The Centennial League girls soccer all conference teams have been announced.
The Junction City Lady Jays did not have anyone on the first or second teams, but three players did receive honorable mention. They include Laura Campbell, Katelyn Craft and Mindy Lechuga.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s September 8 matchup against Mississippi State will kick off at 11 a.m., on ESPN, while its September 15 contest against UTSA will start at 3 p.m., on FSN as the Big 12 Conference and its television partners have announced game times and TV designations for the first three weeks of the season.
The Wildcats’ season opener against South Dakota on September 1 – which will serve as the 10th-Annual K-State Family Reunion – will be shown world-wide on ESPN3 at a time to be determined.
K-State and Mississippi State will be meeting on the gridiron for a third time as the series is tied, 1-1, following two close matchups in the 1970s. The Wildcats were downed by MSU, 21-16, in Starkville in 1974. In 1977, the Bulldogs earned a 24-21 win on the field, but the game was later forfeited due to the use of an ineligible player.
The Wildcats won their only previous meeting against the Roadrunners, a 30-3 victory at the Alamodome in 2015. This year marks the fifth-straight year K-State will play a member of Conference USA with four of those contests being played in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
As in years past, all remaining Big 12 game times and television information will be selected on a 12- or six-day basis throughout the season.
Fan-favorite Harley Day is scheduled for the Mississippi State matchup, when 100-plus Harley Davidson motorcycles will make a thunderous lap inside the stadium just prior to the Wildcats taking the field. The game is also a Stripe Out. For just the second-time in stadium history, fans will wear purple or white shirts depending on their seat location. Information on the official Stripe Out shirt will be announced tomorrow.
The game against UTSA will serve as the annual Fort Riley Day.
Season tickets are still available for the 2018 season starting at just $199 for the mobile Flex Season Ticket. Single-game tickets for the 2018 season go on sale online only for Ahearn Fund members on Monday, July 9, and for the entire public online on Thursday, July 12. Group and single-game tickets are available by phone at 1-800-221-CATS beginning Friday, July 13.
Television Selections for First Three K-State Football Games
Date Opponent Time TV
Sept. 1 South Dakota TBA ESPN3
Sept. 8 Mississippi State 11 a.m. ESPN
Sept. 15 UTSA 3 p.m. FSN
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Moustakas helped the Kansas City Royals take a nine-run lead in the second inning. They nearly gave it all away.
Moustakas homered, doubled and drove in four runs in the first two innings, Jorge Soler went 4 for 5 with a home run, but the Royals nearly blew the big lead before holding on for a 11-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Moustakas’ double in the first scored Jon Jay and Alcides Escobar. Moustakas’ 12th homer was a towering two-run shot in the second that just made it into the front row of the right-field seats and barely fair.
According to Statcast, it had a 46-degree launch angle, the highest in the majors this season, and carried 339 feet.
“I knew I hit it good, but I just wasn’t sure if it would stay fair and if it was going to go far enough,” Moustakas said. “That was a high one for sure.”
The Royals sent 11 men to the plate in a seven-run second to build a 9-0 lead. Soler nearly had a two-run homer in the inning, but after a review it was changed to a run-producing double. The second inning also included Ryan Goins’ two-run triple.
Every Royals starter had scored in the first two innings, but it almost wasn’t enough.
“We just couldn’t slow them down,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We weren’t throwing strikes. We were leaving balls up. They just kept adding on, adding on, adding on.”
The Twins chipped away at the Royals’ lead, including bases-empty home runs by Brian Dozier and Ehrie Adrianza in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
“We fought back and then getting right back in the dugout,” Dozier said. “We were right where we needed to be as far as momentum shifting our way. We just couldn’t capitalize on it.”
Miguel Sano hit a two-run double in the Twins’ four-run sixth and scored on Eduardo Escobar’s two-out single, cutting the Royals’ lead to 9-8. Brian Flynn then struck out Max Kepler to end the sixth with runners on second and third, preserving the Royals’ lead.
Sano had a RBI single in the third and has hit in 17 consecutive games against the Royals with 30 RBIs in that span.
Hunter Dozier led off the Kansas City seventh with his first career home run. Soler homered in the eighth for his fourth hit, matching his career high.
Kevin McCarthy (4-2), the fifth of seven Kansas City pitchers, retired all four batters he faced and earned the victory.
“I didn’t want to use McCarthy today,” Yost said. “He’s been in four out of five, but we were at the point we had to. He came in and did a phenomenal job.”
Kelvin Herrera protected the lead with a spotless ninth for his 12th save.
Twins rookie right-hander Fernando Romero (3-2) retired only five of the 15 batters he faced. Romero allowed eight runs and nine hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly. His ERA jumped from 1.88 to 4.15.
“They were jumping me from the first pitch,” Romero said. “They were just hitting everything.”
Jay singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Jay finished May with a .368 average and leads the majors with 43 hits in the month.
It was meet and greet time for the Junction City Brigade summer collegiate baseball team at Rathert Field Wednesday evening. Head Coach Derek Francis and the members of the team were introduced to the public during an informal session where the fans also had an opportunity to visit and talk baseball.
Francis is a Manhattan native, and is also an assistant coach at Emporia State University.
The Brigade will open their 2018 season Thursday night in Topeka against the Golden Giants. The home opener is at 6 p.m. Sunday against the Kansas City Monarchs.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas forward Udoka Azubuike withdrew his name from the NBA draft on Wednesday, choosing to return for his junior season after participating in the combine.
The 7-footer from Nigeria started 34 games last season, averaging 13 points and seven rebounds. He shot 77 percent from the field, a Big 12 record and the best mark in the nation.
Azubuike is a traditional back-to-the-basket big man, and scouts have wondered how his skills would transfer to the NBA. The league’s up-tempo pace and the value placed on big men who can shoot from outside go against his strengths, and developing an outside shot will likely be an emphasis at Kansas.
Azubuike said in a statement that he received “good feedback from many sources around the NBA over the last month.” He did not hire an agent and had until Wednesday’s deadline to withdraw.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alcides Escobar was one of the least likely Kansas City Royals to belt a home run in extra innings.
The light-hitting shortstop had not gone deep in 140 at-bats, and his only long ball this season came on April 17.
Escobar, however, sent a drive to left field with two outs in the 14th inning Tuesday night to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
He connected on a 3-1 pitch from Taylor Rogers (1-2), ending a game that took 4 hours, 12 minutes. Rain also delayed the start by 24 minutes.
“I knew right away,” Escobar said. “When I hit the ball, I said, ‘Game over.’ Of all my home runs, this is the best one because this is my first walk-off homer.”
A pancake feed was held on May 5th for the Geary County Girls Softball Association. As a result of ticket sales by Club members and Girls Softball registrants, the Optimist Club donated $1,300 to Geary County Girls Softball.
The check was presented to Association President Jeff Childs at the Optimist Club meeting on Wednesday.
ST. JOSEPH —The architect of the greatest turnaround in college football history will be honored at Missouri Western State University.
According to a media release from MWSU. the Bill Snyder Pavilion will be dedicated on Thursday, July 12 on the west end of Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. Missouri Western’s Board of Governors unanimously approved naming the facility for Snyder, who has been head football coach at Kansas State University for 26 seasons and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Snyder was born and raised in St. Joseph and attended Missouri Western when it was St. Joseph Junior College in 1959.
“I am so very honored to be recognized in this manner by Missouri Western, the Board of Governors and Steven L. Craig,” Snyder said. “Very thoughtful and greatly appreciated. Although I only attended the school when it was St. Joseph Junior College and for only one year, it was truly the springboard and the foundation for the entirety of my undergraduate education and through my life-long career. My sincere gratitude to those mentioned above and to the entire caring community of St. Joseph which has also favorably impacted my life.”
The pavilion was built and donated by Steven L. Craig, the benefactor for whom Craig Field and the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western are named. It was Craig who initially proposed naming the pavilion for Snyder.
“I’m very honored to have played a small part in recognizing Coach Snyder. His work at Kansas State, in turning around that program, is one of the most remarkable coaching feats in the history of college football.” Craig said. “Coach Snyder has never forgotten his humble beginnings or his hometown, St. Joseph, and has continued to give back to this community over and over again.”
“We are thrilled to be able to honor a distinguished native son of St. Joseph in this way,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “Coach Bill Snyder is dedicated to the development of student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in preparation for life. He truly exemplifies the best in college athletics, and I’m glad that his legacy will live on here.”
The pavilion features two different levels for hosting outdoor events, barbecue areas and an 80-foot flagpole displaying a 20-foot by 30-foot American flag. The pavilion will also feature a bronze plaque of Coach Snyder as well as a dedication to those who have served in our military.
“This addition to Spratt Stadium will further enhance the game day experience for our athletes, coaches, students and fans,” said Josh Looney, Missouri Western’s director of athletics. “It’s the finishing touch on one of the finest stadiums in NCAA Division II. We are appreciative of Steve Craig’s generous support to make this happen and honored that the pavilion will sport the name of one of the most iconic leaders in athletics and education.”
In 1989, Snyder took over a struggling Kansas State program that had just become the first Division I program to lose 500 games and had gone winless in two consecutive seasons. In a short time, he turned the Wildcats into a national championship contender that advanced to 11 straight bowl appearances and tallied six 11-win seasons over a seven-year stretch. He retired in 2005, but returned to the Kansas State sidelines in 2009, adding his seventh 11-win season and second conference championship in 2012. Overall, his record stands at 210-110-1 as he prepares for his 27th season at the helm.
Snyder was born and raised in St. Joseph, the son of Marionetta Snyder and grandson of George and Marie Owens. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1958. Snyder began his full-time coaching career in 1964 as an assistant at Indio High School in California. In 1966 he served as a graduate assistant at USC, under legendary coach John McKay before becoming head coach at Indio High in 1967. He accepted the same position at Santa Ana Foothill High School in 1969, where he stayed until 1973.
In 1974, Snyder became the offensive coordinator and swimming coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He joined the North Texas staff in 1976 and helped orchestrate an impressive turnaround with a three-year record of 26-7. Snyder followed head coach Hayden Fry to Iowa in 1979, helping build a program that went from 17 consecutive losing seasons to eight straight bowl games.
Snyder is a member of eight Halls of Fame: the College Football Hall of Fame, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, William Jewell Hall of Fame, Lafayette High School Hall of Fame, Austin College Athletic Hall of Fame, Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame and Kansas State Hall of Fame. He received Missouri Western’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.
Snyder has also been active in many organizations, including Chairman of the Kansas Mentors Council and the Kansas Leadership Council, Board of Directors for Kansas Leadership Center, Board of Directors of Prairiefire Museum of Natural History, Board of Trustees for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Terry C. Johnson Cancer Research Center Advisory Council, Manhattan Community Foundation Board of Trustees, Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees and Honorary Co-Chairman of the Kansas Masonic Partnership for Life.
Locally, Snyder has returned to St. Joseph many times for fundraisers and events supporting education and the YMCA.
Snyder was awarded the 2015 Excellence in Mentoring Award by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership in recognition of his longstanding commitment to meeting the mentoring needs of young people in Kansas.
After attending St. Joseph Junior College, Snyder received his B.A. from William Jewell in 1963. He earned his M.A. from Eastern New Mexico in 1965. Snyder and his wife, Sharon, have two sons and three daughters. They also have eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Details about the July 12 dedication ceremony featuring Snyder, Craig and other dignitaries will be announced at a later date.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Miguel Sano keeps tormenting the Kansas City Royals.
Sano belted a two-run homer, Eddie Rosario hit a three-run double and the Minnesota Twins snapped a four-game skid with an 8-5 victory over the Royals on Monday night.
After extending his hitting streak against Kansas City to 15 games, Sano is batting .373 with six home runs and 26 RBIs during that stretch.
“This is the ballpark (where) I realized my dreams,” said Sano, who made his major league debut at Kauffman Stadium on July 2, 2015, and went 6 for 15 in the series. “My dreams came true when I started in the major leagues and it’s good to me.”
Sano drove a 1-1 pitch from Jakob Junis out to center field with Brian Dozier aboard in the fifth inning.
“Since it was 1-1, I thought I could catch him looking for a slider and maybe get a fastball fouled off or popped up, but he was on it and he got ahold of it,” Junis said. “Looking back, maybe I should have thrown a slider either way.”
Sano’s home run was just out of the reach of Jon Jay leaping at the wall.
“I know the ball went deep, but I didn’t think it was a homer,” Sano said. “I ran the bases normal. … If they go, they go. I’ll take it.”
Rosario drilled a three-run double in the eighth off Burch Smith. Dozier’s sixth-inning single scored Mitch Garver, who added a two-run double in the ninth.
Lance Lynn (3-4) pitched six effective innings to win his second consecutive start after a dreadful stretch in his first season with the Twins.
“Early on this season the stuff was there, the location wasn’t,” said Lynn, who has lowered his ERA from 7.47 to 5.94 in his past two outings.
Lynn allowed two runs and six hits. He’s given up two runs and 11 hits over 12 2/3 innings in his last two games.
The right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second by striking out Alcides Escobar and retiring Ramon Torres on a grounder. The Royals went 4 for 19 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 overall.
Fernando Rodney got four outs for his 11th save in 14 chances. He gave up a ninth-inning homer to Jorge Soler.
Jay had four hits for Kansas City, including three doubles, to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
“We had a lot of opportunities and we just couldn’t get that big hit,” he said.
Junis (5-4) permitted three runs on six hits and walked a career-high four. He struck out seven.
The Royals tied it at 2 in the fifth when Mike Moustakas’ double scored Jay and Whit Merrifield, who walked.
Kansas City got two runs in the eighth. Zach Duke’s throwing error on Jay’s bunt single allowed Escobar to score. Merrifield’s single knocked in Torres with the second run.
