality of older Kansans and the important contributions they make to our country, our hometowns and our communities,” said Julie Govert Walter, Executive Director of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging who leads the Keeping Seniors In The Game! initiative.

The NBC World Series was founded by baseball innovator Hap Dumont in 1934. Over the years, the NBC has launched the careers of many baseball icons. The 81st World Series includes teams from throughout the United States. For NBC World Series information and ticket prices go to www.nbcbaseball.com or call 316-977-9400.

Hays Monarchs Sr. American Legion closes out regular season Friday

Posted on July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

The Hays Monarchs Senior American Legion wraps up regular season play Friday night with a home game against Ellis.

The Monarchs have won six straight and are 20-6 following a pair of run-rule wins in Pratt Wednesday.

Brackets for the zone tournament, which begins Monday in Goodland, come out sometime later on Friday. The Monarchs will more than likely be a two-seed and play at 7pm Monday.

FHSU women’s basketball earns WBCA academic top 25 team honor roll prestige

Posted on July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

FHSU Athletics

ATLANTA, Ga. – Fort Hays State women’s basketball earned a spot on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, released by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The WBCA Academic Top 25 presented by AT&T annually recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III; NAIA; and junior/community college women’s basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined grade point average (GPA) inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season.

Fort Hays State ranked 23rd in the top 25 schools, carrying a team GPA of 3.536. FHSU was one of just seven schools in the top 25 to be selected to the NCAA Tournament, showing they are among the best both on the floor and in the classroom.

The Tigers owned the top GPA for women’s basketball in the MIAA to go along with their conference regular season championship they earned with an 18-1 record in conference play. FHSU went on to finish the season at 30-4 overall, hosting the NCAA Central Regional in Hays. The historic season came to a close in the Central Regional Final, but the season saw the Tigers reach No. 2 in the WBCA Top 25 poll and No. 1 by a couple other ranking services during the regular season. Northeastern State, just behind FHSU at No. 24, was the only other MIAA school in the Academic Top 25.

FHSU ranked No. 8 in the final WBCA poll of the season, the highest final ranking on the court of the seven schools that made the NCAA Tournament listed in the Academic Top 25. Drury (No. 17 in the final poll and No. 5 on the Academic Top 25) and Ashland (No. 22 in the final poll and No. 7 on the Academic Top 25) were the only other schools among those seven to finish the year in the final WBCA Top 25 poll. FHSU was the only school in the Academic Top 25 to reach 30 wins last year.

Ohio Dominican was the nation’s top team academically with a 3.842, the highest of all NCAA levels (I, II, and III), NAIA, and junior colleges. FHSU would have ranked 10th among the highest grade point averages in NCAA Division I, 11th among NCAA Division III, or 11th among NAIA. NCAA Division II showed it was the strongest academically as all of its Top 25 ranks inside the top 15 of Division I, inside the top 16 of Division III, and inside the top 12 of NAIA.

Eight of Fort Hays State’s players had a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher and six had a GPA of 3.8 or higher. Senior Keriann Shaw led the way by finishing her collegiate eligibility with a perfect 4.0, while Taylor Menke posted a perfect 4.0 in her first year at FHSU. Three of Fort Hays State’s four all-conference players had a 3.8 or higher, which included Shaw, All-American Kate Lehman (3.85), and Beth Bohuslavsky (3.86). Jill Faxon, the other all-conference selection for FHSU, was not far behind at 3.65. Paige Lunsford, member of the starting five on the floor, sports a near-perfect 3.96 GPA, while Elle Stein gave the team a boost at 3.8 in her first year removed from junior college. Christine Russell (3.78) and Sarah Pimentel (3.75) were also among those above a 3.7.

This is the fifth time in Tony Hobson’s seven years as head coach at Fort Hays State that the women’s basketball team earned the WBCA Academic Top 25 honor. The team ranked 14th in 2009-10, 12th in 2010-11, 4th in 2011-12, and 14th in 2012-13. FHSU was just outside the top 25 last year, but jumped back in this year as NCAA Division II has shown much more academic strength in women’s basketball the past two years.

Shrine Bowl game, activities coming to Hays

Posted on July 17, 2015

FHSU University Relations

Hundreds of Kansas high school students and graduated seniors from the class of 2015 will converge on the Fort Hays State University campus next week for the annual Kansas East-West All-Star Shrine Bowl football game.

The game is a fundraiser for the the Shriners Hospitals for Children and will kick off at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at FHSU’s Lewis Field Stadium. Players are chosen by vote of media following the previous fall’s high school season.

Players train for a week at separate camps — the West team at Salina and the East team at Emporia — before coming to Hays for Friday’s banquet and Saturday’s game.

Band practice begins Tuesday, and high school musicians will be showcased at Shrine Bowl events, including pregame and halftime performances. The band also will perform at the Shrine Bowl banquet Friday night, and it will lead Saturday’s Shrine Bowl parade down Main Street in Hays.

A select group of cheerleaders will also perform at the game following a cheer clinic held on campus beginning Thursday.

Other high school football players have the opportunity to participate in a combine and clinic co-sponsored by Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Simoneau Sports Performance out of Overland Park. SSP is owned by Mark Simoneau, a former Smith Center High School football standout who played in the 1995 Shrine Bowl game. Simoneau went on to play at Kansas State University and for several NFL teams.

Other events surrounding the Shrine Bowl festivities include a Walk for Love, a golf tournament and a junior all-star challenge for boys and girls ages 6-14.

For more information, visit www.kansasshrinebowl.com.

Bad inning costs Larks in series opener in Liberal

Posted on July 17, 2015

The Hays Larks were five outs away from moving into a second place tie in the Jayhawk League North but four walks and a wild pitch with one out in the eighth inning allowed Liberal to score two runs and beat the Larks 3-2 at Brent Gould Field in Liberal.

Reliever Nick Goza (2-3) got a fly out to open the eighth then struggled finding the strike zone and takes the loss. Starter Cam Roegner allowed just one run on two hits with six strike outs over seven innings.

The Larks grabbed a 2-1 lead on Evan Greuner’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth.

Hays (21-18, 17-16) now sits two games back of the Bee Jays (25-16, 19-14) with three games to play and will need to win the three remaining games in the series to finish second and secure a spot in the NBC World Series.

Game two of the series is Friday night in Liberal before the series shifts to Hays for games three and four on Saturday and Sunday.

Hays Monarchs Jr. Legion stays alive in Zone play

Posted on July 17, 2015

The Monarchs Junior American Legion stayed alive in the Great Bend zone tournament with an 18-0 rout of Great Bend Thursday afternoon, scoring seven runs in the first inning, seven more in the second and four in the third. The game was called after four due to run-rule.

Five Monarchs and two or more hits including Chase Werth and Luke Ruder who both had three. Ruder drove in four.

Cole Zimmerman allowed just one hit over three innings and picks up the win.

The Monarchs improve to 8-11 and will play Pratt in another elimination game Friday afternoon.

NFL Players Association partners with Wounded Warrior Project

Posted on July 16, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — The NFL Players Association has partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project to provide sports business opportunities for injured service members.

The partnership announced Thursday will benefit Wounded Warrior Project alumni and current and former NFL players. The goal is to give injured service members experience and professional development. The NFLPA will also raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Larks set to open final Jayhawk League series of the summer

Posted on July 16, 2015July 16, 2015

It’s all laid out for the Hays Larks as they begin their final Jayhawk League series of the season in Liberal Thursday tonight. Win three of the four games and they finish in second place in the North Division and secure a spot in the First Week of the NBC World Series in Wichita.

Since being swept in El Dorado over the Fourth of July weekend, the Larks have been playing much better, winning six of their last seven games.

The Bee Jays have struggled, losing eight of their last 10 league games and they are just 2-7 at home in league games in the month of July.

Liberal took three of four from Hays when the met last month, winning both games in Liberal and splitting the two in Hays.

The first two games of the series are in Liberal Thursday and Friday night with the final two in Hays Saturday and Sunday. You can hear Saturday and Sunday night’s games on KAYS (1400-AM) beginning at 6:45 both nights.

LARKS SHORTHANDED
The already shorthanded Larks will be even a little thinner for the Liberal series. Outfielder Reggie Wilson, who was hitting .341 with 17 RBIs in 21 games, is signing with the Phillies. Wilson was a 37th round draft pick in June… Pitcher Keegan Curtis (0-1, 4.16 ERA) is being shut down for the summer by his coach at Louisiana-Monroe. Curtis has made six appearances, three of them as a starter. The Larks are already without two of their top RBI producers in Jacob Campbell and RJ Williams who were lost last week due to injury.

After World Series run, Royals proving rebuild was no fluke

Posted on July 16, 2015

DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have proven last year was no fluke.

As they hit the All-Star break with a big lead in the AL Central, they found themselves reveling in seven players chosen for the Midsummer Classic. And after a World Series run last year, they had manager Ned Yost and his staff on the bench Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

But with the festivities over, the Royals now set their sights on returning to the playoffs, something they did last year for the first time since 1985.

The Royals begin the second half Friday night in Chicago against the White Sox. They lead the Minnesota Twins by 4 1/2 games in the AL Central, with Detroit and Cleveland looming.

Hays Monarchs Sr. Legion cruises past Pratt

Posted on July 16, 2015July 16, 2015

The Hays Monarchs Senior American Legion had no trouble in Pratt last night, scoring 29 runs on 31 hits as they roll to a pair run-rule wins over the 86’ers. The Monarchs take the opener 13-1 then win the nightcap 16-0, both in four innings.

Liam Stults had four hits and four RBIs to lead the Monarchs 14-hit attack in game one. Ryan Schippers added three hits and two RBIs. Ryan Ruder allowed one hit over three innings, striking out four for the win.

The Monarchs used a 10-run fourth to put the second game away. Ryan Schippers and Jordan Gottschalk both had four hits and Justin Pfeifer had four RBIs. Liam Stults pitched three innings for the win, allowing one hit while striking out four.

The Monarchs have won six straight and are now are now 20-6. They will host Ellis Friday at the TMP Field at 7pm before beginning zone tournament play at Goodland next week.

Chiefs and Justin Houston agree to a long-term contract

Posted on July 15, 2015

KCChiefs.com
The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Wednesday that the club has signed linebacker Justin Houston to a long-term contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the club.

“Today we were able to reach an agreement with Justin and his agent, Joel Segal, to keep him here in Kansas City for the foreseeable future,” Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. “He’s one of the top players in the National Football League and a premier pass rusher. As we’ve said from the beginning, Justin the football player, and the person, is someone we wanted to be a part of our organization. We are very happy that he will remain a member of the Chiefs.”

“John, Joel and their staffs did a great job of getting this deal done,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Justin has a relentless work ethic on the field and in the classroom, and he provides our team with tremendous leadership. He is a fearless competitor, and we are glad he is going to be back.”

Hays Hurricanes race to strong finishes this summer

Posted on July 15, 2015

The Hays Hurricanes will end the summer season with strong finishes for many of their swimmers. Two 10-year-old swimmers — Amelia Jaeger and Zach Smith — will close the season and make their first appearances competing at the 2015 USA Swimming Central Zone Long-Course Championship Meet from July 31 through Aug. 2 in Topeka.

Throughout the 2015 season, Jaeger has qualified to swim five events — 50 M free, 50 M fly, 50 M back, 100 M free and 100 M back. Smith has qualified for three events — 50 M back, 100 M fly and 200 M medley. The Zone Championship meet is the highest level meet for the Central Zone, made up of 16 states and boasts close to 90,000 swimmers. Those swimming at Zone meets have a chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.

Amelia Jaeger, Coach A.J. Brown and Zach Smith

Along with their upcoming competition in Topeka, Hurricanes swimmers, Jaeger and Smith, along with older brother Isaac Smith, will join four more swimmers to represent Western Kansas Swim Club at the 2015 Missouri Valley Long-Course Championships from July 24 to 26 in Lawrence. Jaeger and Zach Smith will swim seven events, while Isaac will be swimming four.

The regular season ended last weekend in Garden City at the Western Kansas Swim Club Combined meet.

The two-day meet had 384 participating swimmers. Jaeger swam away with six first-place finishes in 50 M free, 50 M fly, 200 M medley, 100 M free, 50 M back, 200 M free and a fourth-place finish in the 50 M breast. Jaeger was the female 9- and 10-year-old high point individual in WKSC. Thirteen-year-old Megan Flavin finished strong with two first-place finishes in the 50 M free and 100 M free; a second place finish in the 200 M free; three fifth-place finishes in the 100 M fly, 200 M medley and 100 M back; and an 11th place finish in the 100 M breast.

Yesenia Maldonado, 13, ended the season with a third-place finish in the 50 M free and two eighth- and 10th-place finishes in the 200 M free, medley, 100 M back and breast, respectively. Seven-year old, Tygh Jaeger swam to a 10th and 21st place finish in the 50 M back and breast stroke. Flavin and Maldonado, along with two other Hurricanes, will join other swimmers from around western Kansas to represent WKSC, this weekend at the MV Long-Course District meet in Manhattan.

The Hays Hurricanes Swim Team is a member of the Western Kansas Swim Club and competes within the Missouri Valley Swimming and USA Swimming organizations. The Hurricanes are composed of swimmers (age 5 to 18), parents, coaches and volunteers and was established in 1975.

Larks hold off Dodge City to set up key series with Liberal

Posted on July 15, 2015

The Hays Larks scored a season-high 16 runs on 21 hits Tuesday night at Cavalier Field in Dodge City, and they needed every one of them as they hold off the Dodge City Athletics 16-11 to move within a game of second-place Liberal in the Jayhawk League North Division.

Corky Welch hit a grand slam highlighting the Larks (21-17, 17-15 JL) five-run first inning. Welch finished 4-for-5 with seven RBI’s as Hays built a 10-2 lead after 2 1/2 innings and were up 12-4 heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Dodge City (19-19, 14-18 JL) struck for five in the seventh then added two in the ninth.

Derrick Mount had three hits and drove in three as the Larks to 7-1 against the Athletics this summer.

Jake Wilcox (2-2), one of seven Larks pitchers used in the game, picks up the win.

The Larks have now won six of their last seven and begin a crucial four-game series with Liberal Thursday to determine the Jayhawk League’s entry into the first week of the NBC World Series. Games one and two are in Liberal Thursday and Friday with the final two games Saturday and Sunday at Larks Park.