SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Kansas City Royals announced in a media release on Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms on 2015 Major League contracts with ten players.

The team expects to sign left-handed pitchers Brandon Finnegan, Brian Flynn and John Lamb, right-handed pitchers Aaron Brooks and Michael Mariot, catcher Erik Kratz, infielders Cheslor Cuthbert and Ryan Jackson and outfielders Lane Adams and Jorge Bonifacio. Consistent with club policy, terms of the one-year contracts were not disclosed.

Finnegan, 21, made his Major League debut last season after being drafted 17th overall in June out of Texas Christian University. He became the first player in big league history to pitch in both the Major League World Series and College World Series in the same season.

Brooks, 24, was named Pacific Coast League Postseason MVP as well as Omaha Pitcher of the Year, after going 12-3 with a 3.88 ERA (60 ER in 139.0 IP) and 97 strikeouts in 25 appearances (23 starts) at Triple-A.

Mariot, 26, made his Major League debut and pitched in 17 games last season for the Royals. He earned his first big league victory on June 27, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in an 8-6 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels.

Adams, 25, also made his Major League debut in September last season, after being named the Northwest Arkansas (AA) Player of the Year. He was also named a Texas League All-Star, batting .269 with 25 doubles, 11 homers and 38 stolen bases.

The Royals have eight players who remain unsigned for the 2015 season: right-handed pitchers Jandel Gustave and Yordano Ventura, catcher Francisco Pena, infielders Orlando Calixte and Christian Colon and outfielders Reymond Fuentes, Terrance Gore and Paulo Orlando.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas State endured a late run by Kansas and used a 12-0 run to catapult itself to its fourth win in the last five chances at Allen Fieldhouse, as K-State won 55-48. The six league wins for K-State are the most since the 2011-12 season.

The Basics
• Score: Kansas State 55, Kansas 48
• Records: Kansas State (16-11, 6-10 Big 12), Kansas (13-16, 4-12 Big 12)
• Quick Hitter: Ashia Woods sparked a 12-0 run late in the second half, as K-State secured the season series over KU.
• Leaders: Haley Texada led three players in double figures for K-State with a season-high 20 points and added four steals. Ashia Woods added 12 points, five rebounds and tied her career-high with six steals. Kindred Wesemannadded 10 points. Kansas was paced by Chelsea Gardner with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.

First Half
• Both teams exhibited rivalry jitters in the early stages, as the teams combined for 10 turnovers and a tied score of 8 all. Woods paced the Wildcats with six of the eight points.
• Kindred Wesemann helped spark K-State with consecutive 3-point field goals to give the Wildcats a 16-15 lead with 6:32 to play.
• Trailing 19-16 with five and a half minutes remaining, the Wildcats strung together a 12-2 run to end the half with a 28-21 lead. Texada came up big during the run with seven of her nine first half points including a pair of 3-pointers.Jessica Sheble filled in for Breanna Lewis, who was saddled with foul trouble, to contribute four points and four rebounds during the rally.
• The lead exchanged hands seven times in the opening frame, with five ties.
• K-State shot 10-of-31 (.323) from the floor in the stanza, while the Jayhawks were 8-of-26 (.308).
• The Wildcats forced Kansas into 15 first half turnovers, resulting in 14 points for K-State.

Second Half
• Sheble and Texada helped stake K-State to a 35-28 lead with 13:46 to play. Sheble notched five points while Texada added a layup.
• Texada connected on her third 3-pointer of the night and Lewis converted a layup to propel K-State into its largest lead of the night, 40-32, with 9:20 remaining.
• After Kansas used a 10-0 run, the Wildcats responded with a burst of a 12-0 run of its own. Woods registered five points, two steals and a rebound during the rally. Texada added four points.

Game Totals
• K-State finished the night shooting 18-of-64 (.281) from the field, while Kansas was 17-of-58 (.293).
• The Wildcats pocketed 17 steals on Wednesday. K-State has 18 games this season with 10 or more steals.
• Kansas State blocked seven shots on the night, the 14th time this season with five or more blocks as a team.

JIM SUHR, Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby is publicly reprimanding Kansas State for failing to prevent Wildcats fans from pouring onto the court after the school’s upset victory over rival Kansas.

Bowlsby’s admonition Wednesday came the same day Kansas State student Nathan Power was publicly identified as the fan who body-checked Kansas forward Jamari Traylor after the Wildcats’ 70-63 victory Monday night.

Power has been cited for disorderly conduct and didn’t return messages Wednesday seeking comment.

No injuries resulted from the court-storming. But Bowlsby says Kansas State failed to ensure the safety and security of the players and fans. Calling what happened “a call to action,” he pressed for policy revisions to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

It’s unfortunate it happened, along with all the national attention that it’s drawn.

That’s the opinion of longtime Geary County Catbacker Club member Calvin Potbert, concerning the developments that followed the Wildcats’ basketball win over KU Monday evening at Bramlage Coliseum.

Pottberg attended the game. He noted the kids and fans running on the court has happened for years. “They’re never going to be able to stop them. They don’t have enough force. ” Pottberg added he sits close to the bench of the opponent playing Kansas State. “And they put as many people in there around the ushers and that type, around the KU bench area as they could. But they were just overwhelmed with the number of fans that rushed the court.”

On the message that needs to go out Pottberg said, ” I think probably the message needs to be beating KU is not near as big a deal as it used to be, and we don’t need to rush the court. Kind of like in football when you beat somebody enough times you don’t need to tear down the goal posts. I look at it as something similar to that.  Just accept it and be happy with the win.”

Kansas State struggled for more than two decades to defeat the Jayhawks in Bramlage Coliseum, but now the Wildcats have won three of the last five played against Kansas in that building in Manhattan.

 

Kansas State’s Thomas Gipson and Brian Rohleder were among 32 players named to the 201 Academic All-Big 12 First and Second Teams as announced by the league office.

Both players were named to the league;s 19-member first team, which consisted of those student-athletes who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA.

Gipson leads the Wildcats in six categories including games played ( 29 )

Rohleder has been named to every Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll since the Fall of 2011.

Game 27
Kansas State (15-11, 5-10 Big 12) at Kansas (13-15, 4-11 Big 12)
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 • 7 P.M.
Lawrence, Kan. (Allen Fieldhouse – 16,300)

Kansas Jayhawks
Head Coach: Bonnie Henrickson (St. Cloud State ‘86)
Record at Kansas: 184-169 (11th season)
Career Record: 344-231

Series History
64-46
• K-State leads the series, 64-46.
• Over the last 20 meetings, K-State is 14-6 against the Jayhawks.
• K-State won the last meeting between the teams, 58-52 on Jan. 11, 2015 in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats won the last meeting in Lawrence, 76-68 on Feb. 26, 2014. K-State is 27-25 all-time in Lawrence.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 4-5 against KU.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – One of the longest continuous rivalries in all of women’s college basketball will resume on Wednesday, as K-State visits Kansas for the 111th installment of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

• The Wildcats are led by the interior duo of sophomore forward Breanna Lewis and senior forward Ashia Woods.
• Lewis is averaging team-highs of 12.1 points and 3.2 blocks. She is also pulling in a career-high 6.2 rebounds. Lewis is just one of 9 players in NCAA Division I with the averages of 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 steal. She needs four blocked shots to set the K-State single season blocks record.
• Woods is averaging 10.1 points and a team-high of 6.2 rebounds. In her last eight games, Woods is averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.
• In addition to Lewis and Woods, senior Haley Texada has added an offensive spark over the last four games by averaging 14.5 points.
• Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN3, as Nate Bukaty (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (color analyst) will have the call. The game will also be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com/allaccess.

Number to Know
200
• #KStateWBB has four players this season that have scored 200 or more points (Breanna Lewis, Ashia Woods,Haley Texada and Kindred Wesemann).
• This the first time since the 2012-13 season that K-State has had four or more players score 200 or more points in a season.
• Three of the four players (Lewis, Woods and Wesemann) have achieved career highs in total points this season.

At a Glance: Kansas
• Kansas (13-15, 4-11 Big 12) enters Wednesday’s rivalry game after an 80-76 road loss at Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks have dropped five straight and six of their last seven games.
• On the sideline, Kansas is led by 11th-year head coach Bonnie Henrickson. In her time with the Jayhawks, Henrickson has led the program to a 184-169 (.521) record.
• Leading Kansas this season is senior forward Chelsea Gardner and senior guard Natalie Knight.
• Gardner, a 2014 All-Big 12 First Team selection, leads the team with 16.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. In league action, Gardner has put up nearly identical numbers with 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. At Oklahoma State, Gardner notched 18 points and eight rebounds.
• Knight is second on the team at 12.9 points per game, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists. In league player, Knight has 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. In the loss to the Cowgirls, Knight tallied a team-high 20 points and added five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.

MANHATTAN –On Tuesday, Kansas State University Police asked the public for assistance in identifying a fan who stormed the court after the K-State basketball win at Bramlage.

The fan came forward and wrote an apology letter to the KSU Collegian.

Nathan Power wrote:
K-State friends, I was the individual identified as the fan who bumped Jamari Traylor during the court storm following K-State’s victory over KU. I want to take this moment to share a sincere apology in breaking from the Wildcat way and stepping outside what is acceptable in the spirit of the game. Following the basketball game I simply let my emotions get the best of me in all of the chaos. In my excitement I was not careful of the people I was around. I am sorry that I made the KU basketball team—Jamari Traylor in particular—feel disrespected. By no means can I change what took place but in the future I will be aware of how emotions can impact good judgment.

AP-KS–Kansas Prep Scores
Tuesday’s Scores
By The Associated Press

BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Beloit 80, Smith Center 48
Blue Valley Southwest 61, Smithville, Mo. 56
Buhler 67, Winfield 47
BV North 59, Blue Valley Stillwell 38
BV Northwest 45, St. Thomas Aquinas 41
BV West 43, Bishop Miege 41
Caldwell 63, South Haven 38
Central Plains 52, Ellinwood 21
Chaparral 65, Douglass 54
Cheney 50, Conway Springs 30
Frankfort 45, Linn 33
Garden Plain 58, Belle Plaine 28
Haven 55, Nickerson 45
Hesston 65, Pratt 50
Humboldt 42, Cherryvale 20
KC Bishop Ward 63, KC Piper 62
Kingman 70, Smoky Valley 42
Larned 48, Hoisington 41
Lawrence 57, SM East 49
Lawrence Free State 55, SM West 40
Lyndon 50, Central Heights 47

Manhattan CHIEF 51 St. Xavier 27

McPherson 72, Augusta 44
Mill Valley 60, Tonganoxie 46
Mulvane 43, Clearwater 33
Olpe 77, Chase County 48
Ottawa 56, Eudora 50
Riverton 44, Pittsburg Colgan 40
Royal Valley 61, Perry-Lecompton 18
Sabetha 38, Nemaha Central 33
Salina Central 57, Maize 49
Salina Sacred Heart 54, Ellsworth 45
Salina South 52, Wichita Campus 38
Sedgwick 43, Marion 40
SM North 78, Olathe South 70
SM Northwest 74, Olathe Northwest 69
Southeast 58, Columbus 43
Southeast Saline 60, Republic County 33
Southwestern Hts. 63, Cimarron 48
St. John 65, Otis-Bison 41
Sterling 58, Hillsboro 45
Syracuse 65, Rolla 25
Topeka Seaman 67, Emporia 46
Wamego 76, Marysville 41
Wellsville 58, Iola 39
Wichita Trinity 73, Bluestem 38
Dodge City Tournament
Wichita Heights 51, Wichita East 50

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Abilene 47, Chapman 45
Andale 41, Wichita Collegiate 25
Andover 53, Valley Center 32
Baldwin 56, Spring Hill 26
Beloit 54, Smith Center 29
Bishop Miege 62, BV West 61
Bonner Springs 40, Lansing 35
Buhler 51, Winfield 41
Burlington 58, Yates Center 28
Canton-Galva 51, Little River 26
Cedar Vale/Dexter 64, West Elk 28
Centre 60, Peabody-Burns 20
Chanute 57, Independence 39
Chase County 40, Olpe 36
Cherryvale 54, Humboldt 49
Cheylin 53, Rawlins County 32
Cimarron 60, Southwestern Hts. 24
Coffeyville 78, Fort Scott 62
Columbus 50, Southeast 37
Conway Springs 48, Cheney 43
Cunningham 46, Attica 27
Dighton 51, Ness City 27
Dodge City 60, Hays 32
Doniphan West 33, Troy 27
Douglass 53, Chaparral 16
Ellinwood 66, Central Plains 58
Ellsworth 41, Salina Sacred Heart 25
Flinthills 45, Hartford 41
Frontenac 45, Galena 38
Garden City 55, Liberal 28
Garden Plain 61, Belle Plaine 35
Girard 67, Baxter Springs 42
Goddard 61, Arkansas City 28
Goddard-Eisenhower 52, Maize South 47
Goessel 40, Berean Academy 37
Hanover 46, Centralia 43
Haven 63, Nickerson 42
Hays-TMP-Marian 73, Plainville 66
Hesston 45, Pratt 34
Hiawatha 45, Holton 38
Hill City 50, Norton 41
Hoisington 43, Larned 30
Hoxie 73, Colby 39
Hugoton 68, Holcomb 49
Ingalls 80, Satanta 44
Jackson Heights 52, Jefferson North 36
Kapaun Mount Carmel 48, Wichita South 45
KC Piper 77, KC Bishop Ward 45
Kingman 48, Smoky Valley 39
Labette County 47, Pittsburg 41
Lakeside 31, Logan 30
Lawrence 52, SM East 40
Lawrence Free State 55, SM West 52
Leavenworth 58, Olathe East 28
Linn 54, Frankfort 29
Lyndon 51, Central Heights 40
Lyons 58, Halstead 29
Maize 57, Salina Central 40
Manhattan 60, Junction City 35

Manhattan CHIEF 43 St. Xavier 37
Maur Hill – Mount Academy 32, Pleasant Ridge 28
McPherson 56, Augusta 16
Meade 65, Spearville 39
Minneapolis 47, Russell 38
Mulvane 39, Clearwater 29
Nemaha Central 39, Sabetha 36
Newton 45, Hutchinson 35
Olathe South 65, SM North 27
Ottawa 37, Eudora 16
Palco 24, Natoma 23
Phillipsburg 47, Stockton 38
Pike Valley 52, Rock Hills 26
Pittsburg Colgan 51, Riverton 25
Rolla 43, Syracuse 27
Rose Hill 53, El Dorado 41
Royal Valley 40, Perry-Lecompton 38
Sedgwick 43, Marion 27
Shawnee Heights 51, Topeka 42
Silver Lake 52, Council Grove 41
SM Northwest 52, Olathe Northwest 41
South Barber 54, Pratt Skyline 43
South Central 57, Minneola 31
South Gray 63, Deerfield 7
South Haven 59, Caldwell 36
Southeast Saline 50, Republic County 38
St. John 58, Otis-Bison 30
St. John’s Beloit 60, Bennington 44
Sterling 67, Hillsboro 27
Sunrise Christian 60, Bishop Seabury Academy 23
Topeka Hayden 65, Topeka West 32
Topeka Seaman 60, Emporia 48
Trego 44, Quinter 41
Victoria 37, Osborne 14
Wabaunsee 55, St. Mary’s 20
Wallace County 53, St. Francis 23
Wamego 57, Marysville 46
Washburn Rural 60, Highland Park 38
Waverly 65, Northern Heights 54
Wellington 54, Circle 44
Wellsville 44, Iola 42
Wetmore 50, Onaga 38
Wichita Bishop Carroll 60, Wichita West 20
Wichita Campus 51, Salina South 43
Wichita Heights 53, Wichita East 23
Wichita Home School 72, Argonia 43
Wichita Independent 52, Medicine Lodge 33
Wichita Trinity 55, Bluestem 26

The Manhattan Indians ( 17-2 ) overcame deficits of nine and eight points to defeat the Junction City Blue Jays ( 5-14 ) 70-57 in boys basketball Tuesday night at the Shenk Gym.

The win clinched at least a tie for the Centennial League championship for the Indians. They lead second place Shawnee Heights by one game in the conference standings with one game remaining.

Junction City had an eight point lead in the third quarter, but a series of turnovers and missed shots eventually proved too much for the Blue Jays to overcome. For Manhattan Robbie Osterman hit three 3-point shots in the fourth quarter, and Gabriel Awbrey hit 8-9 free throws in the final period to help the Indians pull away to the win.

Blue Jay coach Pat Battle said the Indians hit big shots. “Very big shots from the deep corner. They’ve got good players. They’re the number three, number four team in the state. There’s a reason why they are that.”

Battle said his team had open looks but didn’t hit the shots.

Junction City hosts Topeka West Friday night, while Manhattan hosts Seaman that evening.

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In girls basketball Manhattan ( 15-4 )  led throughout the contest enroute to a 60-35 win over Junction City ( 3-16 ) Tuesday evening.

Caroline Ballard led Manhattan with 15 points, while Kealee Rains topped Junction City with 13 points.

On behalf of President Schulz and K-State Athletics, I apologize to Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger, Coach Bill Self and the KU basketball team for the unfortunate situation in which they were placed last night at the conclusion of our basketball game.
Our security staff, which in similar past postgame celebrations has, according to our procedures and rehearsals, provided a solid human barrier to allow the teams to conduct a postgame handshake and safely leave the court, was unable to get into proper position quickly enough last night and was overwhelmed by the fans rushing the floor.

K-State prides itself on providing a great game atmosphere in a safe environment and did successfully execute our security plan when we defeated KU last year in Bramlage as well as in 2011.  Although no one was hurt last night, we fell short of our expectations for securing the court and escorting KU to its locker room without incident.  We are disappointed that we did not do better for the KU team.

We are reviewing our procedures internally and consulting with our law enforcement partners to determine any steps necessary to improve our gameday security.

Additionally, we are actively reviewing video and working in concert with law enforcement to identify any fan who intentionally touched visiting players or personnel.  We will take appropriate action with such identified persons, including turning over all evidence to law enforcement so that any applicable charges can be filed.

Early this morning I met with Student Governing Association President Reagan Kays and Vice-President for Student Life Pat Bosco who are supportive of these steps.  While we are proud of the incredible atmosphere of Bramlage Coliseum and the passion of K-State students and fans, we are saddened by the insistence of some fans to sully the image of our great institution with audible profane chants.  We will continue to work with our student leadership to provide a better example of sportsmanship for our audiences.

Congratulations are still in order for our coaches and student-athletes for their tremendous effort last night, and we look forward to Saturday’shome finale against Iowa State.