The Washburn Rural Junior Blues overpowered the Junction City Blue Jays in a baseball 
doubleheader in Topeka Tuesday.
The Junior Blues took the first game 14-4 and the second game 11-1. Blue Jay coach Drew Biery confirmed both games were called after five innings due to the ten-run rule.
With the losses Junction City fell to 4-6 on the season.
Multiple locations have been looked at as a potential site for a new sports complex in Junction City.
Members of the group working on the project reported to the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Advisory Committee Tuesday. Bret Deam noted that there have been negotiations with both public and private partners to make something happen. Ben Bennett indicated that there are several options for a location but they have not zeroed in on one yet.
Bennett explained to JC Post the overriding issue has multiple parts, including where the complex will be located.
“Where are we going to put this. We’ve made our minds up that we have a certain parameter that we want to have it. That is, we want it close to the Interstate. Visibility is very important, but also we have to be concerned about costs, infrastructure and the things of that nature that are going to be part of the whole decision about how much money it takes to put this thing together.”
Bennett added they would like a donation, but it’s possible they may not be able to come up with that.
A second issue involves finances. Bennett reported a consultant, Sports Facility Advisory, has been removed from the project. The local committee is now heading up the effort.
There is also a plan to hire one person either full or part-time to oversee the day to day project efforts. Funds from a one percent increase in the transient guest tax that was implemented last year could pay that person’s salary.
On when public announcements could be made on the project, Bennett noted they’re concerned about the timeline. “But we don’t really have any idea yet until couple things fall into place.”
Junction City, KS – Junction City High School has selected Derek Petty, a former Blue Jays assistant boys’ basketball coach, to be the new Lady Jays Basketball Coach effective August 1. Derek coached under former JCHS Felix Grimmett from 1994-1998. He is currently the Sierra Pacific High School
head boys’ basketball coach and special education teacher in California. Derek will also serve as a Behavior Support Specialist for JCHS.
JCHS has also selected Gennifer (GG) Booth to be the new head coach of the Lady Jays Volleyball Team. GG who has been an assistant volleyball coach at Junction City High School for 5 years will begin her duties August 1. She is currently the media specialist at Junction City High School.
A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at 2:45 p.m.at the JCHS Athletic Department Office.
.Hugh Davis – Executive Director of Communications, USD 475.
Junction City coach Jeff Childs couldn’t remember the last time Junction City defeated Washburn Rural in softball. But it happened in game two of a doubleheader at Cleary Park when the Lady Jays rallied from a 5-0 first inning deficit to defeat the Junior Blues 12-9 at Cleary Field.
Childs noted his players never quit. “They hit the ball, and we just did not make the mistakes the second game we made the first game.”
In game one errors on defense were a problem for Junction City ( 4-6 ) in a 10-5 loss to Washburn Rural ( 5-3 ).
The first and fifth innings were the problem innings for the Lady Jay defense. In the sixth, Washburn Rural put six runs on the scoreboard and then held off a Lady Jay rally.
Junction City scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, before the Junior Blues added two more of their own in the top of the seventh.
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On the improvement of the team… 
“From an overall standpoint, it is hard to define because daily we go good against good, so it is always ones against ones and someone is not going to win that battle. That can make offensive or defensive coaches happy, but it does not make the head coach happy because you cannot win. It is a little hard to define their paths. Right now, I would probably say we have made more improvement on the defensive side of the ball, collectively. From an offensive standpoint, I think maybe our offensive line has materialized a little bit in a positive direction. I think our receiving core has made some headway as well. Outside of that, I do not know that I can tell you much.”
On becoming a tougher, more disciplined team…
“We are still a ways away. As I said before, we are a work in progress, and collectively, as I have said before, the old cliché we are a work in progress. That holds true I think, as I have said so many times in here, that the mistakes that we are making are mistakes that are not talent related; they are mistakes that are a lack of execution, not a great deal of lack of effort. Our effort has been in the 90-percent mark. I think that the discipline you mentioned, that like everything else, is still a work in progress. I think we have gotten a little more disciplined in our day-to-day work, but it lacks consistency as well. We probably would not be making the mistakes we are making on a daily basis if the discipline was greater. When I say that, I refer to the self-discipline on staying focused to what you are doing and invest yourself in every single snap, one at a time, so that you do not lose focus on what you are doing. You have a play and you take your mind off of it, then you commit some of those errors that we are prolific about making. As I have said, it is not skill level but just staying focused every snap.”
On his interactions and laid-back approach during the spring game…
“I talk on the headset with the coaches from time to time. If there is something that is going to affect someone’s performance during the course of a ballgame, I would certainly get involved. But, by and large, it is a matter of saying, ‘OK, here is the work we put in a 14-day period of time, plus meeting time on alternate days. Now it is time to do it and have all that culminate in some successful execution of what your responsibilities are.’ Now, our coaches are actively coaching during that period of time, which I want them to, but I have taken it as a practice and record what I think is good, bad or indifferent. Then we address that at halftime, after the game, and next week in our meetings and so on.”
On playing in a game-like environment on Saturday…
“It is important to see how, especially our younger guys that have not been involved with it, can respond to some of the distractions that exists in the crowds, noise and just being in that environment is a little different for some of them than it is for others. Even though it is a different environment, it is still our 15th practice. I do not see it as a spring game. I see it as our 15th practice with some other elements involved. We tell our players that every day – they have the opportunity to move up or down our depth chart, keeping it competitive as we possibly can. This is no different, and the answer to your question is yes, some does have the opportunity to move up the depth chart. That does not mean it is over because we have the summer to go through, then we have 29 days to go until the first ball game. So the depth chart can change during the August period of time. It can put you into a position, a step above in the depth chart, it can put you down in the depth chart, so you are still accountable for your performance.”
On the format of the spring game…
“The format for on the field will be pretty much what it has been. The exception might be with our special teams. We have done that a certain way just to keep the continuity of the ball game alive. Should that be the way I will do it this week, that remains to be seen in all likelihood. I never decide that until right at the end. In all likelihood, we would go ones against the twos; all the ones in one color and the twos in other color, substituting accordingly. Outside of that, the only thing that will be a little different is the confines of the stadium itself, and locker rooms – that is a little different with soccer because they have smaller teams. Defining meeting space and how we can break up into groups and how I can address the entirety of the team, all those things are a little up in the air right now. As I have said, I have never been to the stadium. I understand it is a nice stadium. When we get up there Friday, we can have an opportunity to have that organized after we see what we have got.”
Quarterback Joe Hubener
On the meaning of the spring game…
“This is another day to get better for us. I want to go out there and focus on making the right decisions, putting the ball where it needs to be and hopefully manage the game well.”
On the quarterback competition…
“It is definitely no secret – it is highly competitive. Jesse (Ertz) is a great quarterback and a great competitor, same as Alex (Delton). There is a lot of competition going on and we knew it would be a while before it was settled.”
Defensive Back Dante Barnett
On playing in front of a big crowd on Saturday…
“It is real good. You can almost get the jitters out. Playing in the spring game against your own teammates, you are already a little more comfortable than you would be on a regular game day. Having that crowd noise will help them focus out on the field.
On the benefits of traveling for spring game…
“Traveling up there a day early can get the younger players used to how we travel throughout the season. They can see how the team acts when we travel on the road.”
Ryan Lackey
Assistant Director – Athletic Communications
Junction City High School has announced it’s annual High School and Middle School basketball camps for this summer.
The Middle School camp will be held May 26-29, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for 
grades 5-8.
The High School camp will be held June 1-4 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for grades 9-12.
Registration fee is $25 for both camps and each player receives a T-shirt. Checks can be made out to Pat Battle. Registration forms and fee’s are due to Battle at JCHS, 900 N. Eisenhower, Junction City, KS 66441 by May 21st.
Athletes are expected to bring with them shorts, gym shoes and a positive attitude. The camp will focus on Individual Skill Development, Team Offense and Defensive Concepts, Skill Contests, Cybernetics: The Mental Approach and always a camp favorite, Snack Time.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – The race to replace one of the most prolific passers in Kansas State history may boil down to a junior who never started at game at quarterback in high school and a sophomore who was born more than six years after Bill Snyder took over the program.
Joe Hubener was the primary backup to Jake Waters last season, a former walk-on who played wide receiver and defensive back in high school. But based on his experience in 2014, he may have the slight edge for the No. 1 spot heading into Saturday’s spring game.
Jesse Ertz is the relative newcomer. He threw for more than 7,300 yards as a prep player in Iowa, breaking the state’s career record with 98 touchdown passes.
Mandy Zimmerman, formerly of Junction City, ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday.
She finished the marathan in three hours, 23 minutes.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez is quickly proving his breakthrough season of a year ago was no fluke.
The Royals right-hander held down the Twins for seven innings Monday night, and Kansas City’s opportunistic offense took advantage of a series of Minnesota miscues in a 7-1 victory.
“It feels good because the way I’m pitching, I’m carrying over everything,” said Volquez, who went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA for Pittsburgh. “Just trying to do what I did last year.”
Royals manager Ned Yost said that pitching coach Dave Eiland has been working on mechanics with Volquez (2-1) that have allowed him to pitch even better than he did with the Pirates. He only allowed five hits and a walk while striking out five against Minnesota.
“We’ve been talking about him since he first got here,” Yost said. “We felt last year was a big year for him. He really turned the corner with his mechanics on some things.”
Alcides Escobar returned from a sprained knee to score a run Monday night, and Kendrys Morales and Paulo Orlando drove in a pair each as the Royals finally figured out Kyle Gibson.
Their nemesis gave up four runs in five-plus innings after beating the Royals the first four times he faced them. Gibson (1-2) was dominant last week in a 3-1 victory at Target Field.
“Gibby didn’t have his best command, four walks and a couple of wild pitches,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “He was struggling with his feel for off-speed pitches. His last start he had a good slider and changeup. Tonight he had to battle with his fastball.
“He didn’t give up a lot of hits, but had a lot of base runners with the base on balls.”
Gibson also didn’t have the kind of defense that Kansas City has behind him.
After first baseman Eric Hosmer threw the ball away trying to start a double play in the second inning — helping to contribute to Minnesota’s only run — he was on the receiving end of a double-play relay to end the threat. Alex Gordon also made a diving catch in left field, and Mike Moustakas made a couple of difficult plays at third base look routine.
The Royals left the bases loaded against Gibson in the second, but they evened the score in the third. Escobar doubled to lead off the inning, went to third on Moustakas’s groundout, then trotted home easily when Gibson’s pitch in the dirt got away from catcher Kurt Suzuki.
The score remained deadlocked until the sixth, when the Twins’ Oswaldo Arcia dropped a slicing liner from Moustakas in left field. Hosmer worked a full-count walk, and Morales hit a double down the left-field line to give Kansas City its first lead of the game.
Hosmer scored moments later on a wild pitch by reliever Blaine Boyer, and Perez added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 through six innings.
Morales added an insurance run in the eighth when the Twins lost track of a pop fly in shallow right field, and Orlando’s two-run triple moments later put things out of reach.
Kelvin Herrera breezed through the eighth inning in relief of Volquez, and former Phillies closer Ryan Madson handled the ninth inning to wrap up the win.
“We’ve had a few of those games where they’ve had shape for a while and then things kind of broke down for us,” Molitor said. “We missed the play in left and we can’t contain them at the end to give ourselves a chance.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs reported for the start of their offseason program on Monday.
Well, most of them did.
The most notable absence was All-Pro linebacker Justin Houston, who was given the franchise tag after a record-setting sack season. Houston still has not signed his tender as the Chiefs and his representatives try to reach an agreement on a long-term deal.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he was not surprised that Houston skipped the voluntary workout, and that he understands the business side of the equation. But Reid also sounded certain that the two sides would eventually come to an agreement.
Houston set a Chiefs record with 22 sacks last season.