The Junction City Brigade will play four consecutive games against the Sabetha Bravos in Mid Plains League action.
The first contest is Friday night in Sabetha. The Brigade will host the Bravos Saturday evening, travel to Sabetha Monday night and host the Bravos again Tuesday evening. All games begin at 7 p.m.
The Brigade are 10-2 on the season while the Bravos are 2-9.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have signed sixth-round draft pick Duke Shelley to a four-year contract.
The cornerback from Kansas State recorded 165 tackles and eight interceptions over four seasons for the Wildcats. He started the first seven games last year before suffering a season-ending toe injury.
With the move announced Thursday, the Bears have all five draft picks under contract. Running back David Montgomery (third round), receiver Riley Ridley (fourth round), running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. (seventh round) and cornerback Stephen Denmark (seventh round) previously signed.
The Junction City Brigade defeated the Midwest A’s 3-2 and 8-5 in 10 innings Tuesday night in Belton, Missouri to improve to 10-2 on the season.
Junction City is now tied for first with the A’s in the Mid Plains League standings with both teams 8-2 in the conference.
The Brigade will play at the Sabetha Bravos Friday night, and will host the Bravos at 7 p.m. Saturday.
SEATTLE (AP) — With Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals piling up the runs, Homer Bailey went on a mission Tuesday night.
Merrifield had two homers and a career-high six RBIs, Bailey worked into the eighth inning with 121 pitches and the Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-0.
The Royals jumped on struggling starter Yusei Kikuchi to get their third straight win. Merrifield drove a three-run homer against Kikuchi (3-5) in the fourth and added a two-run shot against Jesse Biddle in the eighth. Jorge Soler also homered for the Royals, and rookie Nicky Lopez had three hits.
That allowed Bailey to shift his focus toward covering as many innings as possible. He struck out six and gave Kansas City’s bullpen a breather.
“Getting the run support and the energy from the guys really helped picked me up and I knew I had to sharpen up, try to have some quick innings,” Bailey said. “Once we started scoring runs, my focus was really: go out there, have some quick innings, get the guys back in here, let them keep swinging.”
And swing they did, right from the start. The Royals started the game with three consecutive singles, taking a 2-0 lead on Alex Gordon’s two-run single. Soler added his 20th home run in the third to make it 3-0 and Bailey started rolling around the time Merrifield hit his first home run that made it 6-0 in the fourth.
After stranding two runners in each of the first three innings, Bailey retired 14 of the next 15 he faced. As the game reached the eighth, Bailey was asked if he could start the inning. His response? “Absolutely.”
“He executed his pitches, it’s as simple as that,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He does a great job of pitching. He’s a big league veteran guy. He’s got two no-hitters under his belt. He knows how to pitch, how to execute pitches. On days where he’s grinding, he knows how to make pitches when he needs to.”
Bailey (6-6) allowed just one baserunner past second in 7 2/3 innings and struck out six with just two walks.
Kikuchi allowed six runs in five innings. The Japanese rookie has had an unsettling June after a fairly positive start to his major league career. He’s 0-4 in five starts since May 25 and has allowed eight home runs during that stretch. Merrifield, who also had a two-run home run in the eighth inning and a sac fly, said Kikuchi got himself into trouble by falling behind in the count at key times.
“We knew this was going to be a process,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said of Kikuchi’s conversion from Japanese baseball.
Jorge Soler hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning off Anthony Bass, and the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 6-4 win over Seattle, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Mariners. After the Royals were shut down for most of the night by Tommy Milone, Soler hit a 1-1 pitch on the outside corner out to deep right-center field for his 19th home run of the season. Martin Maldonado added a solo home run in the ninth.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Season tickets for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season go on-sale on Monday, June 24 with the first 500 accounts receiving a free Big 12 Championship replica display ring, athletic department officials announced today (June 17).
Season ticket prices remain unchanged for the Wildcats, who will look to defend their second Big 12 Championship in head coach Bruce Weber’s tenure.
Fans have a variety of ticket prices and locations from which to choose from, including the new Flex Season Ticket and the popular Wildcat 4-Pack and Young Alumni packages.
The $199 Flex Season Ticket, which has been available the past few seasons for football, is 100 percent mobile and gives fans a different seat location each home game. Only 100 Flex Season Tickets are available.
With the Wildcat 4-Pack, fans can purchase four season tickets in the bench or Cat Cushion areas starting at $900, depending on location, for a savings up to $95 per ticket.
Young Alumni packages are available for all K-State undergraduate degree recipients in the past five years (December 2014). These ticket packages are $200 and just $100 for those with Young Alumni football season tickets with an option to utilize the 4-month payment plan for $25 per month. Young Alumni can purchase up to two season tickets at the discounted rate. Young Alumni season ticket holders can select seats in any open location, excluding chairbacks in sections 5-7, with no Ahearn Fund seat donation required.
New full season-ticket requests will be able to select their seat during the ordering process from any seat location available last season. An Ahearn Fund contribution is required for all premium, chairback and cushioned seating. Specific required giving levels by section are listed at www.AhearnFund.com.
Incentive and priority deadlines are set for Friday, July 12, and Friday, August 2, respectively. Incentive renewals will receive a $10 discount off the season processing fee when ordering online and a four-month credit card payment option. July 12 is also the last day to purchase additional replica display rings at just $25 each. Priority renewals will receive priority seating selections, a three-month credit card payment option and the opportunity to win a new replica Nike jersey or a Big 12 Championship on-court towel. The Ticket Office will also utilize an online seat selection process, similar to football season tickets, with all season ticket holders who have purchased by August 2 receiving an appointment time to add, relocate or select new ticket locations.
Mini-plans will also go on sale on Monday, June 24, including the Pick 5 option. For just $50, fans can purchase five vouchers that can be redeemed for five tickets of their choice for any game (excluding Big Monday matchups and the Kansas game). There is a limit of four per account and the price is set to increase to $75 on October 1. The Big Game Plan is $250 and includes all weekend games and the KU game. There is a limit of four per account.
In addition to the home schedule, season ticket holders and Ahearn Fund members will have the first opportunity to pre-order tickets for the Wildcat Classic at Sprint Center against Atlantic 10 champion Saint Louis on Saturday, December 21.
Tickets are priced at $150 for courtside, $50 for lower-level sides, $25 for lower-level corners and $15 for lower-level ends and upper-level sides at the Sprint Center. Season ticket holders who purchase by August 2 can receive lower-level side tickets for $40, lower-level corners for $20 and lower-level ends and upper-level sides for $10.
K-State officials are still working to complete this year’s non-conference schedule. The schedule will be highlighted by visits from fellow NCAA Tournament squads Marquette, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech and NIT participants Texas and TCU.
All-Big 12 selection Xavier Sneed (10.6 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and fellow senior Makol Mawien (7.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) form the core of a group of eight returning lettermen from a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and won a share of the Big 12 regular-season title.
The Wildcats also return rising juniors Cartier Diarra (6.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.), Mike McGuirl (3.6 ppg., 1.5 rpg.) and Levi Stockard III (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.) as well as a highly-regarded signing class that includes a pair of Top 150 high school players in DaJuan Gordon and Montavious Murphy and NJCAA All-American David Sloan.
Fans can purchase season tickets in a variety of ways, including toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287), online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets and in-person at the Athletics Ticket Office located in Bramlage Coliseum.
–www.k-statesports.com–
TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Martín Maldonado found a formal-yet-fun way to honor the dads in his life.
The Royals catcher celebrated Father’s Day by wearing a blue necktie on his chest protector and had three hits to lift Kansas City over the Minnesota Twins 8-6 Sunday.
Maldonado scribbled the names of his dad, brother, family and close friends on the tie, along with “Happy Father’s Day” at the bottom. Pittsburgh Pirates backstop Elias Diaz wore the same tie in a game against Atlanta, which was provided by equipment manufacturer All-Star.
“Just wanted to do something different for the fathers out there, family members, friends,” Maldonado said. “Something to wear for them.”
Maldonado was all business at the plate. He drove in two runs, one with a single during a three-run second inning and another with a double in the eighth.
Jorge López (1-6) pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief, giving up four hits, including a solo homer by Nelson Cruz in the seventh.
Ian Kennedy allowed an RBI double by Max Kepler but struck out Cruz with two runners on to record his seventh save in nine chances. Cruz believed he had checked his swing on the strikeout.
“The check swing calls are, honestly, some of the more difficult calls you’re going to see in the game,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Obviously, we didn’t like the call, but I find them challenging. It was probably close but something we would prefer to go our way based on everything we saw. But it happens.”
Jorge Bonifacio added two hits and two RBIs for the Royals, who had lost three of four. Kansas City was tied or leading in the eighth inning in three of the previous four matchups against the Twins this season but had lost all four games before hanging on Sunday.
“We’ve been right there in every game with them, a hit away really,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Finally, to get over little bit of a hump and get a win with them, especially on getaway day was good.”
Martín Pérez (7-3) surrendered five runs — four earned — in 6 2/3 innings for Minnesota. Kepler had four hits and Miguel Sanó homered, but the Twins left the bases loaded three times and were 4 of 18 with runners in scoring position.
Cruz had a two-run double in the eighth, but Wily Peralta entered and retired three in a row to strand two runners.
“The biggest thing is that we’re in first place,” Sanó said. “We can lose one game if we’re going to win five, seven games. This is the best team I’ve seen in my life, and we don’t have any pressure about anything. We’re really good.”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — C.J. Cron drove in the go-ahead run for Minnesota with a sixth-inning double , making Jake Odorizzi the second 10-game winner in the majors this season and capping a 5-4 comeback victory by the Twins over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
Jorge Soler sent Odorizzi (10-2) and the Twins to an immediate deficit with a towering two-run homer in the first , measured at 462 feet, and Whit Merrifield’s solo shot started a two-run fifth inning that ended with a 4-1 lead for the Royals.
The Twins have the most homers in baseball, though, not to mention the lead in several other batting categories. With a solo drive by Max Kepler in the fourth and a two-run smash from Marwin Gonzalez in the fifth, they surged back against Royals starter Glenn Sparkman (1-3). Five batters later, Jorge Polanco tied the game with a double that finished a rally fueled by a fielding error on third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert.
The Junction City jumped out early on the Manhattan Barnstormers 18 and Under team Saturday night at Rathert Field, and ended up winning 18-1 in a game called by consensus and run rule after seven and a half innings.
Junction City ( 9-2 ) got a solid pitching effort from Jack Christian for six innings and every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit. The win capped a sweep of a three game series for the Brigade over the Barnstormers.
Junction City plays in Belton, Missouri in a doubleheader against the Midwest A’s on Tuesday. Game times are 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Abdul Beecham, a starter the last three seasons along the Kansas State offensive line, has signed a rookie free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Beecham’s signing marks the fourth Wildcat to enter the NFL following the 2018 season. Fellow offensive lineman Dalton Risner was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by Denver, while Duke Shelley was drafted by Chicago and Alex Barnes signed with Tennessee.
Beecham earned his contract with the Chiefs after trying out for the team on two occasions – the rookie minicamp in May and the team’s regular minicamp this past week.
A product of Cibolo, Texas, Beecham played in 33 career games for the Wildcats with 29 starts at guard. He was an integral part of an offensive line that helped K-State finish third in the Big 12 in rushing in 2018 (182.6 yards per game) and paved the way for the conference’s leading rusher in Barnes. He started all 13 games in 2017 as the Wildcats tied for third in school history in yards per carry (4.98) and finished seventh in total rushing yards (2,584).
Beecham joins former K-State wide receiver Byron Pringle on the Chiefs roster. Pringle spent his rookie season of 2018 on injured reserve after suffering an injury in the final preseason game. In that game against Green Bay, Pringle caught four passes for 122 yards in addition to a 47-yard kickoff return.
RYAN LACKEY
Director of Football and Golf Communications | K-State Athletics
