The Blue Jay boys varsity tennis team put together a dominate team performance in Manhattan on Tuesday winning all their singles matches and dropping only one doubles match. Teams in the quad event included Manhattan, Marysville and Highland Park.  Angeleau Scott led the Blue Jays by going undefeated in singles on the day, winning one match at the number one singles position and two matches at the number two singles position.  Kyle Hand went 2-0 at the number one singles position.  Neil Glaser rounded out the singles play by winning his match vs. Manhattan at the number two singles spot.  In doubles, Dave Graham went 3-0 on the day at the top doubles position, teaming with Kyle Hand to defeat Manhattan and then with Neil Glaser to defeat Marysville and Highland Park.  At the number two doubles spot, Grant Whaley and Korbin King teamed up to go 2-1 on the day, with their only loss coming to Marysville in a tiebreaker.  The Blue Jays took home first place as a team earning  11 of 12 possible points.   The Blue Jays next travel to Topeka to play in the Seaman Tennis Invitational this Wednesday, April 15.

Coach Matthew  Micheel

Release by Chris Kutz, Assistant Director, Athletics Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With two outs and the bases loaded, Jake Wodtke hit a first-pitch single through the left side to score Shane Conlon and give the K-State baseball team a 5-4 comeback win in 10 innings over WichitaState on Tuesday at Tointon Family Stadium.

 

Wodtke’s walk-off hit capped five unanswered runs for K-State (17-18), which fell behind 4-0 after the top of the fifth inning when Ryan Tinkham of Wichita State (13-23) hit the second of his two home runs. Wodtke’s 10th-inning single, one of his two hits in the game, helped the Wildcats tally nine of their 10 hits over the final six innings.

 

“You do not want to get underneath the ball and be out front,” said K-State head coach Brad Hill about Wodtke’s plate approach in the final at-bat. “You just want to hit the ball through the infield, and [Wodtke] did a good job of executing it.”

 

The win was K-State’s fourth in the last five games and first extra-inning victory of the season. The last Wildcat home win in extra-innings was on May 20, 2011 vs. Kansas (11-10 in 10 innings).

 

April 14, 2015

Head Coach Bill Snyder
On the determination of Kyle Klein and not quitting football after an injury…
“I do not know if some others would choose to hang it up. On occasion that may be the case, but I think most of our guys who had sustained injuries normally find their way back. As it relates to Kyle, he enjoys that game and his heritage. I can’t say it may have not crossed his mind. You’d have to ask him, but my guess is that he always wanted to get back. By and large, he is motivated to come back. He has always been a conscientious player, always one that has worked hard and stayed focused on detail and what he is responsible for. In my way of thinking, he has just continued on making progress from a football stand-point. The injury is a separate element.”

On the competition at the quarterback position…
“As far as the depth chart, nothing has really changed. They have taken their turns being the No. 1 guy and the No. 2 guy. Basically the upperclassmen have split the No. 1 reps and the freshman has split the No. 2 reps, so all three of them are diligently involved. There certainly is not any decision that will go beyond spring practice not for any other reason other than there has not been a clear-cut, clearly-defined individual that you could say that guy is consistently over time our No. 1 guy. One guy has a good day, the other guy has a good day; one has a bad day and so on down the road. It’s identical to what it was last week.”

On the running backs’ progress and if Alex Barnes has made progress…
“Alex has. He has been down a little bit with a temporary injury. Charles (Jones) has probably evolved to the top of the depth chart as it stands now, but it will remain competitive because it is competitive. We have talked about the young freshman, but the other one, Justin Silmon, has really done a nice job and has caught every body’s eye. He is a consistent, aggressive, hard runner, and he blocks well. He is investing himself in the race right now. It has defined itself a little bit, but still that is the purpose of spring ball. You want everything to be competitive, it’s not just me saying it is. They keep pushing, and that pushes Charles to become better, and I have seen improvement in the areas he has been somewhat deficient in, and that is a good sign. It has come through the competition because it is legitimate competition. He recognizes some of those other guys who are doing well too.”

On the change in Charles Jones’ game from last season to this spring…
“I think the major thing right now is he has taken note of the need for him to be a more aggressive runner; to run harder, so to speak, and to become more physical in that respect. I think he has responded to that. He has made headway in that area.”

On what Judah Jones brings to the offense when playing at his optimal level…
“He has good speed, quickness and allusiveness. I think that is the key element for him as a receiver, but he’s not playing at his optimal level yet, that is the deal. That is up to us to bring that out of him.”

On if Judah Jones can share some characteristics of Tyler Lockett when playing at his best…
“I think he can. The thing he needs, which is within him, is what drove Tyler. If he can relate to that, which I think he can, that’s the part that he’s missing right now. He’s not as fast as Tyler, but he’s reasonably close, and maybe the quickness and change in direction isn’t what Tyler’s is, but he’s close again. He has that skill level.”

On if there are any defensive newcomers that are standing out in practice…
“Nothing has really changed. It has been pretty consistent. I think the ones I mentioned last week, some in the secondary, remain pretty consistent. Other than the fact that we have practiced, defensively, I think reasonably well and gotten better and better. The defense was probably ahead of the offense in terms of scrimmages. Yesterday’s practice, for the first time, our offense was prominent in the practice and the scrimmage work, and our defense struggled a bit. We had some guys who I had mentioned in here as making progress, had difficulty as well. So we took a step backwards, I think, from that standpoint. In regards to any new guys other than what we talked about last week, that has not happened yet.”

Quarterback Joe Hubener
On rebuilding the offense…
“There are a lot of key components that we have to replace. Jake (Waters), Tyler (Lockett) and Curry (Sexton), those are huge. B.J. (Finney) was big on that offensive line as well. That is a big chunk of our offense that we have to replace. We lost a tight end as well. That is a lot of key figures that we have to replace. I think we definitely have younger guys that can step up and help narrow that gap. Obviously the returning players will be crucial as well. They really have to step up their game and be strong. We have three returning starters on the offensive line. Those guys need to be big and really pull up that gap.”

On offense’s performance in practice…
“There are aspects of every practice that both sides of the ball do well in. If one side of the ball is completely dominating practice, that is not a good thing. We hope we are balanced and I think that fluctuates throughout practice. There are drills where the offense is going to have a rhythm or the defense is going to get a rhythm. I do not think offense was substantially better yesterday. Both sides had their moments.”

Defensive Back Morgan Burns
On the secondary…
“I think we have a lot of potential. There is a lot to be said after playing a full season. I know after the last several years there have not been too many corners that have come back or starters come back. I think we bring a lot of leadership to the defense, and we kind of know what to expect as far as what it is like to play in the Big 12. I think we can also help the younger guys who need to fill in the other nickel spot or other safety spot. We just kind of have that experience along with some other guys on the defense. I think we have the potential to be a great secondary, to continue to build on some of the success we had last year.”

On Danzel McDaniel…
“I watched him a lot last year when we watched film, and he comes down on the run really well. He is very physical. That is probably an area I need to work on and something I can learn from him and vice versa. He is a great cover player, too, so I think he is the total package. I think we can learn from each other. Even in practice we will talk about things we can do better. It has been cool to play alongside him and learn from him. We come from different backgrounds and play different ways, so I do think we complement each other.”

Ryan Lackey

Assistant Director – Athletic Communications

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) – Army is getting a new look.

The academy unveiled a rebranding Monday night after an 18-month collaboration with Nike.

One goal is to strengthen the connection between Army and West Point. The academy will now refer to its teams as Army West Point instead of just Army.

All 28 of the school’s sports teams will have a new main logo featuring a shield, sword, star and helmet. The primary colors are the traditional black, gold, gray and white.

The academy will continue to use Black Knights as a nickname.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Kansas City right fielder Alex Rios is out indefinitely after suffering a broken bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in Minnesota earlier this week.

The team said Tuesday that Rios has a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his left hand. He was hit by J.R. Graham’s first pitch in the eighth. He eventually scored but was removed as a precaution in the bottom of the inning and sent for X-rays.

The team said no timetable has been set in terms of his return.

Rios was batting .321 with eight RBIs and a home run through Kansas City’s 7-0 start to the season.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Wichita State has already scored a big win for next season.

Guard Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet announced Monday they will return for their senior seasons for the Shockers. The announcements come weeks after coach Gregg Marshall turned down a chance to leave Wichita to coach at Alabama.

Baker and VanVleet both applied to be evaluated for their NBA draft potential. They issued separate statements Monday saying they wanted to return to try and lead the Shockers to an even better season than this year, when the Shockers finished 30-5 and defeated Indiana and Kansas in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Notre Dame 81-70 in the Sweet 16.

Baker led Wichita in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game, with VanVleet second at 13.6 points per game.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Kansas City Royals became the only unbeaten team in the majors as Danny Duffy pitched into the seventh inning and Kendrys Morales homered in a 12-3 romp over Minnesota, spoiling the Twins’ home opener Monday.

The defending American League champions improved to 7-0. It’s the second-best start in Kansas City’s history, behind the 2003 club that won nine in a row to begin the season.

Detroit, which had been the only other undefeated team in the big leagues, lost 5-4 at Pittsburgh earlier in the day.

Duffy (1-0) went 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs. He’s 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA in his career against the Twins and is undefeated in four starts at Target Field.

The Twins lost their fourth straight opener, but on a sunny 61-degree day they still packed the place with an over-capacity crowd of 40,123. Minnesota Timberwolves icon Kevin Garnett threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his long-time friend Torii Hunter.

The Junction City Blue Jay boys finished second and the Lady Jays fourth in the Class 6A State Power Meet this past Saturday.

Blue Jay coach Randall Zimmerman provided the Junction City results and overall team scores.

The Blue Jays had three individual state champions.

They were Tyrik Nas-Carmickle in the 172 pound weight class withtotal weight lifted of 850 pounds, Raye Wilson in the 225 pound class with 945 pounds lifted total, combining the bench press, squat, and clean, and Darius Hicks in the 242 pound class with a total weight of 950 pounds.  Zimmerman reported that Wilson was the top overall lifter of the meet.

Finishing second in their weight classes for Junction City were Gabe Padilla 140 pounds, Marquise Mitchell at 156, Willie Mabry in the 200 pound category, and Kwan McNeil at 242 pounds.

Topeka High won the boys team title with 160 points followed by Junction City with 92, Washburn Rural 44, Olathe North 23, Wichita Southeast 22, Wichita South 16, and Kansas City Wyandotte 8.

For the Lady Jays Hannah Reynolds finished second with a score of 540 while Kayla Cochran was third with a 465 total.

Washburn Rural won the girls team competition with a score of 42 points. Junction City was fourth with 14 points.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Max Brown and Tyler Wolfe of the K-State baseball team picked up a pair of Big 12 Conference weekly honors for the period ending April 12 as Brown was tabbed the Player of the Week while Wolfe was named the Co-Newcomer of the Week.

 

The Wildcat duo earned their first career conference weekly awards after helping K-State to a road win at Omaha and then a series victory over No. 3 TCU, the Wildcats’ first series win against a top-three nationally-ranked opponent since 2009.

 

Brown led the way by hitting a team-best .429 (9-for-21) with two doubles, two triples and six RBIs in five games. Tied for the Big 12 lead in hits for the week, the senior outfielder had a safety in all five contests, including three straight multi-hit efforts from April 8-11. After matching his season-high in hits on April 8 at Omaha by going 3-for-5 with two doubles, Brown tallied a career-high four RBIs, while going 2-for-4, in K-State’s 14-4 win over TCU in the series opener. The four RBIs were the most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game since April 6, 2013 (Shane Conlon and Jon Davis, 4, vs. Texas Tech). He also added two RBIs with a two-out triple in the series-clinching victory on April 12 as he had a team-best six RBIs and hit .417 throughout the set – against a pitching staff that entered the weekend with a 1.73 ERA and .207 batting average against in Big 12-only games.

 

Brown also ranked in the Big 12’s top-10 in other offensive categories, including first in triples (2), second in RBIs (6) and total bases (15), tied for sixth in doubles (2), seventh in batting average (.429) and eighth in slugging percentage. His two triples give him six on the season, which are tied for the seventh-most in a season in program history and most since Jason King had six in 2011.

 

Wolfe batted .333 (7-for-21) with a conference-best seven RBIs in five games during the week. The Des Moines Area Community College transfer turned in a pair of three-RBI games, first at Omaha and then in the Wildcats’ series-clinching 6-2 win vs. TCU on April 12. In the series opener against the Horned Frogs, the junior went 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored as the four hits were the most by a Wildcat in a conference game since April 20, 2013 (Jon Davis, 4, vs. Oklahoma State). In the TCU series, Wolfe was 5-for-13 (.385) with four RBIs and four runs scored.

 

In Big 12-only games this season, Wolfe is fourth in the conference with a .389 batting average and tied for first in runs scored with 11.

 

Wolfe shared the newcomer award with West Virginia’s KC Huth. TCU’s Preston Morrison was named Pitcher of the Week after tossing his second shutout of the season on April 11 against K-State.

 

The weekly honors from the Big 12 are also the second and third for K-State this season. Junior catcher Tyler Moore was named the newcomer of the week for March 2-8. Brown is the first Wildcat to be named Big 12 Player of the Week since Ross Kivett was awarded the accolade on March 31, 2014.

 

The Wildcats will return to action with a midweek contest against in-state rival Wichita State on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. inside the friendly confines of Tointon Family Stadium. Tickets are still available for the game as fans will be able to enjoy $1 hot dogs.

 

Story and photo by Chris Kutz, Assistant Director, Athletics Communications

The Junction City Blue Jay boys tennis team had two runner-up finishes at the All Comers tournament in Topeka.

The doubles team of Neil Glaser and David Graham finished second in the top flight of doubles, and Korbin King captured second place in the second flight of singles.

According to coach Matt Micheel, other medalists for Junction City included Kyle Hand who placed fourth in the top flight of singles, Jordan Bailey, fourth in the second flight of singles, and Kaiser Kim and Ethan Marshall,fifth in the second flight of doubles.

The Blue Jay boys tennis team will compete in a quadrangular at Manhattan on Tuesday.