The Junction City Brigade dropped their season opener when they lost to the Topeka Golden Giants 8-3 at Rathert Stadium Friday night.

Brigade coach Shane Sieben noted it’s always kind of hard in the first game. “You always want to get an exhibition game or two under your belts to get ready and we didn’t get that this year. Not going to make excuses, we’ve got to be ready to go. When they’re in game six and we’re in game one that makes it a little bit tough. We were a little behind there, the timing wasn’t there for the first few innings, really didn’t take very many good swings. By the time we took good swings we had dug too much of a hole.”

The Golden Giants improved to 5-1 with the win.

The Brigade utilized three pitchers in the game, with J.J. Benes getting the start.  Justin Hirsch and Pete Ruiz also saw time on the mound.  Ruiz is a former Junction City Blue Jay pitcher. He entered with one out in the seventh inning and finished the game for the Brigade. He walked four, gave up three hits, and struck out three during his time in the contest.

Brigade officials estimated the opening night crowd at 800 fans.

The two teams are scheduled to play again at 7 p.m. Saturday at Rathert Stadium.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chase Whitley pitched seven innings for his first career win, Brian McCann drove in three runs with a timely double and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Friday night.

Brian Roberts drove in a run for the Yankees, who finally gave their young right-hander some support. Whitley (1-0) had allowed five earned runs in his first four starts, and left two of them with the lead, only for his team to saddle him with a series of no-decisions.

McCann helped take care of that with one swing of the bat. His bases-loaded double off Jeremy Guthrie (2-6) in the third inning broke a 1-all tie and gave New York the lead for good.

Dellin Betances worked around a double by Alcides Escobar in the eighth, and David Robertson retired Salvador Perez with runners on first and second in the ninth to earn his 14th save.

 

For the second consecutive season all available K-State football season tickets have been sold.

KSU Athletics Department officials have announced that public season sales for the 2014 season at Bill Snyder Family Stadium have reached the 35,000 mark.

Fans who ordered season tickets but did not receive a ticket location during the priority seating process will be refunded and placed on a waiting list for the 2015 season, which currently includes more than 500 accounts. Those fans will also receive a promotional code by email Friday ( June 6 ) for an exclusive pre-sale on Monday ( June 9 ) at k-statesports.com for any remaining tickets from the Stephen F. Austin, Texas Tech, Texas, and Kansas visitor allotments. Any future visiting team returns throughout the fall will be offered first to current season ticket holders and fans on the season ticket waiting list.  Fans wanting to join the waiting list can do so by calling the K-State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Yordano Ventura threw six innings in his return from a sore elbow, and the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Thursday night and end a string of eight straight home losses to their in-state rivals.

Ventura was skipped his previous time through the rotation because of minor elbow pain, but he looked sharp in his return.

He pitched to contact and took advantage of some sharp defense, which helped him to limit the damage whenever he ran into trouble.

The Royals rallied for three runs off Michael Wacha to take the lead in the sixth inning, and Francisley Bueno and Wade Davis each pitched a perfect inning in relief of Ventura.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Matt Carpenter had a career-high five hits, including the go-ahead double in the 11th inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

After the Royals rallied with two runs in the ninth, Peter Bourjos worked a one-out walk off Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the 11th. Carpenter then rapped his double to center field, drawing a roar from a crowd comprised mostly of Cardinals fans.

Allen Craig added a two-run single off Tim Collins later in the inning, and Pat Neshek breezed through the bottom half to end the Royals’ six-game winning streak against National League clubs.

Sam Freeman (1-0) earned the win with a perfect 10th inning.

Carpenter became the first Cardinal to record five hits in a game since Ryan Ludwick on Sept. 4, 2009. He had a part in his club’s first three runs, driving in Mark Ellis in the second inning and scoring on Matt Holliday’s groundout in the seventh

By JORDAN POLAND
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame

The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has announced the members of the Class of 2014 who will be enshrined in ceremonies on October 5th at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in the Wichita Boathouse.

The KSHOF Class of 2014 consists of ten members: Smith Center High School football coach and eight-time state champion Roger Barta; Riley native and University of Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds; eight-time high school football and two-time track state championship coach Bill Freeman of LeRoy; Stanford University All-American swimmer from Wichita, Caroline Bruce McAndrew; all-time leading rebounder in Kansas State University history Ed Nealy; Wichita State University baseball coach of seven College World Series teams, including the 1989 National Championship, Gene Stephenso; two-time NAIA track and field All-American from Emporia State Bill Tidwell; two-time University of Kansas basketball All-American Walt Wesley; and two-time Kansas State University basketball All-American Chuckie Williams. Charlie Hoag, a member of the 1952 KU National Championship team and Olympic gold medalist, will be honored posthumously.

The induction ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 5, 2014, at the Wichita Boathouse. The ten-person class raises the total number of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductees to 237. The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is in its 53rd year of operation.

ROGER BARTA – SMITH CENTER

Roger Barta, a native of Plainville, Kansas, and a 1967 graduate from Fort Hays State University, built one of the greatest high school football dynasties in the state’s history. As the head football coach of Smith Center High School from 1978 to 2013, Barta compiled a career record of 323 wins and 68 losses. During that span, the Redmen won eight state championships. Barta holds state records for career coaching win percentage, all-time undefeated seasons with seven, consecutive undefeated seasons with five, and consecutive wins with a streak of 79 straight victories from 2004 to 2009. Barta and his 2009 Smith Center team were the focal point of the book Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen by New York Times writer Joe Drape. Barta coached numerous collegiate athletes, including 2011 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Mark Simoneau.

DELOSS DODDS – RILEY

Prior to becoming one of the most influential athletic directors in the nation at the University of Texas, DeLoss Dodds was already a well-known name in the state of Kansas. A native of Riley, Kansas, Dodds was a 440 meter conference champion at Kansas State University in 1959 before being hired as the head track and cross country coach for the Wildcats in 1963. During his thirteen year stint as head coach of the K-State track and cross country programs, Dodds’ teams won six Big 8 Conference titles. In 1977, Dodds was named the eighth Athletic Director in Kansas State University history, a position he held until 1981 when he was named the University of Texas Men’s Athletic Director. Under Dodds’ leadership, Longhorn teams won fourteen National Championships and 108 conference titles. Dodds was named the 2002 and 2005 Under Armor Athletic Director of the year and the 2011 Sports Business Award Athletic Director of the year. Dodds was inducted to the Kansas State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

BILL FREEMAN – LEROY

Bill Freeman, a native of LeRoy, Kansas, has football in his veins. A four-year letterman as a player at Emporia State University from 1949 to 1953, Freeman continued his success in the coaching ranks at the high school level for over thirty years. Freeman posted a career coaching record of 242-81-3, including eight state championships in three different classes. Most known for his coaching success at Lawrence High School, where Freeman coached five state championship football teams and two state track championships, Freeman also won football state championships at Osawatomie and LeRoy and coached at Baxter Springs, Parker Rural, and Nickerson. Freeman coached several players who later played in the National Football League, including 1997 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Lynn Dickey. Freeman was a recipient of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame’s Pride of Kansas Award in 2012 and is an inductee of the Emporia State Athletics Hall of Fame.

CHARLIE HOAG – UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS (Posthumous)

One of the best athletes on the 1952 University of Kansas basketball team, Charlie Hoag was a four-sport star that holds the unique distinction of having won an Olympic gold medal in one sport and being drafted professionally in another. Hoag competed in football, basketball, baseball, and track at KU. A two-time All-Big 7 football player for the Jayhawks, Hoag also played a pivotal role on the 1952 KU basketball National Championship team, scoring nine points in the 1952 National Championship game. Although just a junior, Hoag was named, along with six of his Jayhawk teammates, to the 1952 U.S. Olympic basketball team which won the gold in Helsinki, Finland. Hoag returned to Lawrence for his senior year in 1953 but had his season cut short due to an injury sustained during the KU-K-State football game that season. Despite the injury, Hoag was drafted to play halfback by the Cleveland Browns in 1953. Hoag was inducted to the University of Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

CAROLINE BRUCE MCANDREW – WICHITA

Caroline Bruce McAndrew, a 2004 graduate of Wichita Trinity Academy, is one of the most decorated swimmers in Kansas history. A thirteen-time Kansas high school champion, McAndrew earned All-American status swimming for Stanford University thirteen times in five different events. McAndrew won two NCAA National Championships in the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke in 2005. She also won seven Pacific-10 Conference championships and was named the 2005 Conference Women’s Swimmer of the Year and the Women’s Newcomer of the Year. McAndrew qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics, finishing ninth in the breaststroke. In 2005, McAndrew also competed in the World University Games where she finished fifth.

ED NEALY – BONNER SPRINGS

When Eddie Carl “Ed” Nealy graduated from Kansas State University in 1982, he left behind a legacy that is unmatched in the school’s basketball history. Nealy was the star center for his father’s Bonner Springs High School team and made an immediate impact for the Wildcats. He was a workhorse on the court and when he graduated, he held spots on K-State’s all-time career top ten for points scored, rebounds, double-doubles, assists, steals, games played, and games started. Nealy is the only player in K-State history to have over 1,000 points and rebounds for his career, scoring 1,304 points and grabbing 1,069 rebounds. He was named first team All-Big 8 in 1982 and was second-team Academic All-American in both his junior and senior years. Nealy was selected in the eighth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings. He played 10 seasons in the NBA with Kansas City, San Antonio, Chicago, Phoenix, and Golden State, scoring 1,451 points with 1,799 rebounds. Nealy was recognized as one of K-State’s all-time greatest performers in 2003 when he was named to the school’s ten-man All-Century Team.

GENE STEPHENSON – WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

As head coach of the Wichita State University baseball program from 1978 to 2013, Gene Stephenson built one of the nation’s most prestigious programs totally from scratch. Stephenson’s Shocker teams won twenty-six Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles from 1980 to 2013, eighteen MVC Tournament championships, made twenty-eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and seven appearances in the College World Series, including the 1989 National Championship and three runner-up finishes in 1982, 1991, and 1993. Along the way, Stephenson posted a career win-loss record of 1,837-675-3, which is the most wins at the Division I level in college history. Honored as the NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1982, 1989, and 1993, Stephenson averaged over fifty-one wins per season over thirty-six years. Stephenson coached fifty-five All-Americans at Wichita State, including Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductees Joe Carter, Darren Dreifort, Don Heinkel, and Phil Stephenson. He also coached twenty-seven Academic All-Americans, which was the nation’s leading program in all divisions, 157 first-team All-MVC selections, 92 second-team All-MVC selections, 159 players who signed professional contracts, and thirty-four players who played in the major leagues. Stephenson is a 2014 inductee to the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and will be inducted to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in June 2014.

BILL TIDWELL – KIOWA

A four-time NAIA champion at Emporia State University, Kiowa native Bill Tidwell is another in a long line of distance runners from the state of Kansas to make their mark on the national stage. Tidwell won both the 880 meter and the mile national championships in 1955 and 1956 at Emporia State and was a two-time NAIA All-American both years. Tidwell also competed in cross country at Emporia State, where he won twelve of fourteen meets during his junior and senior seasons. Tidwell went on to serve as Athletic Director for Oberlin (OH) College from 1959 to 1971, when he was named the Athletic Director at Emporia State University, a position he held until 1994. Tidwell was inducted to the Emporia State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982, the NAIA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1963, and is a Drake Relays Hall of Fame Charter Member.

WALT WESLEY – UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Walter “Walt” Wesley, a native of Fort Myers, Florida, came to the University of Kansas because it was one of the few schools that recruited African American players out of high school in the early 1960’s. He left KU as one of the school’s leaders in points scored, rebounding, and was a two-time All-American selection. Playing for 2009 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ted Owens, Wesley led the Jayhawks in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons and averaged over twenty points per game both years. Wesley was named an All-Big 8 selection in 1965 and 1966 and was also selected as a Helms Foundation first-team All-American both seasons. Wesley’s career scoring average at KU of 19.1 points per game still ranks in the top ten of school history. He was selected in the first round of the 1966 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals and played ten NBA seasons, registering over 5,000 points and over 3,000 rebounds. Wesley’s jersey was retired by the University of Kansas in 2004.

CHUCKIE WILLIAMS – KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

One of only three Kansas State University basketball players to be named an All-American two times during their time in Manhattan, Chuckie Williams re-wrote the K-State record book. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Williams was a four-year letterman for 1990 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jack Hartman and led the Wildcats to two Elite Eight appearances and the 1973 Big 8 Conference title. Averaging over twenty points for both his junior and senior seasons, Williams was an All-Big 8 and All-American selection both seasons. As of 2013, Williams still ranked in the school’s top ten in twenty-three different season and career statistical categories, including eighth in all-time scoring. Williams was selected in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Named to the K-State All-Century Team in 2003, Williams’ jersey was retired by K-State in 2006.  —

Tickets for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be available for purchase starting August 4, 2014. For more information, please visit our website at www.kshof.org or call 316-262-2038.

 

The head baseball coach at Junction City High School, Heath Gerstner, has resigned his position to accept a teaching and head baseball coaching position at McPherson High School in Mcpherson, Kansas.

The announcement was contained in a news release from USD 475.

Gerstner has been coaching the Blue Jay baseball program for four years, three of them as head coach. He guided the Blue Jay baseball team to a regional tournament championship and a berth in the Class 6A State Tournament this year.

District officials confirm what JCPost.com reported Monday….JCHS head girls softball coach Nancy Detmer has also resigned her position. She had been coaching softball for the Lady Jays for eight years, including five as head coach. She will continue to teach physical education at Junction City High School.

A search to fill the vacant head coaching positions will begin immediately.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Danny Duffy worked six innings of one-hit ball and Alex Gordon homered to start a breakout three-run seventh for the Kansas City Royals in a 6-0 victory over the suddenly punchless St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

The Royals had just two singles off Shelby Miller (6-5) in a game that had been scoreless before they opened the seventh with four straight hits. Gordon’s fifth homer ended a 15-inning scoreless drought and Mike Moustakas capped the rally with a two-run double.

Matt Holliday had two singles and a walk for the Cardinals, who have been shut out in consecutive games and have single-digit hit totals the last four games.

Duffy (3-5) struck out five and walked one, rebounding from consecutive losses in which he surrendered 10 earned runs in 10 innings.

 

USD 475 is advertising for a head softball coach at Junction City High School.

The head coach for the past five seasons Nancy Detmer was contacted by JCPost.com on Monday, and confirmed she resigned.

This past season the Lady Jays finished with a 5-16 record.

Jennifer ( Gruver ) Kirkpatrick of Junction City has been inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame.

Kirkpatrick, who has been a resident of Junction City for several years, and continously since 2005, was inducted into the Hall on Saturday at the State Track Meet in Wichita.

During her high school career ( 1988-92 ) in her hometown of Scott City, Kirkpatrick earned 12 gold and four silver medals in the State Track Meet. She was also a volleyball and basketball player.

In track she was a four-time state champion in the 100 meter hurdles, four-time state champion in the long jump, three-time gold medal winner in the triple jump, and won one gold medal in the 300 meter low hurdles.  Kirkpatrick was named a First Team All State basketball player her senior year, and named the Kansas Sports Magazine 4A player of the year in 1992.

Kirkpatrick stood on the medal stand at the state meet many times during her high school career.  So Saturday’s induction ceremony on that stand at state brought back good memories. “It was really more emotional than I thought it would be.” She also added, “This is just really a special place to me. And to be able to stand up there again and just see the crowd, think back on all the good memories, it means a lot!”

Kirkpatrick also competed in track and field for Kansas State University where she was a four-time Academic All Big 8 award winner, a Drake Relays Champion on the hurdle team, and is ranked seventh on the KSU Women’s All Time top 10 in the 400 meter hurdles.

When she was younger Jennifer also  competed for several years in the National Junior Olympic Meet. In 1988 she was the National Champion in the Triple Jump.

Kirkpatrick was on the honor roll throughout her high school career at Scott Community High School, and was her class valedictorian.

Today Jennifer Kirkpatrick is a clinical dietitian in the Innovative Weight Loss Solutions office at Geary Community Hospital.