MANHATTAN, Kan. – Thanks to the generosity and hard work of its fans, donors, coaches and staff, K-State Athletics, Inc., produced a balanced budget in FY 2016 and achieved a surplus for the seventh consecutive year while also setting a new cash contributions record through the Ahearn Fund annual giving program, Athletics Director John Currie has announced.
In the midst of a transformational and challenging time for intercollegiate athletics, which includes many prominent schools across the country recently reporting annual operating deficits and ballooning debt, the collective spirit and support of nearly 250,000 K-State friends and alumni across the country and around the world has enabled the department to experience among the most successful seven-year periods in its history while completing $210 million in athletics facility upgrades in a fiscally responsible manner.

-k-statesports.com

 

Kenny Lannou

Associate A.D. for Communications — K-State Athletics

 

The department’s actual FY 2016 cash operating revenue of $77.5 million, which exceeding its budgeted goal of $70 million, reflects the commitment of the K-State nation through strong ticket sales and annual giving in addition to support from the Big 12 Conference. Though the annual audit is not yet complete, operating revenue is expected to exceed operating expense. This positive result, required by bond covenants, along with those of prior years, has helped the department aggressively invest back into all 430-plus Wildcat student-athletes through needed and strategic facility upgrades in a fiscally responsible manner.

 

Overall cash gifts to the department in FY 2016 totaled $28.3 million, of which a record $18.1 million was designated for the Ahearn Fund annual giving program which surpassed its budgeted goal by $1 million.  Since 2009, K-Staters have contributed more than $200 million inoutright gifts, all of which has been directly invested toward K-State’s Vision of a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program.  K-State Athletics remains one of just a few dozen universities nationwide, and the only institution in Kansas, to operate without use of state tax or university tuition dollars. Direct and indirect university support of athletics was 6.1 percent of the KSA budget in FY10. In FY16 it became zero.

 

The Junction City Brigade defeated the Sabetha Lobos 11-5 Thursday night in Sabetha.

The Brigade play at Sabetha again at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Junction City Reds 14 and under Babe Ruth baseball team will host the 2016 Babe Ruth State Baseball Championship Tournament July 21-25 at North Park.

The Reds are currently 22-7 on the season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Salvador Perez ripped a double off the wall in the ninth inning, scoring Whit Merrifield and Jarrod Dyson and giving the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

Merrifield doubled off Steve Cishek (2-5) leading off the inning, then Kendrys Morales got plunked on the foot. Dyson came in to pinch run and Eric Hosmer struck out before Perez dug in to face the Mariners’ closer

He lined a shot off the wall in center for his second career game-ending hit.

Brooks Pounders (1-0) tossed a scoreless inning for his first big league win, helping Kansas City bounce back after a dismal road trip, during which they were swept in Toronto and lost five of their last six games.

MIAMI, Fla. – Former Kansas State player Rodney McGruder has signed a free-agent contract with the Miami HEAT, the organization officially announcedon Thursday afternoon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

McGruder will become the second Wildcat to play for the HEAT, joiningMichael Beasley (2008-10), who was second overall pick by the organization at the 2008 NBA Draft.

 

McGruder, who is currently playing for the HEAT’s Summer League team, has played parts of the last two seasons with the HEAT’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce. Appearing in 48 games with 44 starts, he helped the Skyforce set a new D-League record for most wins in a single season (40) in 2015-16 en route to capturing their first NBA D-League Championship in April. He averaged 15.8 points on 51.3 percent shooting (290-of-565), including 38.4 percent (93-of-242) from 3-point range, with 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 37.5 minutes per game.

 

McGruder led the Skyforce in points (758), field goals made (290), 3-point field goals made (93) and plus-minus (+367) and finished second in steals (66) and third in rebounds (255). In addition, he scored in double figures 40 times, including 14 20-point games and two 30-point games. In guiding the team to the D-League title, he averaged 22.7 points on 50.9 percent shooting, including 37.3 percent from 3-point range, with 5.9 rebounds in 42.3 minutes per game in the playoffs.

 

McGruder plays his final game in the Orlando Summer League at 9 a.m. CT on Friday (July 8) when the 3-1 HEAT plays the 3-1 Oklahoma City Thunder. He led the team in both points (14) and rebounds (8) in the 71-58 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday afternoon (July 7). He is expected to play for the HEAT in the Samsung NBA Summer League from Las Vegas, which beginsFriday and runs until Monday, July 18. ESPN and NBATV will broadcast all 67 games.

 

An honorable mention AP All-American as a senior, McGruder led K-State to its first conference title in 36 years in 2013, leading the Wildcats in eight categories, including scoring (15.6 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (29), 20-point games (11), rebounding (5.4 rpg.), starts (35) and minutes (33.5). He is one of only two Wildcats (along with two-time All-American Bob Boozer) to rank in the Top 10 in both career scoring (1,576, seventh) and rebounding (654, seventh). He is part of the winningest senior class in school history (101), while he is one of just four Wildcats to appear in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (Steve Henson, Jordan Henriquez and Martavious Irving).

 

In between professional opportunities in Hungary and the D-League, McGruder has had training camp tryouts with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. He also has had summer league auditions with the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors.

 

McGruder joins Beasley (Houston Rockets) as former Wildcats currently playing in the NBA.

 

– www.k-statesports.com —

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TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State junior punter Nick Walsh was one of 28 candidates nationally, including one of just three from the Big 12, to be named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, the Augusta Sports Council announcedThursday.

 

A native of Lyndon, Kansas, Walsh becomes the second Wildcat to be a two-time candidate for the award, joining Tim Reyer, who was a preseason candidate in 2006 and semifinalist in 2007. Other Big 12 punters on the watch list along with Walsh were Iowa State’s Colin Downing and Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert.

 

Walsh made a big improvement as a sophomore in 2015 when he was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 performer after averaging 41.6 yards per punt with 10 traveling 50 or more yards and 15 landing inside the 20-yard line. He finished third in the Big 12 in average, which was given a boost over the final three games when he averaged 42.6 yards on 17 punts.

 

Semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award will be announced on November 13, while finalists will be revealed on November 24. The winner will be announced as part of The Home Depot College Football Award Show live on ESPN onDecember 8.

TORONTO (AP) – Michael Saunders hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and singled home the winning run in the eighth as the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, beating the Royals 4-2 Wednesday.

Toronto won its fifth straight, while its 2015 ALCS opponent dropped its fourth in a row.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-out double off Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the eighth and scored when Saunders lined a single to center. Russell Martin followed with an RBI double.

Marcus Stroman (7-4) pitched eight innings to win for the first time in four starts. Roberto Osuna finished for his 17th save.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State sophomore center Dalton Risner was one of 62 centers nationally, including seven from the Big 12, to be named to the fall watch list for the 2016 Rimington Trophy, the award’s committee announced Wednesday.

 

Risner’s first-time inclusion on the list marks the fifth time in the last seven years a Wildcat has been a candidate for the award that honors the nation’s premier center. Previous K-State candidates for the award include three-time candidate and 2014 finalist B.J. Finney, Wade Weibert (2010), Jordan Bedore (2008) and 2003 finalist Nick Leckey.

 

A product of Wiggins, Colorado, Risner started every game at center as a redshirt freshman in 2015, earning First Team Freshman All-America honors from Campus Insiders and second-team honors from Athlon and Scout. He helped K-State rank second nationally in red zone offense (94.5-percent) and 18th in passing yards per completion (14.12).

 

An Academic All-Big 12 pick a year ago, Risner was selected as a team captain for the 2016 season, becoming the second sophomore center to serve as team captain in the last five years (Finney).

 

Finalists for the 2016 Rimington Trophy will be selected on December 5, while the winner will be announced as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show live on ESPNU on December 8. The Rimington Trophy committee uses the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America teams to select its winner.

 

The Wildcats will hold their annual Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 13, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Details for the event will be announced at a later date. K-State will also participate in Big 12 Media Day on Tuesday, July 19.

 

The excitement is building for the 2016 season – head coach Bill Snyder’s 25^th at the helm of the Wildcats – as a limited number of single-game tickets remain available for K-State’s six home games. Available tickets for the homecoming game against Texas on Saturday, October 22, are expected to be down to scattered singles in the next few days, and the other five home games are also selling quickly as Kansas State looks to extend its sellout streak to 33-straight games.

 

To order tickets, fans can contact the K-State Athletics Ticket office online atwww.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

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RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

The Junction City Brigade lost to the Wellington Heat Tuesday evening 14-9.

The Brigade play a three-game series in Sabetha against the Sabetha Lobos Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Game times are 7 p.m. each evening.

TORONTO (AP) – The Kansas City Royals have placed closer Wade Davis on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right forearm.

Kansas City called up right-hander Brooks Pounders from Triple-A Omaha.

Davis is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 19 saves in 30 games. He is the third Royals All-Star from 2015 on the disabled list, joining third baseman Mike Moustakas (right knee) and outfielder Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring).

Pounders was 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA in 19 games at Omaha. To make room for Pounders on the roster, Kansas City designated minor league left-hander Tyler Olson for assignment.

Manager Ned Yost said right-hander Yordano Ventura, who left Sunday’s start in the third inning after he sprained his right ankle running the bases, will throw a side session Wednesday. Ventura remains on track to start Friday against Seattle.