By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

Taking care of business against the lower teams in the standings, Barton will need to carry the momentum into Saturday's 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Hutchinson Community College. The first place Blue Dragons split their doubleheader at 17th ranked Butler on Saturday to force a two-team tie atop the standings and more recently picked up a sweep at Garden City improving to 12-2 and 23-7 overall.

Aly Lawrence was perfect in her five plate appearances including three walks, the first scoring one batter later on Allyson McDougal double for the first of six hits on the day. The pair combined for 11 hits on 13 plate appearance with six runs driven with Lawrence extending her hit streak to 17 straight games.

Leslie Ramos and Mikaila Herring each had three hits, Ramos' trio coming on doubles while two of Herrings' were of the two-bag variety. Both connected on the first sparking the Cougars' 6-run third frame, Ramos leading off with a two-bagger with Herring's pushing two runs across the dish.

Ninth in the batting lineup, Lani Dryden was .500 in her four plate appearance to extend her hit streak to nine straight games, driving in two runs on the decisive third inning on a double. Although the hit streak continued, Dryden's con

Lawrence also picked up the victory in the circle improving to 4-1 on the year in scattering eight hits and a career best 4 strikeouts in five innings of work. Alicia Goseland worked the final two frames in striking out one before a two-out 3-run home run pushed across three unearned runs in the final seventh frame.

Bartlett stymied Pratt's offense in the nightcap for her third shutout of the season to also improve to 4-1, tying a collegiate best four strikeouts and walking just two. The second free pass coming with two outs in the final fifth frame would prove costly as the additional at-bat would bring pinch hitter Julia Zimmerman to the plate with the Hays freshman sending a high chopper up the middle off the artificial turf to break up the no-hitter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711017905346.jpeg" alt="Elina Bartlett (Photo By Brandon Smith-Barton Athletics)" />
 <figcaption>Elina Bartlett (Photo By Brandon Smith-Barton Athletics)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoTaking care of business against the lower teams in the standings, Barton will need to carry the momentum into Saturday's 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Hutchinson Community College. The first place Blue Dragons split their doubleheader at 17th ranked Butler on Saturday to force a two-team tie atop the standings and more recently picked up a sweep at Garden City improving to 12-2 and 23-7 overall.Aly Lawrence was perfect in her five plate appearances including three walks, the first scoring one batter later on Allyson McDougal double for the first of six hits on the day. The pair combined for 11 hits on 13 plate appearance with six runs driven with Lawrence extending her hit streak to 17 straight games.Leslie Ramos and Mikaila Herring each had three hits, Ramos' trio coming on doubles while two of Herrings' were of the two-bag variety. Both connected on the first sparking the Cougars' 6-run third frame, Ramos leading off with a two-bagger with Herring's pushing two runs across the dish.Ninth in the batting lineup, Lani Dryden was .500 in her four plate appearance to extend her hit streak to nine straight games, driving in two runs on the decisive third inning on a double. Although the hit streak continued, Dryden's conLawrence also picked up the victory in the circle improving to 4-1 on the year in scattering eight hits and a career best 4 strikeouts in five innings of work. Alicia Goseland worked the final two frames in striking out one before a two-out 3-run home run pushed across three unearned runs in the final seventh frame.Bartlett stymied Pratt's offense in the nightcap for her third shutout of the season to also improve to 4-1, tying a collegiate best four strikeouts and walking just two. The second free pass coming with two outs in the final fifth frame would prove costly as the additional at-bat would bring pinch hitter Julia Zimmerman to the plate with the Hays freshman sending a high chopper up the middle off the artificial turf to break up the no-hitter.

Lady Cougars sweep Pratt

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Tristan da Silva scored 20 points and Colorado won its first NCAA
Tournament game in three years, wrapping up the First Four with a
sloppy 60-53 win over Boise State. A layup by Eddie Lampkin Jr. and a
pair of foul shots from J’Vonne Hadley capped an 11-0 run that gave
the Buffaloes a 56-49 lead with 24 seconds left in what had been a
back-and-forth game. Boise State had to start fouling and Colorado
didn’t miss from the line. The Buffaloes advance as a 10th seed to
face seventh-seeded Florida in Indianapolis on Friday.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Jimel Cofer scored a career-high 19 points and Grambling State beat
Montana State 88-81 in overtime to earn its first NCAA Tournament win
in program history in the First Four. The Southwestern Athletic
Conference champion Tigers (21-14) advance as the No. 16 seed in the
Midwest Region to play No. 1 seed Purdue on Friday in Indianapolis.
The Tigers had to overtime a 14-point second-half deficit in winning
its first NCAA Tournment game. Robert Ford III had 26 points to lead
Montana State, the Big Sky Conference tournament champions.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger got his first head coaching job at
South Dakota State, and now his former assistant, Eric Henderson,
leads the Jackrabbits. They will meet on Thursday in the first round
of the NCAA Tournament when the No. 2 seed Cyclones play No. 15 seed
South Dakota State. The top half of the East Region, headlined by
overall No. 1 seed UConn, gets underway on Friday. The other games in
the bottom half Thursday includes sixth-seeded BYU playing No. 11
seed Duquesne, No. 7 seed Washington State playing No. 10 seed Drake
and third-seeded Illinois against No. 15 seed Morehead State.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Kentucky coach John Calipari is looking for an extended homecoming to
start the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats are the third seed in the
South region and open against 14th-seeded Oakland. The game will be
played at PPG Paints Arena, a short drive from Calipari's hometown.
Calipari says the blue-collar mentality instilled in him at a young
age still runs deep. He believes the Wildcats can adapt that
mentality during the tournament following an uneven regular season in
which occasionally lax defense has cost them. Sixth-seed Texas Tech
faces 11th-seed North Carolina State in the other South Region
opening-round game.

SEOUL, South Korea.
(AP) — Shohei Ohtani's interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara
has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of
illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese star. Othani is playing
in Seoul, South Korea, this week in a two-game series with the San
Diego Padres to open the major league baseball season. Mizuhara was
seen regularly chatting with Ohtani, who was the Dodgers’
designated hitter, seemingly discussing his at-bats over a tablet
computer during Wednesday's game. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts
said a different interpreter would be used and he said he did not
know Mizuhara's whereabouts.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
(AP) — Agent Scott Boras defended himself and the leadership of the
Major League Baseball Players Association against a faction pushing
for a change in the union’s lead negotiator. Boras says: “When
you have inexperienced people who haven’t been doing this for a
long time, they make statements that are just not supported by facts.
During an online meeting Monday, players pushed for union executive
director Tony Clark to remove deputy executive director Bruce Meyer,
who led talks for the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. Some in
the group pushing for change want to replace Meyer with Harry Marino,
who helped minor leaguers organize.

UNDATED (AP) — The
NFL competition committee is proposing a rule to penalize so-called
“hip-drop” tackles and a radical change to kickoffs to add more
returns without compromising safety. The proposals will be presented
to owners at the league meetings later this month, with 24 out of 32
votes needed for approval. The committee didn’t propose any rule
changes to limit the use of the “tush push” quarterback sneak
that has been so successful for the Philadelphia Eagles the past few
seasons or any change to the rule giving the defensive team a
touchback if the team with the ball fumbles through the end zone.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP)
— Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders says he's healed from a
fracture in his back that led to him missing the final game last
season. The Buffaloes have since revamped their offensive line to
keep the pressure off Sanders after he was sacked 52 times in 2023.
Sanders is coming off a season in which he threw for a school-record
3,230 yards. He and the Buffaloes have lofty expectations this fall
as the team makes the switch from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big
12. Sanders very well could be the first quarterback taken in the
2025 NFL draft.

UNDATED (AP) —
Oklahoma State wrestler Daton Fix has placed in the top four at the
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships four times, including three
second-place finishes, but hasn’t won. He came back this season for
his COVID-19 year and won a record fifth Big 12 title. Now, he has
earned the No. 1 seed in the 133-pound class. Two-time defending
Division I wrestling champion Penn State is favored to win again. The
Nittany Lions seek their 11th team title in the past 13 years. They
have two wrestlers — Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci — who are
chasing their fourth national championships.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) —
Detroit Lions defensive back Cameron Sutton is wanted on a Florida
domestic violence warrant. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
on Wednesday asked for tips to help find him. Authorities said on the
X social media platform that the warrant is for domestic battery by
strangulation, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years
in prison. The sheriff’s office said Sutton may be driving a Jeep
Grand Wagoneer with a Florida license plate. No other information was
immediately provided. It wasn’t clear if Sutton has a lawyer to
speak for him and the team declined to comment. An email message sent
to Sutton’s agent was not immediately returned.


Final OT	Grambling St.	88	Montana St.	81	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710682717672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Tristan da Silva scored 20 points and Colorado won its first NCAA
Tournament game in three years, wrapping up the First Four with a
sloppy 60-53 win over Boise State. A layup by Eddie Lampkin Jr. and a
pair of foul shots from J’Vonne Hadley capped an 11-0 run that gave
the Buffaloes a 56-49 lead with 24 seconds left in what had been a
back-and-forth game. Boise State had to start fouling and Colorado
didn’t miss from the line. The Buffaloes advance as a 10th seed to
face seventh-seeded Florida in Indianapolis on Friday.DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Jimel Cofer scored a career-high 19 points and Grambling State beat
Montana State 88-81 in overtime to earn its first NCAA Tournament win
in program history in the First Four. The Southwestern Athletic
Conference champion Tigers (21-14) advance as the No. 16 seed in the
Midwest Region to play No. 1 seed Purdue on Friday in Indianapolis.
The Tigers had to overtime a 14-point second-half deficit in winning
its first NCAA Tournment game. Robert Ford III had 26 points to lead
Montana State, the Big Sky Conference tournament champions.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger got his first head coaching job at
South Dakota State, and now his former assistant, Eric Henderson,
leads the Jackrabbits. They will meet on Thursday in the first round
of the NCAA Tournament when the No. 2 seed Cyclones play No. 15 seed
South Dakota State. The top half of the East Region, headlined by
overall No. 1 seed UConn, gets underway on Friday. The other games in
the bottom half Thursday includes sixth-seeded BYU playing No. 11
seed Duquesne, No. 7 seed Washington State playing No. 10 seed Drake
and third-seeded Illinois against No. 15 seed Morehead State.PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Kentucky coach John Calipari is looking for an extended homecoming to
start the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats are the third seed in the
South region and open against 14th-seeded Oakland. The game will be
played at PPG Paints Arena, a short drive from Calipari's hometown.
Calipari says the blue-collar mentality instilled in him at a young
age still runs deep. He believes the Wildcats can adapt that
mentality during the tournament following an uneven regular season in
which occasionally lax defense has cost them. Sixth-seed Texas Tech
faces 11th-seed North Carolina State in the other South Region
opening-round game.SEOUL, South Korea.
(AP) — Shohei Ohtani's interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara
has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of
illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese star. Othani is playing
in Seoul, South Korea, this week in a two-game series with the San
Diego Padres to open the major league baseball season. Mizuhara was
seen regularly chatting with Ohtani, who was the Dodgers’
designated hitter, seemingly discussing his at-bats over a tablet
computer during Wednesday's game. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts
said a different interpreter would be used and he said he did not
know Mizuhara's whereabouts.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
(AP) — Agent Scott Boras defended himself and the leadership of the
Major League Baseball Players Association against a faction pushing
for a change in the union’s lead negotiator. Boras says: “When
you have inexperienced people who haven’t been doing this for a
long time, they make statements that are just not supported by facts.
During an online meeting Monday, players pushed for union executive
director Tony Clark to remove deputy executive director Bruce Meyer,
who led talks for the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. Some in
the group pushing for change want to replace Meyer with Harry Marino,
who helped minor leaguers organize.UNDATED (AP) — The
NFL competition committee is proposing a rule to penalize so-called
“hip-drop” tackles and a radical change to kickoffs to add more
returns without compromising safety. The proposals will be presented
to owners at the league meetings later this month, with 24 out of 32
votes needed for approval. The committee didn’t propose any rule
changes to limit the use of the “tush push” quarterback sneak
that has been so successful for the Philadelphia Eagles the past few
seasons or any change to the rule giving the defensive team a
touchback if the team with the ball fumbles through the end zone.BOULDER, Colo. (AP)
— Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders says he's healed from a
fracture in his back that led to him missing the final game last
season. The Buffaloes have since revamped their offensive line to
keep the pressure off Sanders after he was sacked 52 times in 2023.
Sanders is coming off a season in which he threw for a school-record
3,230 yards. He and the Buffaloes have lofty expectations this fall
as the team makes the switch from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big
12. Sanders very well could be the first quarterback taken in the
2025 NFL draft.UNDATED (AP) —
Oklahoma State wrestler Daton Fix has placed in the top four at the
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships four times, including three
second-place finishes, but hasn’t won. He came back this season for
his COVID-19 year and won a record fifth Big 12 title. Now, he has
earned the No. 1 seed in the 133-pound class. Two-time defending
Division I wrestling champion Penn State is favored to win again. The
Nittany Lions seek their 11th team title in the past 13 years. They
have two wrestlers — Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci — who are
chasing their fourth national championships.TAMPA, Fla. (AP) —
Detroit Lions defensive back Cameron Sutton is wanted on a Florida
domestic violence warrant. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
on Wednesday asked for tips to help find him. Authorities said on the
X social media platform that the warrant is for domestic battery by
strangulation, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years
in prison. The sheriff’s office said Sutton may be driving a Jeep
Grand Wagoneer with a Florida license plate. No other information was
immediately provided. It wasn’t clear if Sutton has a lawyer to
speak for him and the team declined to comment. An email message sent
to Sutton’s agent was not immediately returned.WEDNESDAY SCORESNCAA First FourSOUTH
Final	Colorado	60	Boise St.	53	MIDWEST
Final OT	Grambling St.	88	Montana St.	81	MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Atlanta	10	Toronto	9	Final	Oakland	3	Chicago
Cubs	1	Final	Cincinnati	3	Chicago
White Sox	1	Final	Texas	8	Cincinnati	1	Final	San
Francisco	5	L.A. Angels	2	Final	Baltimore	13	Philadelphia	4	Final	N.Y.
Yankees	12	Pittsburgh	0	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Detroit	12	Minnesota	3	Final	L.A.
Angels	8	Kansas City	8	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	L.A.
Dodgers	5	San Diego	2	Final	N.Y.
Mets	6	Miami	3	Final	Arizona	5	Colorado	1	Final	St.
Louis	13	Washington	4	NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Indiana	122	Detroit	103	Final	Miami	107	Cleveland	104	Final	Sacramento	123	Toronto	89	Final	Boston	122	Milwaukee	119	Final	Oklahoma
City	119	Utah	107	Final	L.A.
Clippers	116	Portland	103	Final	Phoenix	115	Philadelphia	102	Final	Golden
State	137	Memphis	116	NATIONAL HOCKEY
LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	7	Washington	3	Final	Dallas	5	Arizona	2

Thursday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

A playoff run in
football. A trip to the state basketball tournament. Now, it’s baseball’s turn.
Many of the same athletes who saw success in the fall and winter seasons return to
Randy Beck’s Panther baseball team that made a trip to state last spring. That makes Beck optimistic.

“It’s pretty much
the same team we had last year,” he said. “We lost a couple starters to
graduation but we’re returning a bunch of kids. We’ve done our team goals and we’re
working on our individual goals. We set our goals pretty high and that’s a good
thing.”

Great Bend
finished last year at 13-10, but knocked off Andover and Hays to advance to the
state tournament before losing to top-seeded and eventual champion Bishop
Carroll. Just three players graduated from that team.

Beck expects a
healthy pitching rotation of at least eight players. Leading that charge will
be junior Carson Umphres, who led the Panthers with 43 strikeouts in 57.2
innings pitched last year. He was also a force at the plate with a team-best
.468 average, 25 RBIs, nine doubles, and five triples.

“He’s our main guy,”
said Beck. “He hits very well at the plate and plays great centerfield. On the
mound, he’s gotten a lot better. His arm is a lot stronger this year. He throws
strikes, and I think he’s going to overpower some kids.”

Junior Hunter
Hermann played infield and pitched 25.2 innings last year with 30 strikeouts. Sophomore
Daxton Minton battled injuries last season but is expected to pick up some
innings on the mound and serve as the team’s utility man.

Sophomore Koehn
Ribordy, the lone lefty on this year’s varsity squad, allowed just one earned
run in 7.1 innings of work last year with 10 strikeouts. He also batted .327
with nine RBIs. Junior Owen Kaiser could take some time off from behind the
plate to pitch. Junior Trey Milsap is ready to fill in behind the dish when he
does.

Junior Carson Poe
returns to the outfield and is expected to have increased time on the mound.
Junior Slade Mohr batted .286 last season and pitched for just four outs. Beck
has been impressed with his work at third base and on the mound.

“You want to talk
about mixing it up,” he said. “He’s kind of a sidewinder with junk. It’ll be a
good mix coming off someone who throws hard like Carson and bringing him in.”

Beck foresees
12-13 players getting consistent varsity playing time this season. Sophomore
Ian Premer returns to first base after batting .339 with 18 RBIs. Sophomore
Trenton Kern is coming off an injury but batted .279 last season with 12 RBIs. Sophomore
JJ Grove returns at shortstop. Javon Stoney is the lone senior this season and
could pick up innings on the mound, and junior Peydon Oelger could see
increased playing time.

As good as the
Panther bats could be, Beck is also pleased with what he’s seeing defensively.

“We’re solid all
the way around,” he said. “I feel really confident in our defense. We’re
getting a little smarter on situations on where to go with the ball instead of
just throwing it in somewhere. I think we’ve done a fairly good job with that
this spring so far.”

The Panthers
travel to Russell on Thursday, then begin a home doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886567489.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostA playoff run in
football. A trip to the state basketball tournament. Now, it’s baseball’s turn.
Many of the same athletes who saw success in the fall and winter seasons return to
Randy Beck’s Panther baseball team that made a trip to state last spring. That makes Beck optimistic.“It’s pretty much
the same team we had last year,” he said. “We lost a couple starters to
graduation but we’re returning a bunch of kids. We’ve done our team goals and we’re
working on our individual goals. We set our goals pretty high and that’s a good
thing.”Great Bend
finished last year at 13-10, but knocked off Andover and Hays to advance to the
state tournament before losing to top-seeded and eventual champion Bishop
Carroll. Just three players graduated from that team.Beck expects a
healthy pitching rotation of at least eight players. Leading that charge will
be junior Carson Umphres, who led the Panthers with 43 strikeouts in 57.2
innings pitched last year. He was also a force at the plate with a team-best
.468 average, 25 RBIs, nine doubles, and five triples.“He’s our main guy,”
said Beck. “He hits very well at the plate and plays great centerfield. On the
mound, he’s gotten a lot better. His arm is a lot stronger this year. He throws
strikes, and I think he’s going to overpower some kids.”Junior Hunter
Hermann played infield and pitched 25.2 innings last year with 30 strikeouts. Sophomore
Daxton Minton battled injuries last season but is expected to pick up some
innings on the mound and serve as the team’s utility man.Sophomore Koehn
Ribordy, the lone lefty on this year’s varsity squad, allowed just one earned
run in 7.1 innings of work last year with 10 strikeouts. He also batted .327
with nine RBIs. Junior Owen Kaiser could take some time off from behind the
plate to pitch. Junior Trey Milsap is ready to fill in behind the dish when he
does.Junior Carson Poe
returns to the outfield and is expected to have increased time on the mound.
Junior Slade Mohr batted .286 last season and pitched for just four outs. Beck
has been impressed with his work at third base and on the mound.“You want to talk
about mixing it up,” he said. “He’s kind of a sidewinder with junk. It’ll be a
good mix coming off someone who throws hard like Carson and bringing him in.”Beck foresees
12-13 players getting consistent varsity playing time this season. Sophomore
Ian Premer returns to first base after batting .339 with 18 RBIs. Sophomore
Trenton Kern is coming off an injury but batted .279 last season with 12 RBIs. Sophomore
JJ Grove returns at shortstop. Javon Stoney is the lone senior this season and
could pick up innings on the mound, and junior Peydon Oelger could see
increased playing time.As good as the
Panther bats could be, Beck is also pleased with what he’s seeing defensively.“We’re solid all
the way around,” he said. “I feel really confident in our defense. We’re
getting a little smarter on situations on where to go with the ball instead of
just throwing it in somewhere. I think we’ve done a fairly good job with that
this spring so far.”The Panthers
travel to Russell on Thursday, then begin a home doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.

Panther baseball reloads after trip to state last spring

- Barton
basketball fan, former color analyst for Cougar
games and current Barton
Board
of Trustees
member Mike
Johnson,
will look back on some of his favorite Barton
roundball memories and get his thoughts on this years team that won
the Region
6
title, and goes into next week’s national tournament as the overall
number 1 seed. 


- Great Bend Panther
Softball coach Coach Carrie Minton will be in studio to talk about
the upcoming season. She'll be joined by Panther Seniors Paige
Thexton, Halle Post, Rylee
Prilling, and Kaleigh Sheets.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w8m47UioXVk?si=gRf4qxra407OrzyN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Barton
basketball fan, former color analyst for Cougar
games and current Barton
Board
of Trustees
member Mike
Johnson,
will look back on some of his favorite Barton
roundball memories and get his thoughts on this years team that won
the Region
6
title, and goes into next week’s national tournament as the overall
number 1 seed. 
- Great Bend Panther
Softball coach Coach Carrie Minton will be in studio to talk about
the upcoming season. She'll be joined by Panther Seniors Paige
Thexton, Halle Post, Rylee
Prilling, and Kaleigh Sheets.- Wednesday Sports
Headlines- Sounds of the past
24-hours

Wednesday on Sports Day (Watch)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Payton Sandfort scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Iowa over Kansas State 91-82 on Tuesday night in the NIT.

Sandfort added 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (19-14). Ben Krikke scored 24 points while going 9 of 15 and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line and added 11 rebounds and three steals. Owen Freeman had 10 points and shot 3 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line.

Dai Dai Ames finished with 16 points and five assists for the Wildcats (19-15). William McNair added 15 points and seven rebounds for Kansas State. Cam Carter had 13 points and three steals.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Payton Sandfort scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Iowa over Kansas State 91-82 on Tuesday night in the NIT.Sandfort added 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (19-14). Ben Krikke scored 24 points while going 9 of 15 and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line and added 11 rebounds and three steals. Owen Freeman had 10 points and shot 3 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line.Dai Dai Ames finished with 16 points and five assists for the Wildcats (19-15). William McNair added 15 points and seven rebounds for Kansas State. Cam Carter had 13 points and three steals.

Sandfort's 30 lead Iowa past Kansas State 91-82 in NIT

By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports Info

Playing the first of a mid-week home and away contest with receiving votes Cowley College, the Barton Community College baseball team overturned a 6-0 third inning deficit into a 9-6 lead in the fourth inning in cruising to a 16-8 road victory at Tiger Stadium in Arkansas City, Kansas on Tuesday afternoon.

Hitless through the opening three innings, the Cougars capitalized off six straight walks that generated three of the ultimate nine run fourth, as Barton drew seven walks in the inning to finish with a season high 15 walks while scattering 12 hits in the come from behind victory.

Improving the winning streak to seven straight, Barton improves to 19-6 on the season while the loss snaps the national receiving vote Tigers five game winning streak in dropping to 16-8 overall.

Returning to KJCCC play on Thursday, Barton will host the first leg of the weekend four game set with Pratt Community College in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader from Lawson-Biggs Field with the series concluding Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in Pratt.

Extending his hitting streak to 22-straight games was Robby Bolin as the sophomore led a trio of Cougars with multiple hit performances. The sophomore turned in a 3-for-5 day at the plate with an RBI and trio of runs scored.

Cole Schieffer and Owen Clyne accounted for eight of Barton's 15 driven across each turning in four RBI outings. Schieffer's lone hit of the afternoon capped Barton's nine run fourth legging out a bases clearing three-RBI triple while Clyne recorded a 2-for-3 day with two of his four brought home generated on his second triple of the season capping a five run sixth.

Grant Nottlemann drew four walks on the afternoon with two of the four coming in the fourth inning with his leadoff walk kick starting the nine run fourth inning scoring on Kyler Horsman's first collegiate triple ensuing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710932123562.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports InfoPlaying the first of a mid-week home and away contest with receiving votes Cowley College, the Barton Community College baseball team overturned a 6-0 third inning deficit into a 9-6 lead in the fourth inning in cruising to a 16-8 road victory at Tiger Stadium in Arkansas City, Kansas on Tuesday afternoon.Hitless through the opening three innings, the Cougars capitalized off six straight walks that generated three of the ultimate nine run fourth, as Barton drew seven walks in the inning to finish with a season high 15 walks while scattering 12 hits in the come from behind victory.Improving the winning streak to seven straight, Barton improves to 19-6 on the season while the loss snaps the national receiving vote Tigers five game winning streak in dropping to 16-8 overall.Returning to KJCCC play on Thursday, Barton will host the first leg of the weekend four game set with Pratt Community College in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader from Lawson-Biggs Field with the series concluding Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in Pratt.Extending his hitting streak to 22-straight games was Robby Bolin as the sophomore led a trio of Cougars with multiple hit performances. The sophomore turned in a 3-for-5 day at the plate with an RBI and trio of runs scored.Cole Schieffer and Owen Clyne accounted for eight of Barton's 15 driven across each turning in four RBI outings. Schieffer's lone hit of the afternoon capped Barton's nine run fourth legging out a bases clearing three-RBI triple while Clyne recorded a 2-for-3 day with two of his four brought home generated on his second triple of the season capping a five run sixth.Grant Nottlemann drew four walks on the afternoon with two of the four coming in the fourth inning with his leadoff walk kick starting the nine run fourth inning scoring on Kyler Horsman's first collegiate triple ensuing.

Barton Cougars pick up road victory at Cowley

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out of the NCAA Tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that caused him to miss six of the past 12 games, including the Jayhawks' one-and-done ouster in the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters Tuesday, two days before the fourth-seeded Jayhawks play No. 13 seed Samford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, that McCullar's knee pain “has not subsided any” and he would not be available.

“It's too bad for him to be able to contribute,” Self said upon the team's arrival in Salt Lake City, “so Kevin will not play. We're shutting him down for the tournament. If we’re fortunate enough to win two games we’ll have done it without him.

“He hasn’t practice in six weeks, basically,” Self added. “He tried to (go play) and said that he just couldn’t go.”

McCullar, who was voted an honorable-mention All-American earlier Tuesday, had back-to-back triple-doubles earlier this season, and he was having the kind of season the Jayhawks had hoped when he decided to return for a fifth year. McCullar spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Kansas, and he was averaging 18.3 points this season.

“Kevin’s with the team,” Self said. “I mean, heck, he tried and we know he tried and was going through rehab, and it just didn’t get any better. The other weeks, it progressively got a little bit better. And this week it just — with consultation with doctors and with Kevin and where he is mentally and physically right now, it’s best for him to go ahead and shut it down, unfortunately for us, and more so for him, but there was really no decision to be made because he can’t go.”

They Jayhawks will at least have second-team All-American Hunter Dickinson back for the NCAA Tournament.

The 7-foot center dislocated his shoulder in their regular-season finale against Houston, and he sat out their lopsided loss to the Bearcats in the Big 12 tourney. He has practiced every day since last weekend, including full contact the last two days.

Dickinson, who transferred to Michigan this season, is averaging 18 points and 10.8 rebounds. But more importantly, the Kansas offense often flows through him in the paint, and his importance was evident in the loss to the Bearcats.

It will be just as important against Samford, one of the smallest teams in Division I.

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball WriterKansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out of the NCAA Tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that caused him to miss six of the past 12 games, including the Jayhawks' one-and-done ouster in the Big 12 Tournament.Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters Tuesday, two days before the fourth-seeded Jayhawks play No. 13 seed Samford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, that McCullar's knee pain “has not subsided any” and he would not be available.“It's too bad for him to be able to contribute,” Self said upon the team's arrival in Salt Lake City, “so Kevin will not play. We're shutting him down for the tournament. If we’re fortunate enough to win two games we’ll have done it without him.“He hasn’t practice in six weeks, basically,” Self added. “He tried to (go play) and said that he just couldn’t go.”McCullar, who was voted an honorable-mention All-American earlier Tuesday, had back-to-back triple-doubles earlier this season, and he was having the kind of season the Jayhawks had hoped when he decided to return for a fifth year. McCullar spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Kansas, and he was averaging 18.3 points this season.“Kevin’s with the team,” Self said. “I mean, heck, he tried and we know he tried and was going through rehab, and it just didn’t get any better. The other weeks, it progressively got a little bit better. And this week it just — with consultation with doctors and with Kevin and where he is mentally and physically right now, it’s best for him to go ahead and shut it down, unfortunately for us, and more so for him, but there was really no decision to be made because he can’t go.”They Jayhawks will at least have second-team All-American Hunter Dickinson back for the NCAA Tournament.The 7-foot center dislocated his shoulder in their regular-season finale against Houston, and he sat out their lopsided loss to the Bearcats in the Big 12 tourney. He has practiced every day since last weekend, including full contact the last two days.Dickinson, who transferred to Michigan this season, is averaging 18 points and 10.8 rebounds. But more importantly, the Kansas offense often flows through him in the paint, and his importance was evident in the loss to the Bearcats.It will be just as important against Samford, one of the smallest teams in Division I.

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. ruled out of NCAA Tournament

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)
— Payton Sandfort scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to
lead Iowa over Kansas State 91-82 on Tuesday night in the NIT. 


Sandfort added 12
rebounds for the Hawkeyes (19-14). Ben Krikke scored 24 points while
going 9 of 15 and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line and added 11
rebounds and three steals. Owen Freeman had 10 points and shot 3 of 6
from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Dai Dai Ames
finished with 16 points and five assists for the Wildcats (19-15).
William McNair added 15 points and seven rebounds for Kansas State.
Cam Carter had 13 points and three steals.

UNDATED (AP) —
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out of the NCAA
Tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that caused him to
miss six of the past 12 games, including the Jayhawks’ one-and-done
ouster in the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas coach Bill Self told
reporters Tuesday upon the team's arrival in Salt Lake City that
McCullar would be out. The news comes two days before the
fourth-seeded Jayhawks play No. 13 seed Samford in the first round.
The Jayhawks at least get second-team All-American Hunter Dickinson
back. He dislocated his shoulder in their regular-season finale
against Houston.

UNDATED (AP) —
Iowa State will make the short trip to Omaha for the first and second
rounds of the NCAA Tournament in a lot better frame of mind than the
Cyclones team that traveled to Greensboro a year ago. This team blew
out Houston in the Big 12 Tournament championship game three days ago
and earned a No. 2 NCAA seed, matching the highest in program
history. All systems are go, unlike last year when the Cyclones lost
59-41 to Pittsburgh in the first round. ISU plays 15-seed South
Dakota State on Thursday night.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Joel Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Colorado State won an
NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 11 years, blowing out
Virginia 67-42 in the First Four. Nique Clifford scored 17 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds for the Rams. Colorado advances as a No. 10 seed
to play seventh-seeded Texas in Charlotte, North Carolina, on
Thursday. Reece Beekman had 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting for
Virginia, which hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since it won the
national title in 2019. That stretch includes two first-round losses
as a No. 4 seed.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in
program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and
holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71-68 in the First Four.
The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks advanced as the No. 16
seed in the West Region and will play top seed North Carolina on
Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Howard trailed by 17 points
early in the second half but went on a late 14-2 run, closing within
69-68 on Bryce Harris’ layup with 18 seconds left. Howard attempted
three 3-pointers in the last 6 seconds but missed them all.

UNDATED (AP) — The
College Football Playoff and ESPN have announced a deal that will
give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through
the 2031 season. The agreement puts the national championship game on
ABC starting in 2026. Financial terms were not announced, but as
previously reported the new six-year agreement will pay the CFP and
participating conferences $1.3 billion annually and nearly $8 billion
in all. The major conferences and Notre Dame agreed on a new
revenue-sharing plan last week that allowed the CFP to finalize the
deal with ESPN.

UNDATED (AP) —
Purdue big man Zach Edey is an unanimous first-team All-American for
The Associated Press for the second straight season. The 7-foot-4
senior topped all 62 ballots from AP Top 25 poll voters in results
released Tuesday. Edey was joined on the first team by Tennessee’s
Dalton Knecht, North Carolina’s RJ Davis, Houston’s Jamal Shead
and Connecticut’s Tristen Newton. Marquette’s Tyler Kolek,
Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Alabama’s Mark Sears, Duke’s Kyle
Filipowski and Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson were second-team picks. San
Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Arizona’s
Caleb Love, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and Illinois’ Terrence
Shannon Jr. were third-team picks.

UNDATED (AP) —
Tracking the changes upending college sports can be as frenetic as
keeping up during the first week of March Madness. Ultimately, those
changes could impact what America’s favorite basketball tournament
looks like in the future. News about athlete compensation, player
unions and realignment dominate discussions. Everything in college
sports is open for discussion, interpretation and adjustment. That
includes the industry’s most hallowed tradition, the NCAA
basketball tournaments, which begin this week and will stretch from
coast to coast. The bottom line behind it all is money.

UNDATED (AP) — The
last-second shot fuels to the allure of the NCAA Tournament and March
Madness. San Diego State’s Lamont Butler understands that well
after hitting a buzzer-beating jumper in last year’s Final Four to
send the Aztecs to the title game. Butler joins Florida Atlantic’s
Nick Boyd and TCU’s JaKobe Coles as players who hit final-seconds
shots in last year’s tournament and are back in the field of 68
this year. Butler says the key for him was playing confident and
“fearless” in a pressure-packed moment to beat Florida Atlantic.
The NCAAs begin play this week.

SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — Former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres pitcher Chan
Ho Park threw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the two teams’
season opening game in South Korea. Park began his Major League
Baseball career in 1994 with Los Angeles as the first South
Korean-born player in the big leagues. He waved to cheering crowds
packing Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome while wearing a Padres jersey
since he works for San Diego as an adviser. Park went into his
wind-up and threw the ball to San Diego’s current South Korean
shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.

SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — South Korean police say they’ve found no explosives at
Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome after searching the site following a
reported bomb threat against Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Police say about 150 officers used sniffer dogs and X-ray detectors
to search through the stadium but no suspicious objects have been
discovered. Police officers said they acted on a tip that there was a
threat targeting Ohtani but didn’t elaborate. Major League
Baseball's opening game between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres
is scheduled to start later Wednesday at the stadium.

MEXICO CITY (AP) —
Trevor Bauer was cleared to play in the Mexican League because he was
not convicted for charges of sexual assault, according to the
executive president for the Diablos Rojos club, Othón Díaz. Bauer,
the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, is slated to play five games for
Diablos Rojos that included a weekend exhibition against the New York
Yankees. The 33-year-old Bauer served a 194-game suspension from MLB
after a San Diego woman said Bauer beat and sexually abused, an
accusation the pitcher denied. Bauer was not charged with any crime.

Final	Abilene
Christian	73	Texas A&amp;M-CC	63	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710682717672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)
— Payton Sandfort scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to
lead Iowa over Kansas State 91-82 on Tuesday night in the NIT. 
Sandfort added 12
rebounds for the Hawkeyes (19-14). Ben Krikke scored 24 points while
going 9 of 15 and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line and added 11
rebounds and three steals. Owen Freeman had 10 points and shot 3 of 6
from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Dai Dai Ames
finished with 16 points and five assists for the Wildcats (19-15).
William McNair added 15 points and seven rebounds for Kansas State.
Cam Carter had 13 points and three steals.UNDATED (AP) —
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out of the NCAA
Tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that caused him to
miss six of the past 12 games, including the Jayhawks’ one-and-done
ouster in the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas coach Bill Self told
reporters Tuesday upon the team's arrival in Salt Lake City that
McCullar would be out. The news comes two days before the
fourth-seeded Jayhawks play No. 13 seed Samford in the first round.
The Jayhawks at least get second-team All-American Hunter Dickinson
back. He dislocated his shoulder in their regular-season finale
against Houston.UNDATED (AP) —
Iowa State will make the short trip to Omaha for the first and second
rounds of the NCAA Tournament in a lot better frame of mind than the
Cyclones team that traveled to Greensboro a year ago. This team blew
out Houston in the Big 12 Tournament championship game three days ago
and earned a No. 2 NCAA seed, matching the highest in program
history. All systems are go, unlike last year when the Cyclones lost
59-41 to Pittsburgh in the first round. ISU plays 15-seed South
Dakota State on Thursday night.DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Joel Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Colorado State won an
NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 11 years, blowing out
Virginia 67-42 in the First Four. Nique Clifford scored 17 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds for the Rams. Colorado advances as a No. 10 seed
to play seventh-seeded Texas in Charlotte, North Carolina, on
Thursday. Reece Beekman had 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting for
Virginia, which hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since it won the
national title in 2019. That stretch includes two first-round losses
as a No. 4 seed.DAYTON, Ohio (AP) —
Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in
program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and
holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71-68 in the First Four.
The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks advanced as the No. 16
seed in the West Region and will play top seed North Carolina on
Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Howard trailed by 17 points
early in the second half but went on a late 14-2 run, closing within
69-68 on Bryce Harris’ layup with 18 seconds left. Howard attempted
three 3-pointers in the last 6 seconds but missed them all.UNDATED (AP) — The
College Football Playoff and ESPN have announced a deal that will
give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through
the 2031 season. The agreement puts the national championship game on
ABC starting in 2026. Financial terms were not announced, but as
previously reported the new six-year agreement will pay the CFP and
participating conferences $1.3 billion annually and nearly $8 billion
in all. The major conferences and Notre Dame agreed on a new
revenue-sharing plan last week that allowed the CFP to finalize the
deal with ESPN.UNDATED (AP) —
Purdue big man Zach Edey is an unanimous first-team All-American for
The Associated Press for the second straight season. The 7-foot-4
senior topped all 62 ballots from AP Top 25 poll voters in results
released Tuesday. Edey was joined on the first team by Tennessee’s
Dalton Knecht, North Carolina’s RJ Davis, Houston’s Jamal Shead
and Connecticut’s Tristen Newton. Marquette’s Tyler Kolek,
Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Alabama’s Mark Sears, Duke’s Kyle
Filipowski and Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson were second-team picks. San
Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Arizona’s
Caleb Love, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and Illinois’ Terrence
Shannon Jr. were third-team picks.UNDATED (AP) —
Tracking the changes upending college sports can be as frenetic as
keeping up during the first week of March Madness. Ultimately, those
changes could impact what America’s favorite basketball tournament
looks like in the future. News about athlete compensation, player
unions and realignment dominate discussions. Everything in college
sports is open for discussion, interpretation and adjustment. That
includes the industry’s most hallowed tradition, the NCAA
basketball tournaments, which begin this week and will stretch from
coast to coast. The bottom line behind it all is money.UNDATED (AP) — The
last-second shot fuels to the allure of the NCAA Tournament and March
Madness. San Diego State’s Lamont Butler understands that well
after hitting a buzzer-beating jumper in last year’s Final Four to
send the Aztecs to the title game. Butler joins Florida Atlantic’s
Nick Boyd and TCU’s JaKobe Coles as players who hit final-seconds
shots in last year’s tournament and are back in the field of 68
this year. Butler says the key for him was playing confident and
“fearless” in a pressure-packed moment to beat Florida Atlantic.
The NCAAs begin play this week.SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — Former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres pitcher Chan
Ho Park threw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the two teams’
season opening game in South Korea. Park began his Major League
Baseball career in 1994 with Los Angeles as the first South
Korean-born player in the big leagues. He waved to cheering crowds
packing Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome while wearing a Padres jersey
since he works for San Diego as an adviser. Park went into his
wind-up and threw the ball to San Diego’s current South Korean
shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — South Korean police say they’ve found no explosives at
Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome after searching the site following a
reported bomb threat against Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Police say about 150 officers used sniffer dogs and X-ray detectors
to search through the stadium but no suspicious objects have been
discovered. Police officers said they acted on a tip that there was a
threat targeting Ohtani but didn’t elaborate. Major League
Baseball's opening game between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres
is scheduled to start later Wednesday at the stadium.MEXICO CITY (AP) —
Trevor Bauer was cleared to play in the Mexican League because he was
not convicted for charges of sexual assault, according to the
executive president for the Diablos Rojos club, Othón Díaz. Bauer,
the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, is slated to play five games for
Diablos Rojos that included a weekend exhibition against the New York
Yankees. The 33-year-old Bauer served a 194-game suspension from MLB
after a San Diego woman said Bauer beat and sexually abused, an
accusation the pitcher denied. Bauer was not charged with any crime.MONDAY SCORESNCAA First FourMIDWESTFinal	Colorado
St.	67	Virginia	42	WESTFinal	Wagner	71	Howard	68	NIT First RoundFinal	North
Texas	84	LSU	77	Final	Boston
College	62	Providence	57	Final	Utah	84	UC
Irvine	75	Final	South
Florida	83	UCF	77	Final	Iowa	91	Kansas
St.	82	Final	Minnesota	73	Butler	72	Final	Virginia
Tech	74	Richmond	58	Final	Georgia	78	Xavier	76	Final	Ohio
St.	88	Cornell	83	CIT Round 1Final	Tarleton
St.	82	Texas Southern	71	Final	Abilene
Christian	73	Texas A&amp;M-CC	63	MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Milwaukee	8	Cleveland	5	Final	L.A.
Angels	10	Cincinnati	6	Final	Seattle	12	Colorado	3	Final	San
Francisco	9	Kansas City	8	Final	Cleveland	8	Colorado	8	Final	Philadelphia	0	Detroit	0	Final	Miami	3	Houston	3	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Boston	5	Tampa
Bay	2	Final	Baltimore	13	Toronto	8	Final	Oakland	7	Texas	7	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	St.
Louis	11	Miami	10	Final	N.Y.
Mets	3	St. Louis	1	Final	Arizona	4	Chicago
Cubs	1	NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Orlando	112	Charlotte	92	Final	Houston	137	Washington	114	Final	New
Orleans	104	Brooklyn	91	Final	Dallas	113	San
Antonio	107	Final	Denver	115	Minnesota	112	NATIONAL HOCKEY
LEAGUEFinal
OT	Detroit	4	Columbus	3	Final	New
Jersey	5	Pittsburgh	2	Final	Philadelphia	4	Toronto	3	Final	Winnipeg	4	N-Y
Rangers	2	Final	Boston	6	Ottawa	2	Final	Carolina	4	N-Y
Islanders	1	Final	Colorado	4	St.
Louis	3	Final	Nashville	8	San
Jose	2	Final
OT	Edmonton	3	Montreal	2	Final	Minnesota	4	Anaheim	0	Final	Los
Angeles	6	Chicago	2	Final	Tampa
Bay	5	Vegas	3

Wednesday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

- The "Voice of the Cougars" Cole Reif talks about the Barton Cougars Region 6 Championship and gives us a preview look at the Cougars prospects heading into the National Tournament next week.

- Barton Softball coach Carson Dubose talks about the Lady Cougars sweep of NW Tech Saturday at Cougar Field.

- Mike Courson&nbsp;visits with Rock Creek freshman Aria Pearce. As a middle schooler, she ran some of the fastest times in Kansas history. Courson checks in on her goals for the 2024 track season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9FirdSFr6Y4?si=5YMAOf_I7JE6Scwu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- The "Voice of the Cougars" Cole Reif talks about the Barton Cougars Region 6 Championship and gives us a preview look at the Cougars prospects heading into the National Tournament next week.- Barton Softball coach Carson Dubose talks about the Lady Cougars sweep of NW Tech Saturday at Cougar Field.- Mike Courson&nbsp;visits with Rock Creek freshman Aria Pearce. As a middle schooler, she ran some of the fastest times in Kansas history. Courson checks in on her goals for the 2024 track season.- Tuesday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Tuesday on Sports Day  (Watch)

2	Northwest Florida
State College	30-2	133

3	Florida
Southwestern State College	27-3	126

6	Walters State
Community College	20-2	105

8	Wallace State
Community College-Hanceville	19-7	91

15	Trinity Valley
Community College	24-8	42

16	Seminole State
College of Florida	19-9	35

17	Butler Community
College - KS	19-5	28

Receiving Votes:
John A. Logan, Eastern Florida State, Gaston, Chipola. Volunteer
State

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710859599945.jpeg" alt="NJCAA DI Softball Poll - Week Four - 3/18/24" />
 <figcaption>NJCAA DI Softball Poll - Week Four - 3/18/24</figcaption>
 </figure>Place	Name	Record	Points1	McLennan Community
College	34-0	1402	Northwest Florida
State College	30-2	1333	Florida
Southwestern State College	27-3	1264	Temple
College	32-4	1195	Indian River State
College	26-3	1126	Walters State
Community College	20-2	1057	College of Central
Florida	23-7	988	Wallace State
Community College-Hanceville	19-7	919	Grayson
College	18-7	8410	Gulf Coast State
College	28-6	7711	Paris Junior
College	23-5	7012	Salt Lake
Community College	18-5	6313	Galveston
College	22-7	5614	College of
Southern Idaho	18-8	4915	Trinity Valley
Community College	24-8	4216	Seminole State
College of Florida	19-9	3517	Butler Community
College - KS	19-5	2818	Seminole State
College (OK)	19-5	2119	San Jacinto
College-South	20-14	1420	Santa Fe
College	19-10	2 Receiving Votes:
John A. Logan, Eastern Florida State, Gaston, Chipola. Volunteer
State

NJCAA DI Softball Rankings

118 - Ezekiel Witt (East) over Chase Johnson (West) Fall 1:56

109 - Amara Ehsa (West) over Emma Hall (East) Fall 4:44

125 - Kaeden McCarty (West) over Mason Gibbons (East) Maj 15-2

116 - Keera Lacock (East) over Kinzie Rogers (West) Fall 1:32

133 - Carson Ochs (West) over Evan Coble (East) Maj 15-7

123 - Kendra Hurla (East) over Jill High (West) Fall 2:00

133B - Tucker Wark (West) over Cullen Wikle (East) TF 17-1

123B - Zoey Kessler (East) over Adrian Wynn (West) Fall 2:38

141 - Kohen Wright (East) over Gregery Martinez (West) TF 20-3

130 - Amanda Jaeger (West) over Gracie Oppeau (East) TF 18-2

149 - Harley Zimmerman (West) over Colin Menold (East) Fall 3:27

136 - Leighanna Patz (East) over Alexis Burton (West) Dec 10-5

149B - Wyatt Gardner (West) over Kasen Smith (East) Dec 8-1

136B - Laiken Clark (East) over Isabella Keesee (West) SV-1 12-9

143 - Hailee Crosland (East) over Jaycee Tyler (West) Fall 3:44

157 - Noah Bailey (East) over Rhett Briggs (West) Dec 10-6

143B - Kaydawn Haag (West) over Brooklyn Lima (East) Fall 0:35

165 - Zach Wessley (West) over Colin McAlister (East) TF 15-0

155 - Hailey Horton (East) over Myah Mattheyer (West) Fall 3:29

174 - Jayden Ford (West) over Griffin Bohanan (East) Dec 15-8

155B - Haley Flores (East) over Dylann Hoffman (West) Fall 4:28

197 - Caleb Sharp (East) over Micah Cauthers (West) Fall 4:17

170 - Taylor Plumley (East) over Karla Martinez (West) Maj 11-3

197B - S`ron Hill (East) over Ronan Wunsch (West) Dec 6-3

191 - Morgan Miller (East) over Aubrey Hunt (West) Dec 8-1

Shriners press release&nbsp;118 - Ezekiel Witt (East) over Chase Johnson (West) Fall 1:56109 - Amara Ehsa (West) over Emma Hall (East) Fall 4:44125 - Kaeden McCarty (West) over Mason Gibbons (East) Maj 15-2116 - Keera Lacock (East) over Kinzie Rogers (West) Fall 1:32133 - Carson Ochs (West) over Evan Coble (East) Maj 15-7123 - Kendra Hurla (East) over Jill High (West) Fall 2:00133B - Tucker Wark (West) over Cullen Wikle (East) TF 17-1123B - Zoey Kessler (East) over Adrian Wynn (West) Fall 2:38141 - Kohen Wright (East) over Gregery Martinez (West) TF 20-3130 - Amanda Jaeger (West) over Gracie Oppeau (East) TF 18-2149 - Harley Zimmerman (West) over Colin Menold (East) Fall 3:27136 - Leighanna Patz (East) over Alexis Burton (West) Dec 10-5149B - Wyatt Gardner (West) over Kasen Smith (East) Dec 8-1136B - Laiken Clark (East) over Isabella Keesee (West) SV-1 12-9143 - Hailee Crosland (East) over Jaycee Tyler (West) Fall 3:44157 - Noah Bailey (East) over Rhett Briggs (West) Dec 10-6143B - Kaydawn Haag (West) over Brooklyn Lima (East) Fall 0:35165 - Zach Wessley (West) over Colin McAlister (East) TF 15-0155 - Hailey Horton (East) over Myah Mattheyer (West) Fall 3:29174 - Jayden Ford (West) over Griffin Bohanan (East) Dec 15-8155B - Haley Flores (East) over Dylann Hoffman (West) Fall 4:28197 - Caleb Sharp (East) over Micah Cauthers (West) Fall 4:17170 - Taylor Plumley (East) over Karla Martinez (West) Maj 11-3197B - S`ron Hill (East) over Ronan Wunsch (West) Dec 6-3191 - Morgan Miller (East) over Aubrey Hunt (West) Dec 8-1

East Team Wins Inaugural KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

Bucky McMillan was a Birmingham teenager the last time Samford went to the NCAA Tournament, on his way to being a player at one hometown college and then a highly successful coach at a local high school.

McMillan stayed put for his next role, too, with similar results.

The fourth-year Samford coach has led the 13th-seeded Bulldogs (29-5) to their best season ever and into the NCAA field for the first time since 2000. The Southern Conference champions face No. 4-seed Kansas in the first round on Thursday in Salt Lake City as one of college basketball’s highest scoring teams.

“It’s a lot of excitement, man,” said McMillan, the SoCon coach of the year three times running. “And to do it here with a lot of people from this city that I’ve known my whole life ...”

He doesn't have to finish the sentence. The 40-year-old McMillan grew up five miles from the Samford campus in suburban Birmingham, experiencing the excitement when Jimmy Tillette's 1999 and 2000 teams made the NCAA Tournament.

He never left his city behind, nor his fast-paced brand of basketball. Bucky Ball is a style the former Birmingham-Southern point guard has been employing — with or without the catchy nickname — since he was a 15-year-old coaching an AAU team.

The high-pressure style worked in AAU ball. In two seasons as junior varsity coach at alma mater Mountain Brook. And in 12 seasons as varsity coach — starting at age 24 — when he led Mountain Brook to five state titles from 2013-19 in the state's largest classification.

McMillan remembers facing doubters “every step of the way” that his style would actually work. He has led Samford to a 71-27 record over the last three seasons after struggling in a pandemic-shortened debut campaign.

He inherited a team that was 325 in the NET rankings and coming off a 10-23 season. The Baptist university of fewer than 6,000 students had only made March Madness twice, in 1999 and 2000. Samford is 0-2 in NCAA Tournament games.

McMillan said the feeling was the same in every big win or tournament championship along the way. A win now, however, would be different.

“Winning with a bunch of guys you like doing it with feels the same,” he said. “Now I can’t say it’s going to feel the same when we step into that NCAA Tournament, because that’s something that we all watched growing up. I get to be a part of that. That’s emotional thinking about that.”

The Bulldogs, who lost their season opener to No. 3 Purdue, 98-45, feel like their fast-paced style could bedevil bigger-name opponents enough for a tourney breakthrough.

“I feel like we play a unique style of basketball, and the college world’s not used to it,” forward Jermaine Marshall said. “I feel like we will catch a lot of people by surprise. They’re probably just gonna look and say, ‘Oh, Samford, I’ve never heard of them.’ I feel like that’s how we’re going to get them.

“Once we mess their bracket up early, I feel like that’s how we’re going to get a lot of people’s attention. They’re just going to fall in love with the style of basketball that we play.”

The impact of Bucky Ball shows up all over the stat sheet. The Bulldogs’ average of 86 points a game ranked fifth nationally through the SoCon tournament, and the scoring production has climbed by at least four points each of the past three seasons.

They’re also prolific at converting fast-break opportunities and 3-point shots and have one of the nation’s more efficient point guards in Rylan Jones.

To get a sense of the undersized, everyone-has-a-role approach: Starting guard Dallas Graziani is listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds and star Australian forward Achor Achor puts up 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game while averaging just 22 minutes. Nobody on the team averages even 26 minutes.

Attendance has spiked along with the performance. The Bulldogs averaged 1,863 fans in home games last season, more than twice the 885 averaged the final year under Scott Padgett. McMillan figures probably 80% of the people who come to the games may not have had any affiliation with Samford before.

“It’s been kind of a Birmingham effort,” McMillan said.

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports WriterBucky McMillan was a Birmingham teenager the last time Samford went to the NCAA Tournament, on his way to being a player at one hometown college and then a highly successful coach at a local high school.McMillan stayed put for his next role, too, with similar results.The fourth-year Samford coach has led the 13th-seeded Bulldogs (29-5) to their best season ever and into the NCAA field for the first time since 2000. The Southern Conference champions face No. 4-seed Kansas in the first round on Thursday in Salt Lake City as one of college basketball’s highest scoring teams.Bucky Ball is flying high.“It’s a lot of excitement, man,” said McMillan, the SoCon coach of the year three times running. “And to do it here with a lot of people from this city that I’ve known my whole life ...”He doesn't have to finish the sentence. The 40-year-old McMillan grew up five miles from the Samford campus in suburban Birmingham, experiencing the excitement when Jimmy Tillette's 1999 and 2000 teams made the NCAA Tournament.He never left his city behind, nor his fast-paced brand of basketball. Bucky Ball is a style the former Birmingham-Southern point guard has been employing — with or without the catchy nickname — since he was a 15-year-old coaching an AAU team.The high-pressure style worked in AAU ball. In two seasons as junior varsity coach at alma mater Mountain Brook. And in 12 seasons as varsity coach — starting at age 24 — when he led Mountain Brook to five state titles from 2013-19 in the state's largest classification.McMillan remembers facing doubters “every step of the way” that his style would actually work. He has led Samford to a 71-27 record over the last three seasons after struggling in a pandemic-shortened debut campaign.He inherited a team that was 325 in the NET rankings and coming off a 10-23 season. The Baptist university of fewer than 6,000 students had only made March Madness twice, in 1999 and 2000. Samford is 0-2 in NCAA Tournament games.McMillan said the feeling was the same in every big win or tournament championship along the way. A win now, however, would be different.“Winning with a bunch of guys you like doing it with feels the same,” he said. “Now I can’t say it’s going to feel the same when we step into that NCAA Tournament, because that’s something that we all watched growing up. I get to be a part of that. That’s emotional thinking about that.”The Bulldogs, who lost their season opener to No. 3 Purdue, 98-45, feel like their fast-paced style could bedevil bigger-name opponents enough for a tourney breakthrough.“I feel like we play a unique style of basketball, and the college world’s not used to it,” forward Jermaine Marshall said. “I feel like we will catch a lot of people by surprise. They’re probably just gonna look and say, ‘Oh, Samford, I’ve never heard of them.’ I feel like that’s how we’re going to get them.“Once we mess their bracket up early, I feel like that’s how we’re going to get a lot of people’s attention. They’re just going to fall in love with the style of basketball that we play.”The impact of Bucky Ball shows up all over the stat sheet. The Bulldogs’ average of 86 points a game ranked fifth nationally through the SoCon tournament, and the scoring production has climbed by at least four points each of the past three seasons.They’re also prolific at converting fast-break opportunities and 3-point shots and have one of the nation’s more efficient point guards in Rylan Jones.To get a sense of the undersized, everyone-has-a-role approach: Starting guard Dallas Graziani is listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds and star Australian forward Achor Achor puts up 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game while averaging just 22 minutes. Nobody on the team averages even 26 minutes.Attendance has spiked along with the performance. The Bulldogs averaged 1,863 fans in home games last season, more than twice the 885 averaged the final year under Scott Padgett. McMillan figures probably 80% of the people who come to the games may not have had any affiliation with Samford before.“It’s been kind of a Birmingham effort,” McMillan said.

Samford rides Bucky Ball to historic season. On deck is Kansas

4	Iowa Western
Community College	17-4	134

10	Johnson County
Community College	21-7	86

11	Florence-Darlington
Technical College	23-5	76

14	Northwest Florida
State College	19-7	55

16	Walters State
Community College	21-8	30

17	Kansas City
Kansas Community College	18-3	29

Receiving Votes:
Cowley, Indian Hills, Indian River State

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710859281123.jpeg" alt="NJCAA DI Baseball Poll - Week Four - 3/18/24" />
 <figcaption>NJCAA DI Baseball Poll - Week Four - 3/18/24</figcaption>
 </figure>Place	Name	Record	Points1	Gulf Coast State
College	24-2	1592	Gaston
College	29-2	1533	Georgia Highlands
College	28-2	1434	Iowa Western
Community College	17-4	1345	Pensacola State
College	23-3	1266	Central Arizona
College	26-6	1227	Weatherford
College	22-6	1128	John A. Logan
College	23-2	1019	Crowder
College	24-6	9510	Johnson County
Community College	21-7	8611	Florence-Darlington
Technical College	23-5	7612	Salt Lake
Community College	21-3	7513	Arizona Western
College	24-6	7114	Northwest Florida
State College	19-7	5515	Tyler Junior
College	21-8	4216	Walters State
Community College	21-8	3017	Kansas City
Kansas Community College	18-3	2918	Pima Community
College	22-8	2419	Delgado Community
College	21-6	1620	Wharton County
Junior College	20-8	13Receiving Votes:
Cowley, Indian Hills, Indian River State

NJCAA DI Baseball Rankings

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball Writer

The AL Central doesn't appear to be a great place to find baseball's best teams.

Instead, it might be home to some of the most improved.

The division had a tough 2023, with the Twins running away with the title despite an 87-win season that wouldn't have been good enough to win any other division in MLB. One year later, it's still hard to look at the rosters and find an obvious 90-win squad in the bunch.

Minnesota once again appears to be the class of the division despite losing a pair of front-line starting pitchers in Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.

But the real interest lies with teams like the Tigers and Royals, who are hoping for a big step forward. The Tigers haven't had a winning season since 2016 and the pressure is on fourth-year manager A.J. Hinch to end that stretch.

The Royals won the World Series in 2015 and haven't had a winning season since, but they made moves in the offseason to try and end that streak.

1. Minnesota Twins. After stopping their 18-game postseason losing streak that was the longest in the history of the major North American professional sports and winning a series for the first time in 21 years, the Twins have largely the same look in their quest to defend their division title. The notable exception is in the rotation, where losing Gray and Maeda could represent a setback. Pablo López remains the ace after an excellent debut season with the Twins and Joe Ryan has the potential to be a dominant sidekick. The wild card is Chris Paddack, who missed the 2023 regular season recovering from Tommy John surgery and chipped in from the bullpen for the playoffs. Health will likely be the pivotal factor for success at the plate this year, too, after shortstop Carlos Correa played through plantar fasciitis in his left foot and had the worst offensive season of his career and Byron Buxton’s right knee trouble limited him to designated hitter duty. Buxton has returned to center field and been thriving in spring training, as promising of a sign the Twins could hope for in camp.

2. Cleveland Guardians. Two years after a controversial name change, another new era begins in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt takes over for Terry Francona, the winningest manager in franchise history. A journeyman catcher, Vogt has never managed at any level and will break in with a Guardians team that has enough good pieces to contend for a division title. Shane Bieber looks to be recovered from arm issues that limited him in 2023 and he’ll be expected to anchor a rotation featuring Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams, who both showed major promise as rookies. Although Cleveland’s lineup lacks power, José Ramírez and Josh Naylor are each capable of hitting 30 homers and don’t be surprised if slugging prospect Kyle Manzardo arrives early to provide some needed pop. Closer Emmanuel Clase has to be more consistent after leading the majors with 12 blown saves.

3. Detroit Tigers. The franchise is more hopeful than recent years, feeling optimistic about what appears to be a plus pitching staff and some promising players, and could make the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Left-hander Tarik Skubal won four straight games and gave up just three runs over his last five starts to end last season and will be followed by newly acquired right-handers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. The bullpen is led by righties Jason Foley and Alex Lange along with lefty Andrew Chafin. First baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2022, has a chance to become a 40-homer hitter. Multi-talented outfielder Parker Meadows generates excitement at the plate and base paths. The franchise gave second baseman Colt Keith a guaranteed deal worth at least $28 million before he faced his first pitch in the majors, clearly excited about his upside, and plan to give him opportunities to prove he was worth the investment.

4.) Kansas City Royals: The Royals are hoping to go worst-to-first this season after losing 106 games a year ago, and there is reason to believe they could do it. For one thing, the AL Central is wide open. But the Royals also spent more than $100 million in free agency to fix their biggest problems, which began and ended with pitching. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha were signed to join breakout star Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Jordan Lyles in the rotation, and almost the entire bullpen is new with Will Smith taking over the closer job. The Royals also added slugger Hunter Renfroe and versatile Adam Frazier to the lineup and get power-hitting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino back from shoulder surgery that wiped out almost his entire 2023 season. With the Royals eying a new downtown ballpark as the centerpiece of a $2 billion development funded in part by the extension of an existing sales tax, it would behoove them to show a weary fanbase that they are serious enough about winning to warrant the new digs.

5.) Chicago White Sox: It was a tough 2023 for the White Sox, who lost 101 games. It's unclear if 2024 will be much better. Chicago was second-to-last in the majors in runs scored and gave up more runs than all but four teams. The team also ranked among the worst on defense. The White Sox hope that pitchers Chris Flexen and Erick Fedde can solidify the back end of the rotation while the offense has a handful of proven offensive players in outfielder Luis Robert Jr., first baseman Andrew Vaughn, outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez and third baseman Yoán Moncada. It appears that new general manager Chris Getz, starting his first full season, has plenty of work to do.

The White Sox signaled they'll be continuing to rebuild when they dealt right-hander Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for a package of players, including reliever Steven Wilson.

Cease, who turned 28 in December, was second in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022 after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA. He went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA last year for a White Sox team that went 61-101.

The Royals signed young star Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed in February, easily the longest and richest contract in club history. It includes a three-year, $89 million team option that would drive the value to more than $377 million and keep Witt with the Royals through the 2037 season.

The contract was a seismic shift for a notoriously frugal, small-market ballclub. It also shows that Kansas City's ownership is serious about being more competitive in the division after several lean years.

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball WriterThe AL Central doesn't appear to be a great place to find baseball's best teams.Instead, it might be home to some of the most improved.The division had a tough 2023, with the Twins running away with the title despite an 87-win season that wouldn't have been good enough to win any other division in MLB. One year later, it's still hard to look at the rosters and find an obvious 90-win squad in the bunch.Minnesota once again appears to be the class of the division despite losing a pair of front-line starting pitchers in Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.But the real interest lies with teams like the Tigers and Royals, who are hoping for a big step forward. The Tigers haven't had a winning season since 2016 and the pressure is on fourth-year manager A.J. Hinch to end that stretch.The Royals won the World Series in 2015 and haven't had a winning season since, but they made moves in the offseason to try and end that streak.HOW THEY PROJECT1. Minnesota Twins. After stopping their 18-game postseason losing streak that was the longest in the history of the major North American professional sports and winning a series for the first time in 21 years, the Twins have largely the same look in their quest to defend their division title. The notable exception is in the rotation, where losing Gray and Maeda could represent a setback. Pablo López remains the ace after an excellent debut season with the Twins and Joe Ryan has the potential to be a dominant sidekick. The wild card is Chris Paddack, who missed the 2023 regular season recovering from Tommy John surgery and chipped in from the bullpen for the playoffs. Health will likely be the pivotal factor for success at the plate this year, too, after shortstop Carlos Correa played through plantar fasciitis in his left foot and had the worst offensive season of his career and Byron Buxton’s right knee trouble limited him to designated hitter duty. Buxton has returned to center field and been thriving in spring training, as promising of a sign the Twins could hope for in camp.2. Cleveland Guardians. Two years after a controversial name change, another new era begins in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt takes over for Terry Francona, the winningest manager in franchise history. A journeyman catcher, Vogt has never managed at any level and will break in with a Guardians team that has enough good pieces to contend for a division title. Shane Bieber looks to be recovered from arm issues that limited him in 2023 and he’ll be expected to anchor a rotation featuring Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams, who both showed major promise as rookies. Although Cleveland’s lineup lacks power, José Ramírez and Josh Naylor are each capable of hitting 30 homers and don’t be surprised if slugging prospect Kyle Manzardo arrives early to provide some needed pop. Closer Emmanuel Clase has to be more consistent after leading the majors with 12 blown saves.3. Detroit Tigers. The franchise is more hopeful than recent years, feeling optimistic about what appears to be a plus pitching staff and some promising players, and could make the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Left-hander Tarik Skubal won four straight games and gave up just three runs over his last five starts to end last season and will be followed by newly acquired right-handers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. The bullpen is led by righties Jason Foley and Alex Lange along with lefty Andrew Chafin. First baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2022, has a chance to become a 40-homer hitter. Multi-talented outfielder Parker Meadows generates excitement at the plate and base paths. The franchise gave second baseman Colt Keith a guaranteed deal worth at least $28 million before he faced his first pitch in the majors, clearly excited about his upside, and plan to give him opportunities to prove he was worth the investment.4.) Kansas City Royals: The Royals are hoping to go worst-to-first this season after losing 106 games a year ago, and there is reason to believe they could do it. For one thing, the AL Central is wide open. But the Royals also spent more than $100 million in free agency to fix their biggest problems, which began and ended with pitching. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha were signed to join breakout star Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Jordan Lyles in the rotation, and almost the entire bullpen is new with Will Smith taking over the closer job. The Royals also added slugger Hunter Renfroe and versatile Adam Frazier to the lineup and get power-hitting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino back from shoulder surgery that wiped out almost his entire 2023 season. With the Royals eying a new downtown ballpark as the centerpiece of a $2 billion development funded in part by the extension of an existing sales tax, it would behoove them to show a weary fanbase that they are serious enough about winning to warrant the new digs.5.) Chicago White Sox: It was a tough 2023 for the White Sox, who lost 101 games. It's unclear if 2024 will be much better. Chicago was second-to-last in the majors in runs scored and gave up more runs than all but four teams. The team also ranked among the worst on defense. The White Sox hope that pitchers Chris Flexen and Erick Fedde can solidify the back end of the rotation while the offense has a handful of proven offensive players in outfielder Luis Robert Jr., first baseman Andrew Vaughn, outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez and third baseman Yoán Moncada. It appears that new general manager Chris Getz, starting his first full season, has plenty of work to do.CEASE GONEThe White Sox signaled they'll be continuing to rebuild when they dealt right-hander Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for a package of players, including reliever Steven Wilson.Cease, who turned 28 in December, was second in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022 after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA. He went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA last year for a White Sox team that went 61-101.WITT GETS PAIDThe Royals signed young star Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed in February, easily the longest and richest contract in club history. It includes a three-year, $89 million team option that would drive the value to more than $377 million and keep Witt with the Royals through the 2037 season.The contract was a seismic shift for a notoriously frugal, small-market ballclub. It also shows that Kansas City's ownership is serious about being more competitive in the division after several lean years.

AL Central Preview: Tigers, Royals try to end years of losing after offseason moves

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hollywood Brown had so many conversations with the Kansas City Chiefs before the 2019 draft that the former Oklahoma star thought that they would select him to pair with Patrick Mahomes in their high-flying offense.

Baltimore took him in the first round before Kansas City had the chance.

But after a detour through Arizona, where the Ravens traded him and where Brown spent the past two years dealing with nagging injuries and instability at quarterback, the speedy wide receiver finally landed in Kansas City on Monday. Brown signed his one-year deal worth up to $11 million to finally give Mahomes another downfield option in the Chiefs passing attack.

“The world has a way of things coming around like that,” Brown said with a smile.

Despite beating the San Francisco 49ers for their second straight Super Bowl title, the Chiefs knew they needed to upgrade at wide receiver, where rookie Rashee Rice had become the unquestioned leader almost by default. But they refused to rush into a big-money, long-term deal with one of the top free agents and bided their time until the right opportunity came along.

It wasn't the $50 million guaranteed that the Titans gave Calvin Ridley. Or the $26 million guaranteed the Falcons gave to Darnell Mooney. Or the $24 million Gabe Davis got from the Jaguars or even the $15 million Curtis Samuel got from the Bills.

No, it was a relatively low-risk, high-upside deal with a wide receiver the Chiefs had coveted since college.

“They were strong on me,” Brown said, “so it was kind of like, mutual interest. That was very appealing.”

It was the right deal for Brown, too. He turns 27 in June, which means there is still time in his career to turn a productive season in one of the NFL's most pass-friendly offenses into a much more lucrative multi-year contract next offseason.

"There's weapons here," he said, “and I feel like I can come in and complement the guys they have here. And Coach (Andy) Reid? He's a mastermind. Patrick Mahomes — I'm excited to work with everyone.”

Brown had his best season three years ago in Baltimore, when he caught 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. He was traded to the Cardinals the following year, where he had 118 catches for 1,283 yards and seven TDs in those 26 games.

Those numbers might seem modest, but consider: Brown had 51 catches for 574 yards and four scores last season, which would have trailed only Rice and tight end Travis Kelce in receptions, yards and TDs for the Chiefs — and he did it in 12 full games.

Brown appears to be motivated, too. Mahomes has invited his wide receivers and tight ends to his home in Texas the past couple of offseasons for what amounts to a voluntary training camp, and he was already looking forward to getting down there.

“From the outside looking in, he just seems like a guy that's very passionate,” Brown explained, “and I'm a very passionate person. Wants to do everything necessary to win. That's what you want. You want to play with someone who is going to push you to the next level. I feel like he's one of those guys.”

Kansas City still has work to do filling out the offense. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released and fellow wide receivers Richie James and Mecole Hardman are free agents, while Kadarius Toney could be fighting for a job this season, all of which means wide receiver is still a position of need as free agency continues and the NFL draft looms in April.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hollywood Brown had so many conversations with the Kansas City Chiefs before the 2019 draft that the former Oklahoma star thought that they would select him to pair with Patrick Mahomes in their high-flying offense.Baltimore took him in the first round before Kansas City had the chance.But after a detour through Arizona, where the Ravens traded him and where Brown spent the past two years dealing with nagging injuries and instability at quarterback, the speedy wide receiver finally landed in Kansas City on Monday. Brown signed his one-year deal worth up to $11 million to finally give Mahomes another downfield option in the Chiefs passing attack.“The world has a way of things coming around like that,” Brown said with a smile.Despite beating the San Francisco 49ers for their second straight Super Bowl title, the Chiefs knew they needed to upgrade at wide receiver, where rookie Rashee Rice had become the unquestioned leader almost by default. But they refused to rush into a big-money, long-term deal with one of the top free agents and bided their time until the right opportunity came along.It wasn't the $50 million guaranteed that the Titans gave Calvin Ridley. Or the $26 million guaranteed the Falcons gave to Darnell Mooney. Or the $24 million Gabe Davis got from the Jaguars or even the $15 million Curtis Samuel got from the Bills.No, it was a relatively low-risk, high-upside deal with a wide receiver the Chiefs had coveted since college.“They were strong on me,” Brown said, “so it was kind of like, mutual interest. That was very appealing.”It was the right deal for Brown, too. He turns 27 in June, which means there is still time in his career to turn a productive season in one of the NFL's most pass-friendly offenses into a much more lucrative multi-year contract next offseason."There's weapons here," he said, “and I feel like I can come in and complement the guys they have here. And Coach (Andy) Reid? He's a mastermind. Patrick Mahomes — I'm excited to work with everyone.”Brown had his best season three years ago in Baltimore, when he caught 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. He was traded to the Cardinals the following year, where he had 118 catches for 1,283 yards and seven TDs in those 26 games.Those numbers might seem modest, but consider: Brown had 51 catches for 574 yards and four scores last season, which would have trailed only Rice and tight end Travis Kelce in receptions, yards and TDs for the Chiefs — and he did it in 12 full games.Brown appears to be motivated, too. Mahomes has invited his wide receivers and tight ends to his home in Texas the past couple of offseasons for what amounts to a voluntary training camp, and he was already looking forward to getting down there.“From the outside looking in, he just seems like a guy that's very passionate,” Brown explained, “and I'm a very passionate person. Wants to do everything necessary to win. That's what you want. You want to play with someone who is going to push you to the next level. I feel like he's one of those guys.”Kansas City still has work to do filling out the offense. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released and fellow wide receivers Richie James and Mecole Hardman are free agents, while Kadarius Toney could be fighting for a job this season, all of which means wide receiver is still a position of need as free agency continues and the NFL draft looms in April.

Hollywood Brown signs deal with Chiefs

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A year ago, Fairleigh Dickinson landed in the First Four and by the following weekend became one of the most improbable bracket-busters in NCAA Tournament history.

After routing Texas Southern in Dayton, the 16th-seeded Knights — one of the shortest teams in the tournament facing the tallest — upset No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58, only the second time a No. 16 seed had beaten a top-seeded team.

“Anybody has a chance. Anything can happen, no matter what’s going on,” said Donald Copeland, the coach of an injury-depleted Wagner team that opens this year's First Four against Howard on Tuesday night. “Now our path is probably different, but it gives you motivation to want to hopefully achieve something like that.”

The winner of that game will advance as the No. 16 seed in the West Region to face top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday.

In an unusual twist, the First Four brings together both Colorado and Colorado State. Both finished 24-10.

Colorado was the runner-up in the Pac-12 Tournament and will play Boise State (22-10) from the Mountain West Conference in the late game Wednesday, with the winner moving on as the 10th seed in the South Region to face seventh-seeded Florida.

Colorado State, also from the Mountain West, draws ACC regular Virginia (23-10) in the late game Tuesday for the right to move on as the 10th seed in the Midwest and play No. 7 seed Texas. Virginia has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 12 seasons under coach Tony Bennett and won the national title in 2019.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A year ago, Fairleigh Dickinson landed in the First Four and by the following weekend became one of the most improbable bracket-busters in NCAA Tournament history.After routing Texas Southern in Dayton, the 16th-seeded Knights — one of the shortest teams in the tournament facing the tallest — upset No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58, only the second time a No. 16 seed had beaten a top-seeded team.“Anybody has a chance. Anything can happen, no matter what’s going on,” said Donald Copeland, the coach of an injury-depleted Wagner team that opens this year's First Four against Howard on Tuesday night. “Now our path is probably different, but it gives you motivation to want to hopefully achieve something like that.”The winner of that game will advance as the No. 16 seed in the West Region to face top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday.In an unusual twist, the First Four brings together both Colorado and Colorado State. Both finished 24-10.Colorado was the runner-up in the Pac-12 Tournament and will play Boise State (22-10) from the Mountain West Conference in the late game Wednesday, with the winner moving on as the 10th seed in the South Region to face seventh-seeded Florida.Colorado State, also from the Mountain West, draws ACC regular Virginia (23-10) in the late game Tuesday for the right to move on as the 10th seed in the Midwest and play No. 7 seed Texas. Virginia has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 12 seasons under coach Tony Bennett and won the national title in 2019."It's a great opportunity for us to kind of test ourselves and see where we’re at as a program. At this point there are no cupcakes," said Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State's top scorer at 16.5 points per game.“The way I look at this is, we’re a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and we just get to play one more game than everybody else," Rams coach Niko Medved said. "That’s a pretty cool deal."MAKING A NAMEWagner, a school with around 2,000 students on Staten Island in New York City, returns to the NCAA Tournament after a drought of 21 years.Howard — the Seahawks’ opponent on Tuesday — was in last year, but hopes to have a better showing this time around.Wagner (16-15) finished sixth in the Northeast Conference during the regular season. After losing their final two games, the Seahawks won three straight in the league tournament, beating Merrimack in the final, despite Copeland’s rotation being down to seven players because of injuries.In fact, it got so bad that Damen Mazil, the quarterback of the Wagner football team, was added to the roster in February for some depth.“A small island, and we’re back here after 21 years,” Wagner guard Javier Ezquerra said. “It’s amazing.”Howard (18-16) was 9-14 in early February but roared back to win nine of its last 11 games, including the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament."You go in with certain expectations, and this year was just like really rocky for us in a lot of ways," said Howard forward Seth Towns, who averaged 14.2 points. “So to come together at the end of the year, like we did, in the last five or so games and then in the tournament, I think it’s a testament to the leadership of the coaching staff and just to the incredible guys who were never willing to give up.”WELCOME TO THE SHOWGrambling State is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning nine of its last 10 games to take the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.Grambling (20-14) faces Montana State on Wednesday for the right to advance as the 16th seed in the Midwest and play top-seeded Purdue on Friday.Montana State (17-17) is fortunate to be in the tournament for the third straight season. The Bobcats were 13-17 on March 2 before winning four straight. They beat Montana in the Big Sky Tournament championship game to earn the league's automatic NCAA bid.