CLEVELAND (AP) – Notre Dame’s march through March is picking up speed.

Demetrius Jackson scored 20 points and the third-seeded Irish dominated Wichita State 81-70 in the Midwest regional semifinals on Thursday night to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 36 years.

The Irish (32-5) shot 75 percent (18 of 24) in the second half, easily pulling away from the seventh-seeded Shockers (30-5) after Wichita State took its first and only lead on a layup by Darius Carter early in the second half. Pat Connaughton added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Notre Dame and Jerian Grant had nine points and 11 assists.

Notre Dame will play either unbeaten Kentucky or West Virginia on Saturday night with a Final Four spot on the line.

Fred VanVleet led Wichita State with 25 points but the Shockers simply couldn’t keep up with the sharp-shooting Irish.

The Junction City Blue Jay baseball team opens their 2015 season with a doubleheader at Garden City on Friday.

New head coach Drew Biery noted his team has been practicing together for three-and-a-half week and are ready to play somebody else. “I think our kids have done a great job for three-and-a-half weeks of preparing for Garden City.”

One of the challenges Junction City will face is a five-hour bus ride. They will depart JCHS at 6:30 a.m., stop in Great Bend for batting practice and lunch, and then travel on to Garden City where the doubleheader begins at 3 p.m.

Biery said his team will be competitive. “That’s one thing that I’ve really harped on our kids this three weeks. We’re going to compete, and I think that’s one thing that we’re going to be really strong on.”

Amir McFarthing will pitch the first game for Junction City, and Tate Zimmerman will be on the mound in the second game for the Blue Jays.

As a player, Biery was a four-year letter winner at Kansas State and a standout infielder. He later spent three years playing in the San Francisco Giants minor league organization.

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) – Felix Hernandez pitched two-hit ball for six innings in his longest outing of the spring Thursday as a split squad of Seattle Mariners lost to the Kansas City Royals 3-0.

Hernandez, the ace who led the AL with a 2.14 ERA last season, gave up one run. He struck out four and walked none.

Hernandez retired the side in order in four of his six

innings. A leadoff double by Christian Colon followed by a wild pitch and Jarrod Dyson’s sacrifice fly in the third produced the Royals’ run against Hernandez.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie shut out the Mariners on two hits for 5 2-3 innings. Closer Greg Holland relived and finished the sixth with a strikeout.

Ryan Jackson hit a two-run single with two outs in the eighth off reliever Danny Farquhar, who is in contention for a Seattle bullpen job.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Yordano Ventura has been picked to pitch on opening day for the AL champion Kansas City Royals against the Chicago White Sox.

The 23-year-old right-hander went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA as a rookie last season and tossed seven scoreless innings to beat San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series.

The announcement was made by Royals manager Ned Yost on Wednesday.

James Shields, the team’s No. 1 starter last year, signed with San Diego in the offseason.

Yost says left-hander Danny Duffy and right-hander Edinson Volquez will follow the hard-throwing Ventura in the rotation during the season-opening series against the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

Duffy was 9-12 with a 2.53 ERA last season. Kansas City signed Volquez to a two-year contract in December after he went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA last season for Pittsburgh.

Yost says lefty Jason Vargas and right-hander Jeremy Guthrie will round out the rotation in that order.

PHOENIX (AP) – Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson has had offseason surgery on his hip.

A person with knowledge of Nelson’s surgery told The Associated Press it was hip. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Packers coach Mike McCarthy did not specify what part of the body was operated on.

McCarthy said Wednesday the recovery period could take six to eight weeks.

The surgery appears to be a minor procedure; McCarthy said it was to address something his No. 1 receiver felt needed cleaning up.

Offseason workouts for the Packers can begin on April 20.

Nelson had a career-high 98 catches and 1,519 yards receiving to go with 13 touchdowns as the top target for Aaron Rodgers during the quarterback’s MVP campaign.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber announced Tuesday that two players

have been dismissed from the men’s basketball program and another has elected to transfer.

Sophomore Marcus Foster and freshman Tre Harris have been dismissed from the program, while sophomore Jevon Thomas has decided to transfer to a school closer to home.

“Marcus and Tre have been unable to live up to the standards that we expect of our players,” said Weber. “It is a privilege to represent Kansas State University and there are consequences when players don’t live up to those expectations. Hopefully, they will learn from this experience and make the necessary progress to continue their basketball careers elsewhere.”

“As for Jevon, he has worked diligently to succeed in our program both athletically and academically,” Weber continued. “He has made tremendous strides during his time at K-State but he’s come to the decision he wants to be closer to home. We wish him the best as he moves forward in his college career.”

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard from Wichita Falls, Texas, Foster averaged 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 62 games in his two-year career, including 12.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this past season.

A 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Edwardsville, Illinois, Harris saw action in 21 games as a true freshman in 2014-15, averaging 3.8 points and 0.9 rebounds per game.

A 6-foot, 185-pound guard from Queens, New York, Thomas saw action in 52 games in his two-year career, averaging 3.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. This past season, he averaged 4.5 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.

–www.kstatesports.com–

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State Nation continues to set a national standard in support of the Wildcats as athletics officials announced today that all non-premium public reserved and general admission seats have been sold for the 2015 Purple/White Spring Football Game at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 25.

“Sporting Park will be packed with purple next month as the K-State Nation, in addition to its current streak of 20 straight sellouts at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, has again demonstrated its commitment to our student-athletes by selling out for the spring game,” Athletics Director John Currie said. “Kansas City is a crucial part to President Schulz’s K-State 2025 vision of advancing the university into the ranks of the nation’s Top 50 public research universities, and having the game at Sporting Park is a terrific opportunity for not only our football student-athletes but also the entire university community as we bring Kansas State to the KC area.”

K-State received a one-time waiver from the NCAA to take its spring game on the road due to player and fan safety at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as construction continues on the new Vanier Football Complex.

With the anticipation of continued demand beyond the original seating plan, K-State Athletics and Sporting Park officials have announced two new ticket options that are now on sale.

Approximately 1,200 standing-room only tickets are available for $10 to the public, $5 for groups of 20 or more and $5 for K-State students. Also open is the Bud Light Landing in the southwest corner of the stadium priced at $75 per ticket, which includes an exclusive game day buffet that features unlimited traditional concessions fare as well as soft drinks, water and beer (for fans 21 and over).

A final premium ticket and hospitality option is still available with a limited number of Field Club seats that range from $150 to $175. Those Field Club options provide the best seats in Sporting Park and include complimentary food and beverage service throughout the game.

All remaining ticket options are available online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Approximately 6,000 complimentary parking spaces are available and located at several lots in The KC Legends area, including Kansas Speedway and CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Lots will open at 12 p.m., and tailgating is permitted with the exception of the Nebraska Furniture Mart and Cabela’s (Lot D) lots.

In addition to Purple/White Spring Game tickets, season tickets for the 2015 campaign are also on sale now with a priority deadline of Friday, April 24. A limited number of single-game tickets go on sale online only on June 22, while fans can purchase by calling the ticket office beginning June 24. All seven home games are anticipated to sell out quickly and extend the Bill Snyder Family Stadium sellout streak to 27 games.

The Wildcats open their 2015 home schedule on Saturday, September 5, against South Dakota. The remaining six home games feature five opponents that advanced to bowl games in 2014, including a pair of top-10 teams in TCU (No. 3/3) and Baylor (No. 7/8).

K-State returns 12 starters, including seven that earned All-Big 12 honors, from last season’s 9-4 team. The Wildcats, who finished third in Big 12 play, concluded the season ranked 18th in both the Amway Coaches’ and Associated Press top-25 polls, marking the 13th top-20 finish in school history and third in the last four years.

RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State Nation continues to set a national standard in support of the Wildcats as athletics officials announced today that all non-premium public reserved and general admission seats have been sold for the 2015 Purple/White Spring Football Game at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 25.

“Sporting Park will be packed with purple next month as the K-State Nation, in addition to its current streak of 20 straight sellouts at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, has again demonstrated its commitment to our student-athletes by selling out for the spring game,” Athletics Director John Currie said. “Kansas City is a crucial part to President Schulz’s K-State 2025 vision of advancing the university into the ranks of the nation’s Top 50 public research universities, and having the game at Sporting Park is a terrific opportunity for not only our football student-athletes but also the entire university community as we bring Kansas State to the KC area.”

K-State received a one-time waiver from the NCAA to take its spring game on the road due to player and fan safety at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as construction continues on the new Vanier Football Complex.

With the anticipation of continued demand beyond the original seating plan, K-State Athletics and Sporting Park officials have announced two new ticket options that are now on sale.

Approximately 1,200 standing-room only tickets are available for $10 to the public, $5 for groups of 20 or more and $5 for K-State students. Also open is the Bud Light Landing in the southwest corner of the stadium priced at $75 per ticket, which includes an exclusive game day buffet that features unlimited traditional concessions fare as well as soft drinks, water and beer (for fans 21 and over).

A final premium ticket and hospitality option is still available with a limited number of Field Club seats that range from $150 to $175. Those Field Club options provide the best seats in Sporting Park and include complimentary food and beverage service throughout the game.

All remaining ticket options are available online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Approximately 6,000 complimentary parking spaces are available and located at several lots in The KC Legends area, including Kansas Speedway and CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Lots will open at 12 p.m., and tailgating is permitted with the exception of the Nebraska Furniture Mart and Cabela’s (Lot D) lots.

In addition to Purple/White Spring Game tickets, season tickets for the 2015 campaign are also on sale now with a priority deadline of Friday, April 24. A limited number of single-game tickets go on sale online only on June 22, while fans can purchase by calling the ticket office beginning June 24. All seven home games are anticipated to sell out quickly and extend the Bill Snyder Family Stadium sellout streak to 27 games.

The Wildcats open their 2015 home schedule on Saturday, September 5, against South Dakota. The remaining six home games feature five opponents that advanced to bowl games in 2014, including a pair of top-10 teams in TCU (No. 3/3) and Baylor (No. 7/8).

K-State returns 12 starters, including seven that earned All-Big 12 honors, from last season’s 9-4 team. The Wildcats, who finished third in Big 12 play, concluded the season ranked 18th in both the Amway Coaches’ and Associated Press top-25 polls, marking the 13th top-20 finish in school history and third in the last four years.

RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

PHOENIX (AP) – NFC champion Seattle, Denver and Kansas City each were awarded four compensatory picks in this year’s draft.

The NFL handed out 32 such picks to 14 teams on Monday. They begin at the conclusion of the third round when Super Bowl winner New England gets the 97th overall choice.

New England lost LeGarrette Blount, Dane Fletcher, Brandon Spikes and Aqib Talib in 2014 free agency, while adding Brandon Browner and Brandon LaFell. Blount returned to the Patriots after being cut by Pittsburgh.

A team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory picks. The draft will be held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Jake Peavy pitched five innings, and the San Francisco Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with an 8-3 exhibition victory against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik each had two hits for the World Series champions. Peavy, who felt ill before the game, gave up three runs and seven hits.

Omar Infante had two hits and drove in two runs for the Royals, and Salvador Perez had two hits and drove in a run.

Kansas City’s Edinson Volquez lasted four innings, giving up four runs and seven hits. He walked four and struck out two.

Adam Duvall tripled home a run to spark the Giants’ four-run rally in the second. Juan Perez, Gregor Blanco and Panik also drove in runs.