EUGENE, Ore. – Kansas senior Alexandra Emilianov closed out her KU career with a second-place finish in the women’s discus on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

With her second place finish, Emilianov becomes the first Jayhawk in school history to finish with four first team All-America honors in the women’s discus throw, with her finish on Saturday being the best in her career. Emilianov also earned outdoor first team All-America honors in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Throwing in the second flight of the discus, Emilianov recorded a throw of 56.95m (186-10 ft.) on her second attempt, which placed her in second going into finals. On her fifth attempt, Emilianov launched a throw of 58.44m (191-9 ft.) to take over first place, though it wouldn’t last.

On the next attempt, Arizona State’s Jorinde Van Klinken reclaimed the lead with a throw of 62.16m (203-11 ft.), which would win her the event and place Emilianov in second.

EUGENE, Ore. – Kansas senior Alexandra Emilianov closed out her KU career with a second-place finish in the women’s discus on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.With her second place finish, Emilianov becomes the first Jayhawk in school history to finish with four first team All-America honors in the women’s discus throw, with her finish on Saturday being the best in her career. Emilianov also earned outdoor first team All-America honors in 2018, 2019 and 2021.Throwing in the second flight of the discus, Emilianov recorded a throw of 56.95m (186-10 ft.) on her second attempt, which placed her in second going into finals. On her fifth attempt, Emilianov launched a throw of 58.44m (191-9 ft.) to take over first place, though it wouldn’t last.On the next attempt, Arizona State’s Jorinde Van Klinken reclaimed the lead with a throw of 62.16m (203-11 ft.), which would win her the event and place Emilianov in second.Kansas Athletics

Emilianov Places Second in the Discus on the Final Day of the NCAA Championships

EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time since 2018, fifth-year senior Tejaswin Shankar has been crowned the 2022 NCAA Men's High Jump Champion on Friday (June 10) at Hayward Field.

The title came after a jump off between Shankar and Georgia senior Darius Carbin. Both Shankar and Carbin fouled three times at the height of 2.24m/7-4.25 and had the same number of misses, forcing a jump off between the two. On his first attempt, the New Delhi native cleared 2.27m/7-5.25 while Carbin knocked the bar down, immediately crowning Shankar as the national champion and a First Team All-American.

"He did a good job today," stated Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "I thought he did great during warm up and I thought he was a little nervous on the first jump. This is technically his fourth meet of the outdoor season, which isn't a lot. I really felt like he was ready to compete to win. He just competes well. We've had a couple guys be eight time All-Americans, but he has scored at all the seven national meets in which he has competed."

This is Shankar's second outdoor national title (2018, 2022) during his career at K-State, while he was the national runner-up in 2019 and 2021. He finishes his career as an eight-time All-American in the high jump (combined indoor and outdoor), including a four-time First Team Outdoor All-American.

"It feels great to be a national champion," said Shankar. "I wanted to give my best and go out with a title. For that to happen is just a blessing. This one I will cherish the most. This meet was my last meet and I wanted to go out there and make it memorable for myself, make it memorable for the university. In the last five years, the university has done so much for me. I would like to dedicate this to the athletics department and the Little Apple. K-State is High Jump U."

Fellow teammate and fifth-year senior Kyle Alcine also competed in the high jump, clearing a mark of 2.10m/6-10.75, tying for 15th place and claiming Second Team All-American honors.

EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time since 2018, fifth-year senior Tejaswin Shankar has been crowned the 2022 NCAA Men's High Jump Champion on Friday (June 10) at Hayward Field.The title came after a jump off between Shankar and Georgia senior Darius Carbin. Both Shankar and Carbin fouled three times at the height of 2.24m/7-4.25 and had the same number of misses, forcing a jump off between the two. On his first attempt, the New Delhi native cleared 2.27m/7-5.25 while Carbin knocked the bar down, immediately crowning Shankar as the national champion and a First Team All-American."He did a good job today," stated Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "I thought he did great during warm up and I thought he was a little nervous on the first jump. This is technically his fourth meet of the outdoor season, which isn't a lot. I really felt like he was ready to compete to win. He just competes well. We've had a couple guys be eight time All-Americans, but he has scored at all the seven national meets in which he has competed."This is Shankar's second outdoor national title (2018, 2022) during his career at K-State, while he was the national runner-up in 2019 and 2021. He finishes his career as an eight-time All-American in the high jump (combined indoor and outdoor), including a four-time First Team Outdoor All-American."It feels great to be a national champion," said Shankar. "I wanted to give my best and go out with a title. For that to happen is just a blessing. This one I will cherish the most. This meet was my last meet and I wanted to go out there and make it memorable for myself, make it memorable for the university. In the last five years, the university has done so much for me. I would like to dedicate this to the athletics department and the Little Apple. K-State is High Jump U."Fellow teammate and fifth-year senior Kyle Alcine also competed in the high jump, clearing a mark of 2.10m/6-10.75, tying for 15th place and claiming Second Team All-American honors.

Shankar Returns High Jump National Title to Manhattan

Texas A&amp;M swept its NCAA super regional and advanced to the College World Series, and Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Texas won Saturday to even their best-of-three series.

Connecticut, Mississippi, Arkansas and Auburn won their super regional openers to move within a win of making the CWS, which begins Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.

No. 5 national seed Texas A&amp;M beat Louisville 4-3 for a second straight one-run win and returns to the CWS for the first time since 2017, the next step in a turnaround season under first-year coach Jim Schlossnagle.

A year after failing to even qualify for the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Texas A&amp;M posted the second-best record in the conference and now has won five straight in the NCAA Tournament.

The super regional sweep in College Station, Texas, came one year and two days after the Aggies hired away Schlossnagle from TCU, where he had led the Horned Frogs to five CWS in 18 years.

“At this time a year ago I was waking up consistently at 3:30 in the morning in a full body sweat,” he said. “I had just left a place that was so comfortable. To be sitting here going to the College World Series, every single ounce of credit goes to the players.”

Relievers Will Johnston, Brad Rudis and Jacob Palisch combined to limit Louisville to five singles in 4 1/3 shutout innings, and the Aggies scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

“I’m glad we won, but I’m really glad to see us win a game that’s not 15-7,” said Schlossnagle, who got a cooler of water poured over him as the team celebrated outside the dugout. “I’ve been saying all year long, you’re going to run into great pitchers. It’s good to see us match that up and play good defense.”

Luc Lipcius became the third Tennessee player in program history to hit two homers in an inning when he connected twice in an eight-run fifth in the No. 1 Volunteers’ 12-4 victory over Notre Dame in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Evan Russell also homered in the fifth, and he and Lipcius now share the Vols’ career record with 39, one more than Todd Helton’s 38 from 1993-95.

“It’s really cool after the fact that it happened,” Lipcius said, “and Todd Helton is one of the greats of Tennessee and of all time and it’s really cool two old guys are hanging out at the top.”

Nick Biddison hit two of No. 4 Virginia Tech’s single-game record five homers and six Hokies pitchers combined to strike out 14 in a 14-8 victory over Oklahoma in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“I felt like it was an exercise in toughness for our guys,” said Hokies coach John Szefc, whose team bounced back from a 5-4 loss in Game 1.

Texas came back from a five-run deficit to beat No. 8 East Carolina 9-8 on Dylan Campbell’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth in Greenville, North Carolina.

Campbell also hit a tiebreaking homer in the bottom of the eighth for the Longhorns, who entered the inning trailing 7-4.

“There’s a lot of fight in this team,” Texas coach David Pierce said. “This team has proven it from the day we started it until right now. We’re not going to give in, not going to go away.”

UConn scored eight runs in the second inning and then survived No. 2 Stanford’s home run barrage to hold off the Cardinal 13-12, matching the most runs scored against the Cardinal this season.

The Huskies, trying to get to Omaha for the first time since 1979, withstood Stanford’s four homers in the ninth after entering the inning up 13-6. The Cardinal finished with eight homers, their most in a game since 2004, with Brock Jones connecting three times.

Mississippi scored seven runs on five hits in the sixth inning on its way to a 10-0 win over Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

Dylan DeLucia and Jack Dougherty combined on the shutout, with DeLucia allowing four hits in 5 2/3 innings and Dougherty giving up no hits the rest of the way.

Arkansas’ Connor Noland threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-1 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Noland threw 61 of 89 pitches for strikes while allowing only six hits and a walk.

Peyton Stovall homered to start the Razorbacks’ three-run fifth inning, and Brady Slavens followed with the first of his RBI singles.

Sonny DiChiara and Bobby Peirce homered and Auburn held No. 3 Oregon State to one run over the last eight innings in a 7-5 victory in Corvallis, Oregon.

Auburn starter Trace Bright got only two outs as the Beavers scored four times in the first. John Armstrong, Tommy Sheehan and Carson Skipper combined to allow two singles and three walks the next 7 1/3 innings.

Texas A&amp;M swept its NCAA super regional and advanced to the College World Series, and Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Texas won Saturday to even their best-of-three series.Connecticut, Mississippi, Arkansas and Auburn won their super regional openers to move within a win of making the CWS, which begins Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.No. 5 national seed Texas A&amp;M beat Louisville 4-3 for a second straight one-run win and returns to the CWS for the first time since 2017, the next step in a turnaround season under first-year coach Jim Schlossnagle.A year after failing to even qualify for the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Texas A&amp;M posted the second-best record in the conference and now has won five straight in the NCAA Tournament.The super regional sweep in College Station, Texas, came one year and two days after the Aggies hired away Schlossnagle from TCU, where he had led the Horned Frogs to five CWS in 18 years.“At this time a year ago I was waking up consistently at 3:30 in the morning in a full body sweat,” he said. “I had just left a place that was so comfortable. To be sitting here going to the College World Series, every single ounce of credit goes to the players.”Relievers Will Johnston, Brad Rudis and Jacob Palisch combined to limit Louisville to five singles in 4 1/3 shutout innings, and the Aggies scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.“I’m glad we won, but I’m really glad to see us win a game that’s not 15-7,” said Schlossnagle, who got a cooler of water poured over him as the team celebrated outside the dugout. “I’ve been saying all year long, you’re going to run into great pitchers. It’s good to see us match that up and play good defense.”Luc Lipcius became the third Tennessee player in program history to hit two homers in an inning when he connected twice in an eight-run fifth in the No. 1 Volunteers’ 12-4 victory over Notre Dame in Knoxville, Tennessee.Evan Russell also homered in the fifth, and he and Lipcius now share the Vols’ career record with 39, one more than Todd Helton’s 38 from 1993-95.“It’s really cool after the fact that it happened,” Lipcius said, “and Todd Helton is one of the greats of Tennessee and of all time and it’s really cool two old guys are hanging out at the top.”Nick Biddison hit two of No. 4 Virginia Tech’s single-game record five homers and six Hokies pitchers combined to strike out 14 in a 14-8 victory over Oklahoma in Blacksburg, Virginia.“I felt like it was an exercise in toughness for our guys,” said Hokies coach John Szefc, whose team bounced back from a 5-4 loss in Game 1.Texas came back from a five-run deficit to beat No. 8 East Carolina 9-8 on Dylan Campbell’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth in Greenville, North Carolina.Campbell also hit a tiebreaking homer in the bottom of the eighth for the Longhorns, who entered the inning trailing 7-4.“There’s a lot of fight in this team,” Texas coach David Pierce said. “This team has proven it from the day we started it until right now. We’re not going to give in, not going to go away.”UConn scored eight runs in the second inning and then survived No. 2 Stanford’s home run barrage to hold off the Cardinal 13-12, matching the most runs scored against the Cardinal this season.The Huskies, trying to get to Omaha for the first time since 1979, withstood Stanford’s four homers in the ninth after entering the inning up 13-6. The Cardinal finished with eight homers, their most in a game since 2004, with Brock Jones connecting three times.Mississippi scored seven runs on five hits in the sixth inning on its way to a 10-0 win over Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.Dylan DeLucia and Jack Dougherty combined on the shutout, with DeLucia allowing four hits in 5 2/3 innings and Dougherty giving up no hits the rest of the way.Arkansas’ Connor Noland threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-1 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Noland threw 61 of 89 pitches for strikes while allowing only six hits and a walk.Peyton Stovall homered to start the Razorbacks’ three-run fifth inning, and Brady Slavens followed with the first of his RBI singles.Sonny DiChiara and Bobby Peirce homered and Auburn held No. 3 Oregon State to one run over the last eight innings in a 7-5 victory in Corvallis, Oregon.Auburn starter Trace Bright got only two outs as the Beavers scored four times in the first. John Armstrong, Tommy Sheehan and Carson Skipper combined to allow two singles and three walks the next 7 1/3 innings.

Aggies heading to CWS; Vols, Hokies, Longhorns force Game 3s

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyler Nevin hit a three-run homer, rookie Adley Rutschman had his first three-hit game and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday.

Nevin’s second homer this season was a 425-foot drive to center that gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead in the sixth. The home run drove in Ryan Mountcastle and Rutschman, who raised his average to .190 and showed speed when he scored on an eighth-inning wild pitch.

A son of new Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin, Tyler Nevin was selected by Colorado with the 38th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft and was traded to Baltimore in 2020. He drove in a run for the first time since he was recalled from Triple-A on June 3.

“We just locked it in and picked up the intensity in that inning,” Nevin said. “I feel like the last 30 at-bats I’m feeling really comfortable. The numbers aren’t quite there because of the slower start.”

Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays drove in runs for the Orioles.

Kansas City’s three-game winning streak was stopped. The Royals have not won four in a row this season.

Royals starter Daniel Lynch (2-6) gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, tying a career-high with seven strikeouts.

“Really, really frustrating,” Lynch said.

Tyler Wells (3-4) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings.

“It certainly felt good to go deep into a game,” Wells said. “Being able to give our team a chance to win that was the big thing for me. I just wanted to go out there and compete despite not having my best stuff.”

Salvador Perez had an RBI double in the third as the Royals scored in the first inning for the third time in four games. Perez is batting .400 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in his last eight games.

Kyle Isbel, Emmanuel Rivera and Michael A. Taylor added RBIs for the Royals.

“We had five really good innings,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “In the sixth, everything hit the wall and it happened really fast. That home run turns the game over, but up to that point I thought it was really good.”

Former Royal Jorge López worked around Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out single in the ninth for eighth save in 10 chances.

“I thought we were flay early and didn’t really like how we came out of the game offensively,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “We got the bats going and swung them a lot better the second half of the game.”

Orioles: INF Ramón Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list (left oblique strain) and INF Richie Martin’s contract was selected from Triple-A.

The Orioles send RHP Dean Kremer (0-1, 6.23 ERA) to the mound against RHP Brad Keller (1-7, 4.19 ERA).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyler Nevin hit a three-run homer, rookie Adley Rutschman had his first three-hit game and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday.Nevin’s second homer this season was a 425-foot drive to center that gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead in the sixth. The home run drove in Ryan Mountcastle and Rutschman, who raised his average to .190 and showed speed when he scored on an eighth-inning wild pitch.A son of new Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin, Tyler Nevin was selected by Colorado with the 38th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft and was traded to Baltimore in 2020. He drove in a run for the first time since he was recalled from Triple-A on June 3.“We just locked it in and picked up the intensity in that inning,” Nevin said. “I feel like the last 30 at-bats I’m feeling really comfortable. The numbers aren’t quite there because of the slower start.”Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays drove in runs for the Orioles.Kansas City’s three-game winning streak was stopped. The Royals have not won four in a row this season.Royals starter Daniel Lynch (2-6) gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, tying a career-high with seven strikeouts.“Really, really frustrating,” Lynch said.Tyler Wells (3-4) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings.“It certainly felt good to go deep into a game,” Wells said. “Being able to give our team a chance to win that was the big thing for me. I just wanted to go out there and compete despite not having my best stuff.”Salvador Perez had an RBI double in the third as the Royals scored in the first inning for the third time in four games. Perez is batting .400 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in his last eight games.Kyle Isbel, Emmanuel Rivera and Michael A. Taylor added RBIs for the Royals.“We had five really good innings,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “In the sixth, everything hit the wall and it happened really fast. That home run turns the game over, but up to that point I thought it was really good.”Former Royal Jorge López worked around Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out single in the ninth for eighth save in 10 chances.“I thought we were flay early and didn’t really like how we came out of the game offensively,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “We got the bats going and swung them a lot better the second half of the game.”TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: INF Ramón Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list (left oblique strain) and INF Richie Martin’s contract was selected from Triple-A.UP NEXTThe Orioles send RHP Dean Kremer (0-1, 6.23 ERA) to the mound against RHP Brad Keller (1-7, 4.19 ERA).

Nevin’s 3-run homer lifts Orioles over Royals 6-4

By Joanna Chadwick, Special to KSHSAA&nbsp;-&nbsp;

It seems like everyone has a story about Claflin's Jackie Stiles, and it's to the point that they've become folklore. Maybe you've heard about how she decided as a second grader that she'd not only play in the pros but be Rookie of the Year? Or how she resolved, after one poor performance, to make 1,000 shots a day? Or how about when she broke her right wrist – on her shooting hand – as a sophomore and then averaged 20 points a game while playing left-handed? Maybe you were even in one of those post-game autograph lines that stretched endlessly because you had to meet Stiles? This isn't folklore. Jackie Stiles is a legend in Kansas basketball. Not girls basketball. Not women's basketball. Basketball. "My internal goal was to be the best that could ever play the game," Stiles said. The stories, the stats, the successes were all achieved because her focus was built around that goal. "Our strengths are our weaknesses. I know that my drive to be the best, it also ended my career early because of injuries," she said. I'd still be playing now if I had the knowledge of how to take care of my body. I didn't have the knowledge." *** Stiles' friendship with Amy Klug Metro started in first grade and continues to this day. It's a friendship filled with pickup basketball games, tennis practices, tap and jazz. "We did dance together when we were younger," Metro said. "She was at my house all the time. We had a cement (basketball) court in my backyard. We'd have tennis lessons in the summer, too." Dance, though, was not Stiles' thing. "I was terrible," she said. "I would not practice, and … then the day before the recital, there would be this major cram and I'd have to learn the routine at least halfway." Now, basketball, she would play for hours. And go to clinics – coaching clinics with her dad, who was the boys basketball coach at Claflin, and sitting for hours listening to coaches talk about the game. She rode the bus to games. "I followed my dad to the gym. He'd show me a fundamental skill, and I couldn't wait to show him when I'd master something," Stiles said. "That's how the love of the game started for me. "I had the vision that basketball was what I wanted to be great at. It was my passion." Clint Kinnamon, who coached Stiles from 1993-96, said her skills as a middle schooler were off the charts. "She was fast, athletic, skilled and had a great personality," he said. "She started off and you saw that speed; she was extremely fast and was running really good 200 times. "What really developed from there was it went from 'I'm going to get a steal and get a layup' to the jump shot, three-point ability, the ability to create a shot on her own." Stiles went to Kinnamon for individual workouts, so he created 15 workouts designed to last 60 to 90 minutes each. "Two days later she came to me and asked, 'do you have any more? I've already done those.' I think people believe her work ethic started when she broke her wrist as a sophomore, but it's always been there." The 1,000 shots a day started after Stiles shot around 30 per cent from the field. "She was devastated," Kinnamon said. "We lost the game. She vowed she'd make 1,000 shots a day. It wasn't a couple days a week. It was every single day. She'd have her brothers up there rebounding. Even her mom, Pam, was up there." Teams focused their defensive efforts on Stiles, running a box-and-one or triangle-and-two on her. "She could handle the ball so well and could break pressure,"said Gregg Webb, who coached Stiles her senior season at Claflin. "When she averaged 46.4 points a game as a senior, people don't understand the attention she was getting. They were putting every kid on their team to stop her. They weren't just letting her score. "In the open floor, she was unstoppable. There was no press that could contain her, and when she was in that position, she was going to go to the basket and score. There was no secret, she was unbelievable. "We had a deal – if there's two girls on her and she thinks she can get one (shot) off-balance, she can go and score. But if there's three girls, find someone else." Stiles' numbers are crazy, and she still holds eight high school records: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 3,603 career points &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 1,252 points in a season &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 71 points in a game &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 35.7 career points per game &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 46.4 season scoring average &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 1,374 career field goals made &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 490 field goals made in a season &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 662 career free throws made And in college at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), who she helped lead to the Final Four: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Set NCAA women's career scoring record, 3,393 points. &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Led the NCAA in scoring average in 1999-2000, 27.8 points per game. &nbsp;&nbsp; And in the WNBA: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Rookie of the Year in 2001, averaged 14.9 points per game. "She's a superstar, but she's the most humble person," Metro said. "... I was just in awe of her. She was just so dedicated and worked so hard. You just wanted it for her." And just in case you thought Stiles was a one-sport wonder, she also won 14 gold medals in track and two silvers. The most medals possible in a high school career are 16. "Some of my best memories from my athletic career were from the state track meet," Stiles said. "I'm so thankful that I was exposed to other sports. I see so many athletes specializing and so many overuse injuries because they don't do anything else." She also ran cross country and played tennis, in the same season. "Records didn't drive me," Stiles said. "It's the honest truth. What drove me was winning. I thought everyone had that. When I got into college coaching, it was difficult because I found it hard to relate to a player who isn't affected by losing." Webb added: "She didn't care about individual stats. She was just so darn competitive." Stiles' sister, Roxanne, won two titles at Claflin. Their dad has won seven at Central Plains High School and owns the state's longest winning streak at 138 games. And Stiles is thrilled for both of their successes. "My dad is a very quiet, shy man, but he works so hard," she said. "I was just home and he spent time watching three films to get ready for the next game. He cares so much about his players." Stiles never played for a Class 1A title, though. And for someone focused on winning, that's still painful. Claflin lost in the semifinals at Fort Hays State's Gross Memorial Coliseum when she was a freshman and sophomore, and in the first round as a junior and senior. "Hays is not one of my fondest memories," Stiles said. "... The state tournament always ended in heartbreak. I always left Hays crying. "But what drove me to be even better was the people. I wanted to make them proud. To inspire them. I wanted to inspire people to be the best at whatever they did. To lead by example." *** Because there weren't as many opportunities to play basketball – MAYB didn't exist then – Stiles didn't play in an AAU tournament until she was 12. "My dad begged me onto a team in KC," she said. And they drove four hours each way to practice with the team. But in that first tournament, she caught the eye of Southwest Missouri State assistant coach Lynette Robinson, who had just stopped into the gym to kill time while evaluating older players. "This girl with a ponytail flying in the wind was out there stealing the ball and running past everyone in the gym," Kinnamon said. "Lynette turned to the man she was sitting next to and asked if he knew who that girl was. 'Why yes, I do. That's my daughter.' " And that's when Stiles' relationship began with the Bears. It has been a long relationship – Stiles was hired as an assistant coach at Missouri State in 2013 – but making that decision to sign with the Bears was gut-wrenching.&nbsp; Her final four teams were UConn, Oklahoma, K-State and the Bears. "She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings," Webb said. "That pressure of deciding where she wanted to go was legit pressure. She was consumed by it. She wasn't sleeping great, wasn't eating right. She was trying to relive all of it by working out. "I was taking phone calls from 4-6 hours a day. They couldn't talk to her, so they'd talk to me."

When coaches could visit, they had 18 home visits in 19 days. Since Claflin doesn't have a restaurant, her mom cooked for every single coach – until the community started bringing casseroles to help. During recruiting, Stiles worked out at 6 a.m., went to school, practiced tennis for two hours, then had cross country for an hour, had dinner with the college coach – and returned to the gym to get shots up. Everyone knew coaches were visiting when Great Bend's one rental car, which was white, sat outside the Stiles house. Kansas State fans took out ads asking Stiles to stay in-state. They sent flowers to her house. Stiles – who has long been a superstitious type, even carrying a cutout of Michael Jordan on the bus to games – called a psychic hotline out of desperation.&nbsp; "Southwest Missouri State had my heart at a young age," she said. "I went to camp there every summer. I finally had the courage to go to Southwest Missouri State. It was the best decision I could make. You have to live with that decision. Do what's in your heart. In your gut." *** The focus has long been on Stiles' scoring, and rightfully so. She took the shots because her goal was to win. Only once was her scoring personal. "I don't normally get caught up in individual records, but my 71-point game came in Macksville," she said. "The year before I was heckled so bad by a group of guys, and I let it get to me. It was one of my worst performances. I told my dad, 'I will break the state scoring record on them.' And it did happen." Stiles' scoring was a focus in college, as well, as she set the NCAA women's career scoring record. "But she had a lot of assists," Pat Stiles said. "She could pass the ball really well. And I tell you, coach (Cheryl) Burnett really made her defense a lot better. That was a trademark of (Burnett's) teams. Jackie's defense got a lot better. Her points overshadowed the assists and the rebounds and the steals that she had." That final Four appearance was special, though. "Everyone thought that was an impossible dream," Stiles said. "When you accomplish something that everyone thinks is impossible, it's amazing. "When that buzzer sounded, 'is this real life? Are we really doing this? We are really going to play in the Final Four!' That's the most special thing." *** While Stiles went on to earn the Rookie of the Year award in 2001 – just as she had predicted in second grade – the rest of her professional career didn't pan out like she expected.&nbsp; She had a wrist injury that led to a shoulder problem, surgery, limited games and then a partially torn Achilles tendon. "It was tough on her when she couldn't play anymore," Pat Stiles said. "She kept trying to come back, trying to come back. That was so frustrating for her. For somebody so driven in her sport, it was a tough phase of her life and she was pretty depressed. "... When she went through the cancer, that really changed her." Jackie Stiles has long been surrounded by a community that cares. Claflin fans supported the team, standing in lines out to the tennis courts to get regional championship game tickets. Southwest Missouri State fans supported in droves, too. "Reliving some of the best moments of my life as we talk, it makes you think back and evaluate about what I would have done differently. I don't believe you can ever fail if you fully gave it your all," she said. "The biggest thing I think about is the people and the relationships and the way the communities supported us." So when she battled eye cancer, she was not alone. There were fund-raisers and cards, cards and more cards. "My mom had thousands of letters that people sent me," Stiles said. "She could visit for 30 minutes a couple times a day, and she'd read me those letters when I couldn't imagine getting out of bed. All those people rallied around me, and I know I could never pay it back ever." Pat Stiles said she focused on being positive and helping others going through the same thing. "I was proud of the way she handled that, getting through the illness," he said. Battling cancer pushed Stiles in an unexpected area.

"I vow to pay it forward," she said. "One small act of kindness every single day is my goal because of how it touched me. You don't realize how a text message or a note can make a huge difference." She also decided that other things in life could come before basketball. On a January weekend, Stiles canceled all basketball lessons to make the trip from Springfield, Mo., back to Claflin for an early birthday party for her parents. Always the competitor, there were some friendly wagers as they played games with the nieces and nephews. Her voice was a little ragged after recovering from pneumonia. But just as she stuck to her 1,000 shots a day, she's sticking to her plan to be an even better person. "We all have our stories," she said. "We all have our adversity. We have to try to turn it into a positive, even though it's difficult.&nbsp; My goal is to be more present in all my relationships. "... Sports has absolutely changed my life. The lessons that you learn, that you carry on in whatever profession you have or when dealing with adversity in life. I've learned so many great lessons from being on a team."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654961579335.png" alt="Kansas has benefited many times over from the inclusion of women and girls in high school activities thanks to Title IX. These stories from KSHSAA highlight the legends and trail blazers that we are so fortunate to have in Kansas." />
 <figcaption>Kansas has benefited many times over from the inclusion of women and girls in high school activities thanks to Title IX. These stories from KSHSAA highlight the legends and trail blazers that we are so fortunate to have in Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure>By Joanna Chadwick, Special to KSHSAA&nbsp;-&nbsp;

It seems like everyone has a story about Claflin's Jackie Stiles, and it's to the point that they've become folklore. Maybe you've heard about how she decided as a second grader that she'd not only play in the pros but be Rookie of the Year? Or how she resolved, after one poor performance, to make 1,000 shots a day? Or how about when she broke her right wrist – on her shooting hand – as a sophomore and then averaged 20 points a game while playing left-handed? Maybe you were even in one of those post-game autograph lines that stretched endlessly because you had to meet Stiles? This isn't folklore. Jackie Stiles is a legend in Kansas basketball. Not girls basketball. Not women's basketball. Basketball. "My internal goal was to be the best that could ever play the game," Stiles said. The stories, the stats, the successes were all achieved because her focus was built around that goal. "Our strengths are our weaknesses. I know that my drive to be the best, it also ended my career early because of injuries," she said. I'd still be playing now if I had the knowledge of how to take care of my body. I didn't have the knowledge." *** Stiles' friendship with Amy Klug Metro started in first grade and continues to this day. It's a friendship filled with pickup basketball games, tennis practices, tap and jazz. "We did dance together when we were younger," Metro said. "She was at my house all the time. We had a cement (basketball) court in my backyard. We'd have tennis lessons in the summer, too." Dance, though, was not Stiles' thing. "I was terrible," she said. "I would not practice, and … then the day before the recital, there would be this major cram and I'd have to learn the routine at least halfway." Now, basketball, she would play for hours. And go to clinics – coaching clinics with her dad, who was the boys basketball coach at Claflin, and sitting for hours listening to coaches talk about the game. She rode the bus to games. "I followed my dad to the gym. He'd show me a fundamental skill, and I couldn't wait to show him when I'd master something," Stiles said. "That's how the love of the game started for me. "I had the vision that basketball was what I wanted to be great at. It was my passion." Clint Kinnamon, who coached Stiles from 1993-96, said her skills as a middle schooler were off the charts. "She was fast, athletic, skilled and had a great personality," he said. "She started off and you saw that speed; she was extremely fast and was running really good 200 times. "What really developed from there was it went from 'I'm going to get a steal and get a layup' to the jump shot, three-point ability, the ability to create a shot on her own." Stiles went to Kinnamon for individual workouts, so he created 15 workouts designed to last 60 to 90 minutes each. "Two days later she came to me and asked, 'do you have any more? I've already done those.' I think people believe her work ethic started when she broke her wrist as a sophomore, but it's always been there." The 1,000 shots a day started after Stiles shot around 30 per cent from the field. "She was devastated," Kinnamon said. "We lost the game. She vowed she'd make 1,000 shots a day. It wasn't a couple days a week. It was every single day. She'd have her brothers up there rebounding. Even her mom, Pam, was up there." Teams focused their defensive efforts on Stiles, running a box-and-one or triangle-and-two on her. "She could handle the ball so well and could break pressure,"said Gregg Webb, who coached Stiles her senior season at Claflin. "When she averaged 46.4 points a game as a senior, people don't understand the attention she was getting. They were putting every kid on their team to stop her. They weren't just letting her score. "In the open floor, she was unstoppable. There was no press that could contain her, and when she was in that position, she was going to go to the basket and score. There was no secret, she was unbelievable. "We had a deal – if there's two girls on her and she thinks she can get one (shot) off-balance, she can go and score. But if there's three girls, find someone else." Stiles' numbers are crazy, and she still holds eight high school records: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 3,603 career points &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 1,252 points in a season &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 71 points in a game &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 35.7 career points per game &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 46.4 season scoring average &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 1,374 career field goals made &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 490 field goals made in a season &nbsp;&nbsp; * - 662 career free throws made And in college at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), who she helped lead to the Final Four: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Set NCAA women's career scoring record, 3,393 points. &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Led the NCAA in scoring average in 1999-2000, 27.8 points per game. &nbsp;&nbsp; And in the WNBA: &nbsp;&nbsp; * - Rookie of the Year in 2001, averaged 14.9 points per game. "She's a superstar, but she's the most humble person," Metro said. "... I was just in awe of her. She was just so dedicated and worked so hard. You just wanted it for her." And just in case you thought Stiles was a one-sport wonder, she also won 14 gold medals in track and two silvers. The most medals possible in a high school career are 16. "Some of my best memories from my athletic career were from the state track meet," Stiles said. "I'm so thankful that I was exposed to other sports. I see so many athletes specializing and so many overuse injuries because they don't do anything else." She also ran cross country and played tennis, in the same season. "Records didn't drive me," Stiles said. "It's the honest truth. What drove me was winning. I thought everyone had that. When I got into college coaching, it was difficult because I found it hard to relate to a player who isn't affected by losing." Webb added: "She didn't care about individual stats. She was just so darn competitive." Stiles' sister, Roxanne, won two titles at Claflin. Their dad has won seven at Central Plains High School and owns the state's longest winning streak at 138 games. And Stiles is thrilled for both of their successes. "My dad is a very quiet, shy man, but he works so hard," she said. "I was just home and he spent time watching three films to get ready for the next game. He cares so much about his players." Stiles never played for a Class 1A title, though. And for someone focused on winning, that's still painful. Claflin lost in the semifinals at Fort Hays State's Gross Memorial Coliseum when she was a freshman and sophomore, and in the first round as a junior and senior. "Hays is not one of my fondest memories," Stiles said. "... The state tournament always ended in heartbreak. I always left Hays crying. "But what drove me to be even better was the people. I wanted to make them proud. To inspire them. I wanted to inspire people to be the best at whatever they did. To lead by example." *** Because there weren't as many opportunities to play basketball – MAYB didn't exist then – Stiles didn't play in an AAU tournament until she was 12. "My dad begged me onto a team in KC," she said. And they drove four hours each way to practice with the team. But in that first tournament, she caught the eye of Southwest Missouri State assistant coach Lynette Robinson, who had just stopped into the gym to kill time while evaluating older players. "This girl with a ponytail flying in the wind was out there stealing the ball and running past everyone in the gym," Kinnamon said. "Lynette turned to the man she was sitting next to and asked if he knew who that girl was. 'Why yes, I do. That's my daughter.' " And that's when Stiles' relationship began with the Bears. It has been a long relationship – Stiles was hired as an assistant coach at Missouri State in 2013 – but making that decision to sign with the Bears was gut-wrenching.&nbsp; Her final four teams were UConn, Oklahoma, K-State and the Bears. "She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings," Webb said. "That pressure of deciding where she wanted to go was legit pressure. She was consumed by it. She wasn't sleeping great, wasn't eating right. She was trying to relive all of it by working out. "I was taking phone calls from 4-6 hours a day. They couldn't talk to her, so they'd talk to me."When coaches could visit, they had 18 home visits in 19 days. Since Claflin doesn't have a restaurant, her mom cooked for every single coach – until the community started bringing casseroles to help. During recruiting, Stiles worked out at 6 a.m., went to school, practiced tennis for two hours, then had cross country for an hour, had dinner with the college coach – and returned to the gym to get shots up. Everyone knew coaches were visiting when Great Bend's one rental car, which was white, sat outside the Stiles house. Kansas State fans took out ads asking Stiles to stay in-state. They sent flowers to her house. Stiles – who has long been a superstitious type, even carrying a cutout of Michael Jordan on the bus to games – called a psychic hotline out of desperation.&nbsp; "Southwest Missouri State had my heart at a young age," she said. "I went to camp there every summer. I finally had the courage to go to Southwest Missouri State. It was the best decision I could make. You have to live with that decision. Do what's in your heart. In your gut." *** The focus has long been on Stiles' scoring, and rightfully so. She took the shots because her goal was to win. Only once was her scoring personal. "I don't normally get caught up in individual records, but my 71-point game came in Macksville," she said. "The year before I was heckled so bad by a group of guys, and I let it get to me. It was one of my worst performances. I told my dad, 'I will break the state scoring record on them.' And it did happen." Stiles' scoring was a focus in college, as well, as she set the NCAA women's career scoring record. "But she had a lot of assists," Pat Stiles said. "She could pass the ball really well. And I tell you, coach (Cheryl) Burnett really made her defense a lot better. That was a trademark of (Burnett's) teams. Jackie's defense got a lot better. Her points overshadowed the assists and the rebounds and the steals that she had." That final Four appearance was special, though. "Everyone thought that was an impossible dream," Stiles said. "When you accomplish something that everyone thinks is impossible, it's amazing. "When that buzzer sounded, 'is this real life? Are we really doing this? We are really going to play in the Final Four!' That's the most special thing." *** While Stiles went on to earn the Rookie of the Year award in 2001 – just as she had predicted in second grade – the rest of her professional career didn't pan out like she expected.&nbsp; She had a wrist injury that led to a shoulder problem, surgery, limited games and then a partially torn Achilles tendon. "It was tough on her when she couldn't play anymore," Pat Stiles said. "She kept trying to come back, trying to come back. That was so frustrating for her. For somebody so driven in her sport, it was a tough phase of her life and she was pretty depressed. "... When she went through the cancer, that really changed her." Jackie Stiles has long been surrounded by a community that cares. Claflin fans supported the team, standing in lines out to the tennis courts to get regional championship game tickets. Southwest Missouri State fans supported in droves, too. "Reliving some of the best moments of my life as we talk, it makes you think back and evaluate about what I would have done differently. I don't believe you can ever fail if you fully gave it your all," she said. "The biggest thing I think about is the people and the relationships and the way the communities supported us." So when she battled eye cancer, she was not alone. There were fund-raisers and cards, cards and more cards. "My mom had thousands of letters that people sent me," Stiles said. "She could visit for 30 minutes a couple times a day, and she'd read me those letters when I couldn't imagine getting out of bed. All those people rallied around me, and I know I could never pay it back ever." Pat Stiles said she focused on being positive and helping others going through the same thing. "I was proud of the way she handled that, getting through the illness," he said. Battling cancer pushed Stiles in an unexpected area."I vow to pay it forward," she said. "One small act of kindness every single day is my goal because of how it touched me. You don't realize how a text message or a note can make a huge difference." She also decided that other things in life could come before basketball. On a January weekend, Stiles canceled all basketball lessons to make the trip from Springfield, Mo., back to Claflin for an early birthday party for her parents. Always the competitor, there were some friendly wagers as they played games with the nieces and nephews. Her voice was a little ragged after recovering from pneumonia. But just as she stuck to her 1,000 shots a day, she's sticking to her plan to be an even better person. "We all have our stories," she said. "We all have our adversity. We have to try to turn it into a positive, even though it's difficult.&nbsp; My goal is to be more present in all my relationships. "... Sports has absolutely changed my life. The lessons that you learn, that you carry on in whatever profession you have or when dealing with adversity in life. I've learned so many great lessons from being on a team."

Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX - Jackie Stiles - Claflin HS

The American Athletic Conference announced an agreement Friday with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF that paves the way for the schools to join the Big 12 in 2023.

The three schools announced in September they had accepted invitations to join the Big 12, which moved quickly to a rebuild its membership after Texas and Oklahoma revealed they planned to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025.

Along with the addition of BYU in 2023, the Big 12 is set to be a 14-team conference for two years.

The American requires its members give more than two years’ notice before they can leave the conference, plus a $10 million exit fee. The AAC said its remaining members agreed to terminate the memberships of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, effective July 1, 2023.

Each departing school agreed to pay the AAC $18 million, with more than half paid out by 2024 and the rest due over a period of 12 years, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the conference nor the schools are releasing terms of the agreement.

American Commissioner Mike Aresco thanked the leadership of the departing schools for arriving at a “sensible resolution.”

All three institutions enjoyed tremendous success under the American Athletic Conference banner, and all three were instrumental in taking the conference “to great heights, both athletically and academically,” Aresco said. “We wish them the best and look forward to having them compete in our conference in 2022-23.”

Cincinnati has won the last two AAC football championships and reached the College Football Playoff last season. UCF has also won two AAC football titles (2017-18). Houston, which lost to Cincinnati in last season’s title game, has one conference title.

Houston won the American men’s basketball title last season and reached the Final Four in 2021.

The new-look AAC is also preparing to have 14 teams in 2023, with six schools from Conference USA having already accepted invitations. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA were all targeting 2023 to make the switch from C-USA to the American.

The departure of those six schools from Conference USA next year was expected to become official soon, but Charlotte, FAU and UTSA put out statements announcing they would be joining the AAC in 2023.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654959072978.jpeg" alt="New Big 12" />
 <figcaption>New Big 12</figcaption>
 </figure>The American Athletic Conference announced an agreement Friday with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF that paves the way for the schools to join the Big 12 in 2023.The three schools announced in September they had accepted invitations to join the Big 12, which moved quickly to a rebuild its membership after Texas and Oklahoma revealed they planned to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025.Along with the addition of BYU in 2023, the Big 12 is set to be a 14-team conference for two years.The American requires its members give more than two years’ notice before they can leave the conference, plus a $10 million exit fee. The AAC said its remaining members agreed to terminate the memberships of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, effective July 1, 2023.Each departing school agreed to pay the AAC $18 million, with more than half paid out by 2024 and the rest due over a period of 12 years, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the conference nor the schools are releasing terms of the agreement.American Commissioner Mike Aresco thanked the leadership of the departing schools for arriving at a “sensible resolution.”All three institutions enjoyed tremendous success under the American Athletic Conference banner, and all three were instrumental in taking the conference “to great heights, both athletically and academically,” Aresco said. “We wish them the best and look forward to having them compete in our conference in 2022-23.”Cincinnati has won the last two AAC football championships and reached the College Football Playoff last season. UCF has also won two AAC football titles (2017-18). Houston, which lost to Cincinnati in last season’s title game, has one conference title.Houston won the American men’s basketball title last season and reached the Final Four in 2021.The new-look AAC is also preparing to have 14 teams in 2023, with six schools from Conference USA having already accepted invitations. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA were all targeting 2023 to make the switch from C-USA to the American.The departure of those six schools from Conference USA next year was expected to become official soon, but Charlotte, FAU and UTSA put out statements announcing they would be joining the AAC in 2023.

AAC deal lets UCF, Cincinnati, Houston join Big 12 in ’23

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonathan Heasley allowed one hit in a career-best seven sharp innings, Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 on Friday night for their third straight win.

Michael A. Taylor also homered for Kansas City, which had a season-high eight extra-base hits — the Royals’ most in a game since April 2, 2021, against Texas.

“Talk about how you have to feel it, see it and all the pieces have to come together,” manager Mike Matheny said. “The extra-base hits, the situational hitting, good baserunning and good defense and our starter doing what he did today.”

Heasley (1-3) had the best start of his young career, allowing just one baserunner and struck out seven. He became the fifth Royals player — and first since 1992 — to pitch seven innings and allow one hit or fewer with no walks.

“I think the biggest thing is that I was on the attack from the get-go,” Heasley said. “I felt like I’ve been throwing well recently, but I feel like I’ve gotten more confident every time and trust the defense behind me.”

It was the opposite for Bruce Zimmermann (2-5), who gave up a career-high seven earned runs in 4 ⅔ innings while allowing 10 hits and striking out two.

“I thought he got hurt again today with his off-speed stuff,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “For me, it was a lot of elevated off-speed in the first and then just hung a bad slider to Melendez.”

Perez and Melendez dazzled with their bats and gloves. Perez homered in the first inning with a 436-foot blast that nearly hit Crown Vision.

“I hit it pretty good,” Perez said with a smile. “I stayed back and got ahead in the count.”

Then, the five-time Gold Glove catcher showed off his defensive prowess in the third inning by fielding a bunt to his left, twirling and throwing out the speedy Cedric Mullins at first.

“It was a great bunt,” Perez said. “I’m just going to do my best to help my pitcher. I try to do my job and that was a great play.”

In the fifth inning, Melendez made a diving catch in right field and followed that up with a 425-foot three-run homer in his next at-bat to give the Royals a 7-0 lead. Kansas City has scored at least seven runs in three straight games for the first time since September 2019.

“I knew he was going to try and get me to chase something and left it over the plate,” Melendez said. “When the ball was hit (on the diving catch), I saw the ball and kind of lost it for a second and just stayed with it.”

Anthony Santander homered off Albert Abreu in the ninth inning for Baltimore to end Kansas City’s shutout bid.

Royals: LHP Angel Zerpa was recalled from Northwest Arkansas and RHP Collin Snider was optioned to Triple-A.

Royals: RHP Zack Greinke (right flexor strain) will start a rehab assignment Sunday in Omaha. OF Edward Olivares (right quad strain) started a rehab assignment in Triple-A.

Baltimore sends RHP Tyler Wells (2-4, 3.78 ERA) to the mound on Saturday against LHP Daniel Lynch (2-5, 5.36 ERA).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonathan Heasley allowed one hit in a career-best seven sharp innings, Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 on Friday night for their third straight win.Michael A. Taylor also homered for Kansas City, which had a season-high eight extra-base hits — the Royals’ most in a game since April 2, 2021, against Texas.“Talk about how you have to feel it, see it and all the pieces have to come together,” manager Mike Matheny said. “The extra-base hits, the situational hitting, good baserunning and good defense and our starter doing what he did today.”Heasley (1-3) had the best start of his young career, allowing just one baserunner and struck out seven. He became the fifth Royals player — and first since 1992 — to pitch seven innings and allow one hit or fewer with no walks.“I think the biggest thing is that I was on the attack from the get-go,” Heasley said. “I felt like I’ve been throwing well recently, but I feel like I’ve gotten more confident every time and trust the defense behind me.”It was the opposite for Bruce Zimmermann (2-5), who gave up a career-high seven earned runs in 4 ⅔ innings while allowing 10 hits and striking out two.“I thought he got hurt again today with his off-speed stuff,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “For me, it was a lot of elevated off-speed in the first and then just hung a bad slider to Melendez.”Perez and Melendez dazzled with their bats and gloves. Perez homered in the first inning with a 436-foot blast that nearly hit Crown Vision.“I hit it pretty good,” Perez said with a smile. “I stayed back and got ahead in the count.”Then, the five-time Gold Glove catcher showed off his defensive prowess in the third inning by fielding a bunt to his left, twirling and throwing out the speedy Cedric Mullins at first.“It was a great bunt,” Perez said. “I’m just going to do my best to help my pitcher. I try to do my job and that was a great play.”In the fifth inning, Melendez made a diving catch in right field and followed that up with a 425-foot three-run homer in his next at-bat to give the Royals a 7-0 lead. Kansas City has scored at least seven runs in three straight games for the first time since September 2019.“I knew he was going to try and get me to chase something and left it over the plate,” Melendez said. “When the ball was hit (on the diving catch), I saw the ball and kind of lost it for a second and just stayed with it.”Anthony Santander homered off Albert Abreu in the ninth inning for Baltimore to end Kansas City’s shutout bid.ROSTER MOVESRoyals: LHP Angel Zerpa was recalled from Northwest Arkansas and RHP Collin Snider was optioned to Triple-A.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: RHP Zack Greinke (right flexor strain) will start a rehab assignment Sunday in Omaha. OF Edward Olivares (right quad strain) started a rehab assignment in Triple-A.UP NEXTBaltimore sends RHP Tyler Wells (2-4, 3.78 ERA) to the mound on Saturday against LHP Daniel Lynch (2-5, 5.36 ERA).

Heasley sharp over 7 innings as Royals top Orioles 8-1

The Hays Baseball Club's Wild West Fest Tournament is scheduled for June 30 to July 3 in Hays.

Games will be played at Larks Park, Hays High School and the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex. Registration for the USSSA-sanctioned event is open in the 18U and 16U categories.

To sign up,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usssa.com/baseball/event_home/?eventID=364709">CLICK HERE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654891322423.png" alt="Sign up a team by clicking <a href="https://www.usssa.com/baseball/event_home/?eventID=364709">HERE</a>." />
 <figcaption>Sign up a team by clicking <a href="https://www.usssa.com/baseball/event_home/?eventID=364709">HERE</a>.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Hays Baseball Club's Wild West Fest Tournament is scheduled for June 30 to July 3 in Hays.Games will be played at Larks Park, Hays High School and the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex. Registration for the USSSA-sanctioned event is open in the 18U and 16U categories.To sign up,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usssa.com/baseball/event_home/?eventID=364709">CLICK HERE</a>.

Registration open for Hays baseball tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In recognizing winning the 2022 NCAA National Championship, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self spent his Thursday evening receiving the 2022 Sportsmen of the Year on behalf of the KU team at the 49th Annual Kansas City Sports Awards banquet in downtown Kansas City.

Kansas was represented by Self, director of athletics Travis Goff and other KU administrators for the prestigious event hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation at the Muelbach Tower of the Marriott Downtown. KU’s award was one of six presented at the banquet.

The 2022 national champion Jayhawks went 34-6, tied for the Big 12 regular-season title with a 14-4 record, won the Big 12 Tournament, advanced to KU’s 16th Final Four and won Kansas’ sixth national title, fourth in NCAA history. KU won its final 11 games of the 2021-22 season defeating Villanova and North Carolina in the Final Four in New Orleans. Additionally, in its NCAA Tournament run, Kansas became the all-time winningest program in NCAA Division I history, currently at 2,357 all-time wins.

“Coaches know better than anyone else what a team’s ceiling is,” Self said to the capacity crowd. “We’ve had great teams that I thought operated close to their ceiling. But this year’s team went all the way against it because of intangibles. You can’t win without players, but you can’t win championships without players and intangibles and this team possessed all that.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In recognizing winning the 2022 NCAA National Championship, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self spent his Thursday evening receiving the 2022 Sportsmen of the Year on behalf of the KU team at the 49th Annual Kansas City Sports Awards banquet in downtown Kansas City.Kansas was represented by Self, director of athletics Travis Goff and other KU administrators for the prestigious event hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation at the Muelbach Tower of the Marriott Downtown. KU’s award was one of six presented at the banquet.The 2022 national champion Jayhawks went 34-6, tied for the Big 12 regular-season title with a 14-4 record, won the Big 12 Tournament, advanced to KU’s 16th Final Four and won Kansas’ sixth national title, fourth in NCAA history. KU won its final 11 games of the 2021-22 season defeating Villanova and North Carolina in the Final Four in New Orleans. Additionally, in its NCAA Tournament run, Kansas became the all-time winningest program in NCAA Division I history, currently at 2,357 all-time wins.“Coaches know better than anyone else what a team’s ceiling is,” Self said to the capacity crowd. “We’ve had great teams that I thought operated close to their ceiling. But this year’s team went all the way against it because of intangibles. You can’t win without players, but you can’t win championships without players and intangibles and this team possessed all that.”Kansas Athletics

Kansas Men’s Basketball Receives Honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carlos Santana and MJ Melendez homered, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 on Thursday night.

Santana hit a two-run homer to break a fifth-inning tie as the Royals won consecutive games for the first time since May 17-18.

“Carlos is confident right now,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “It was good to see from the left side, too, because I know he takes that personal. That ball was hit.”

“We feel confident,” Santana said. “It’s good to win two days in a row, but we have to keep it up. A lot of our younger players have good talent.”

The last-place teams have had 30 players age 25 or younger on their rosters ths season, including the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who were ranked as the top two big league prospects entering the season.

Former Gold Glove catcher Matheny had high praise for Rutschman’s glove work.

“He got off to kind of a rough start (at the plate),” Matheny said. “But you watch his mannerisms and it was almost like he kicked it up to another level when he got behind the plate. He’s a guy who understands the importance of that position.”

Witt and Melendez played large roles Thursday. Witt had two hits and stole two bases, while Melendez homered, drove in two and scored twice.

“They’re dangerous,” Matheny said. “The guys are young but they’re learning fast and they’re making great adjustments. MJ taking his walks, and display(ing) his power. And the same with Bobby taking really great at-bats. They seem to be ahead of where they should be.”

“I feel like we’re all having really great at-bats,” Melendez said. “We’re doing a really good job of getting guys in scoring position. I’m making the pitcher come to me. If he doesn’t want to pitch to me I have full confidence in the guy behind me to get the job done. Just trying to make him make a perfect pitch every time.”

Witt’s double set up Salvador Perez’s two-run single. Melendez followed with his fifth homer for a 4-1 third-inning lead as Kansas City batted around against Jordan Lyles (3-5), who allowed six runs, eight hits and three walks over five innings.

“I didn’t enjoy the way things went on my end,” Lyles said. “I need to be better, and figure it out in between starts and get rid of this little tough stretch I’ve been through.”

The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth and chased Kris Bubic, tying the score.

“I thought overall I executed more pitches tonight than I did the previous outing,” Bubic said. “I just thought execution-wise with everything, probably much better. I just happened to get away with it last outing.”

“I thought his pitch execution was better,” Matheny said. “He established with his fastball, used his breaking ball and got some swing-and-miss on it, and then the changeup was still really good. When he elevates it leads to a lot of foul balls and those foul balls turn into higher pitch counts.”

Joel Payamps (2-1) worked out of a bases-load jam to pick up the win with four outs in relief while Scott Barlow earned his sixth save.

“We’ve worked Scott pretty hard,” Matheny said. “I didn’t want to have to go get him to get that third out in the eighth, but the game was on the line. The best part of their order was coming up. He just figures out how to get it done.”

Orioles RHP Austin Voth, claimed off waivers from Washington on Tuesday, was activated. INF Chris Owings was designated for assignment. RHP Spenser Watkins was reinstated from the 15-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Orioles LHP Bruce Zimmermann (2-4, 4.87 ERA) takes the mound on Friday, and RHP Jonathan Heasley (0-3, 4.62 ERA) goes for the Royals.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carlos Santana and MJ Melendez homered, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 on Thursday night.Santana hit a two-run homer to break a fifth-inning tie as the Royals won consecutive games for the first time since May 17-18.“Carlos is confident right now,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “It was good to see from the left side, too, because I know he takes that personal. That ball was hit.”“We feel confident,” Santana said. “It’s good to win two days in a row, but we have to keep it up. A lot of our younger players have good talent.”The last-place teams have had 30 players age 25 or younger on their rosters ths season, including the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who were ranked as the top two big league prospects entering the season.Former Gold Glove catcher Matheny had high praise for Rutschman’s glove work.“He got off to kind of a rough start (at the plate),” Matheny said. “But you watch his mannerisms and it was almost like he kicked it up to another level when he got behind the plate. He’s a guy who understands the importance of that position.”Witt and Melendez played large roles Thursday. Witt had two hits and stole two bases, while Melendez homered, drove in two and scored twice.“They’re dangerous,” Matheny said. “The guys are young but they’re learning fast and they’re making great adjustments. MJ taking his walks, and display(ing) his power. And the same with Bobby taking really great at-bats. They seem to be ahead of where they should be.”“I feel like we’re all having really great at-bats,” Melendez said. “We’re doing a really good job of getting guys in scoring position. I’m making the pitcher come to me. If he doesn’t want to pitch to me I have full confidence in the guy behind me to get the job done. Just trying to make him make a perfect pitch every time.”Witt’s double set up Salvador Perez’s two-run single. Melendez followed with his fifth homer for a 4-1 third-inning lead as Kansas City batted around against Jordan Lyles (3-5), who allowed six runs, eight hits and three walks over five innings.“I didn’t enjoy the way things went on my end,” Lyles said. “I need to be better, and figure it out in between starts and get rid of this little tough stretch I’ve been through.”The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth and chased Kris Bubic, tying the score.“I thought overall I executed more pitches tonight than I did the previous outing,” Bubic said. “I just thought execution-wise with everything, probably much better. I just happened to get away with it last outing.”“I thought his pitch execution was better,” Matheny said. “He established with his fastball, used his breaking ball and got some swing-and-miss on it, and then the changeup was still really good. When he elevates it leads to a lot of foul balls and those foul balls turn into higher pitch counts.”Joel Payamps (2-1) worked out of a bases-load jam to pick up the win with four outs in relief while Scott Barlow earned his sixth save.“We’ve worked Scott pretty hard,” Matheny said. “I didn’t want to have to go get him to get that third out in the eighth, but the game was on the line. The best part of their order was coming up. He just figures out how to get it done.”TRANSACTIONSOrioles RHP Austin Voth, claimed off waivers from Washington on Tuesday, was activated. INF Chris Owings was designated for assignment. RHP Spenser Watkins was reinstated from the 15-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.UP NEXTOrioles LHP Bruce Zimmermann (2-4, 4.87 ERA) takes the mound on Friday, and RHP Jonathan Heasley (0-3, 4.62 ERA) goes for the Royals.

Santana, Melendez homer in Royals’ 7-5 win over Orioles

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654780961532.png" alt="Great Bend Bat Cat Manager Roger Ward joined Steve Webster on the A.M. Great Bend Show on Thursday (6/9) morning. Listen in....." />
 <figcaption>Great Bend Bat Cat Manager Roger Ward joined Steve Webster on the A.M. Great Bend Show on Thursday (6/9) morning. Listen in.....</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/xfesdxc2/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Bat Cat Baseball with Manager Roger Ward on the "A.M. Great Bend Show"

Along with recruitment and retention of officials and related behavior issues in high school sports, which were addressed in this column last week, another concern across the high school landscape this year has been the impact of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) on high school athletics.

It has been less than one year since the NCAA suspended its longstanding amateur rules to allow college athletes to monetize their success and profit from their NIL, and many changes have occurred at that level. And, throughout the year, several state high school associations have established policies to help high school students navigate through murky NIL waters.  

The state of officiating, NIL and information about the 50th anniversary of Title IX, were among the subjects discussed during the NFHS’ Media Availability Session.

With regard to NIL, we realize that high school students can be tremendous entrepreneurs – they already are in a number of capacities. Students have the ability to be recognized for their athletic prowess and that can be a nice opportunity for a young person.

However, the NFHS and its member associations believe high school student-athletes should not be able to benefit as professionals from something they do not own – that is their high school uniform. The NFHS and its member state associations would not support a situation that would involve a member school and a student-athlete entering into a professional contract while representing that member school.

Right now within the 51 member state associations, while some state statutes are bringing high school student-athletes into their language, no student-athlete in a member school can be a professionally paid student by virtue of their identity as a student-athlete in that member school.  

We believe the purpose of high school athletics and performing arts is not to develop professional athletes but to develop kids, to help kids develop life skills and help them develop relationships. The high school locker room is arguably the last bastion of amateurism within an education-based setting, and we want to protect that.

The purpose of high school athletics is very different from the professional level – and even the college level. High school students can enjoy some success with NIL, but it cannot be done while wearing the school uniform.

And with what has happened at the college level this past year, there are some major concerns about the breakdown of amateur sports – and what the future holds in high schools nationwide.

At the high school level, there is a concern about the absolute breakdown of culture and climate of the high school locker room and the purpose for kids to play high school sports. If high school student-athletes are allowed to wear their Friday Night Lights jerseys to engage in professional contracts, not only are the dynamics of amateurism disrupted, but also the dynamics of a team, the school and the community. You have students earning money because they are a high school student and a pretty good athlete with the jersey on. This is extremely disruptive to the purpose of high school sports.         

There is a concern about the breakdown of not just the pathway to education after high school and perhaps participation, but also the breakdown of the very sensitive culture and climate that is amateur high school sports.

We know that adjustments, tweaks and re-thinking of issues are important in our ever-changing world. The NFHS and its member state associations continue to be open to change, but resolute in the belief that high school sports is not about preparing students for the next level of play but preparing students for life. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643235301160.jpeg" alt="Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her fourth year as chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. " />
 <figcaption>Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her fourth year as chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. </figcaption>
 </figure>Along with recruitment and retention of officials and related behavior issues in high school sports, which were addressed in this column last week, another concern across the high school landscape this year has been the impact of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) on high school athletics.It has been less than one year since the NCAA suspended its longstanding amateur rules to allow college athletes to monetize their success and profit from their NIL, and many changes have occurred at that level. And, throughout the year, several state high school associations have established policies to help high school students navigate through murky NIL waters. The state of officiating, NIL and information about the 50th anniversary of Title IX, were among the subjects discussed during the NFHS’ Media Availability Session.With regard to NIL, we realize that high school students can be tremendous entrepreneurs – they already are in a number of capacities. Students have the ability to be recognized for their athletic prowess and that can be a nice opportunity for a young person.However, the NFHS and its member associations believe high school student-athletes should not be able to benefit as professionals from something they do not own – that is their high school uniform. The NFHS and its member state associations would not support a situation that would involve a member school and a student-athlete entering into a professional contract while representing that member school.Right now within the 51 member state associations, while some state statutes are bringing high school student-athletes into their language, no student-athlete in a member school can be a professionally paid student by virtue of their identity as a student-athlete in that member school. We believe the purpose of high school athletics and performing arts is not to develop professional athletes but to develop kids, to help kids develop life skills and help them develop relationships. The high school locker room is arguably the last bastion of amateurism within an education-based setting, and we want to protect that.The purpose of high school athletics is very different from the professional level – and even the college level. High school students can enjoy some success with NIL, but it cannot be done while wearing the school uniform.And with what has happened at the college level this past year, there are some major concerns about the breakdown of amateur sports – and what the future holds in high schools nationwide.At the high school level, there is a concern about the absolute breakdown of culture and climate of the high school locker room and the purpose for kids to play high school sports. If high school student-athletes are allowed to wear their Friday Night Lights jerseys to engage in professional contracts, not only are the dynamics of amateurism disrupted, but also the dynamics of a team, the school and the community. You have students earning money because they are a high school student and a pretty good athlete with the jersey on. This is extremely disruptive to the purpose of high school sports. There is a concern about the breakdown of not just the pathway to education after high school and perhaps participation, but also the breakdown of the very sensitive culture and climate that is amateur high school sports.We know that adjustments, tweaks and re-thinking of issues are important in our ever-changing world. The NFHS and its member state associations continue to be open to change, but resolute in the belief that high school sports is not about preparing students for the next level of play but preparing students for life.

No NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) Benefits While Wearing High School Uniform

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Matheny spent about 20 minutes in the dugout before his Kansas City Royals took the field against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday and tried to put what has been a miserable 20-game stretch into perspective.

“There’s some things we can get better at,” Matheny said of the 5-15 rut, “and it’s a long list.”

They took care of a couple of them in their series finale against Toronto.

Kansas City finally managed to get into hitter’s counts throughout the game, knocking out Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi before the end of the first inning, and rolled the rest of the way to an 8-4 victory that ended a three-game losing streak.

MJ Melendez and Emmanuel Rivera drove in two runs apiece. Carlos Santana went 4 for 4 and reached base five times during his eighth career four-hit game. And lumbering catcher Salvador Perez had his first triple in five years.

“I mean, it’s helpful when you start talking about hitter’s counts instead of pitcher’s counts,” Matheny said afterward. “We have been on the other side of that, where you have to go to the bullpen early and have to kind of navigate things.”

Brady Singer allowed home runs to Raimel Tapia and Zack Collins but only allowed one other run in five tough innings. He improved to 3-1 in his five starts while the rest of the Kansas City rotation is 3-25 in 50 combined starts.

“I felt like I battled,” Singer said. “Gave the team a chance to win.”

Kikuchi retired only two batters while walking four and serving up two hits that cost him three first-inning runs — two more than Kansas City scored in its last four games against the Blue Jays, including a pair of shutouts to start the series.

Toronto briefly tied the game 3-all before Trevor Richards (2-1) allowed three more runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

“It gets tough,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said, “because you’ve got to cover eight, nine innings when the bullpen is already thin. So like I always say, pitching and defense wins. If Kikuchi comes throwing strikes, we have a good chance.

“Credit to our team that we still battled back and were in the game,” he added, “but it was too much to overcome.”

Given how much trouble the Royals have had scoring runs lately — they’d gone 18 straight innings without getting anyone across home plate — they no doubt welcomed the Kikuchi’s wayward ways on Wednesday.

He started by walking Andrew Benintendi and Bobby Witt Jr. to set up Melendez’s two-run bloop double. Then, the left-hander walked Santana before Rivera’s run-scoring base hit. And to finish things off, Kikuchi walked Michael Taylor before Montoyo brought in Trent Thornton to deal with a bases-loaded mess.

Thornton got a dazzling snare from shortstop Bo Bichette to prevent more runs from scoring.

It didn’t take Singer long to cough up the Royals’ lead: He served up homers to Tapia in the first and Collins in the third, both on 3-2 counts, along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI grounder that knotted the game 3-all.

Perez’s single and Melendez’s grounder gave the Royals the lead back in the fourth, and they extended it on Taylor’s double in the fifth, Santana’s single in the sixth and Whit Merrifield’s double in the seventh.

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” Matheny said. “Made the promise to myself that we’re going to stop and enjoy them when things come together the right way. I told the guys, ‘Enjoy dinner with your family and don’t forget to smile.’”

Blue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza (forearm inflammation) had a rehab outing for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and could rejoin the club in Detroit. RHP Nate Pearson (mononucleosis) also planned to pitch for the Bison in their doubleheader.

Royals: OF Hunter Dozier is dealing with “something in his side” that flared up in an at-bat Monday, Matheny said. It kept Dozier out of the lineup for the second straight day. “They’re still checking it out,” Matheny said.

The Blue Jays are off Thursday before sending RHP Jose Berrios (4-2, 5.24) to the mound to open a three-game set against the Tigers on Friday night. The Royals continue their season-high 10-game homestand Thursday night with LHP Kris Bubic (0-3, 9.33) getting the start against the Orioles in the opener of a four-game series.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Matheny spent about 20 minutes in the dugout before his Kansas City Royals took the field against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday and tried to put what has been a miserable 20-game stretch into perspective.“There’s some things we can get better at,” Matheny said of the 5-15 rut, “and it’s a long list.”They took care of a couple of them in their series finale against Toronto.Kansas City finally managed to get into hitter’s counts throughout the game, knocking out Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi before the end of the first inning, and rolled the rest of the way to an 8-4 victory that ended a three-game losing streak.MJ Melendez and Emmanuel Rivera drove in two runs apiece. Carlos Santana went 4 for 4 and reached base five times during his eighth career four-hit game. And lumbering catcher Salvador Perez had his first triple in five years.“I mean, it’s helpful when you start talking about hitter’s counts instead of pitcher’s counts,” Matheny said afterward. “We have been on the other side of that, where you have to go to the bullpen early and have to kind of navigate things.”Brady Singer allowed home runs to Raimel Tapia and Zack Collins but only allowed one other run in five tough innings. He improved to 3-1 in his five starts while the rest of the Kansas City rotation is 3-25 in 50 combined starts.“I felt like I battled,” Singer said. “Gave the team a chance to win.”Kikuchi retired only two batters while walking four and serving up two hits that cost him three first-inning runs — two more than Kansas City scored in its last four games against the Blue Jays, including a pair of shutouts to start the series.Toronto briefly tied the game 3-all before Trevor Richards (2-1) allowed three more runs in the fourth and fifth innings.“It gets tough,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said, “because you’ve got to cover eight, nine innings when the bullpen is already thin. So like I always say, pitching and defense wins. If Kikuchi comes throwing strikes, we have a good chance.“Credit to our team that we still battled back and were in the game,” he added, “but it was too much to overcome.”Given how much trouble the Royals have had scoring runs lately — they’d gone 18 straight innings without getting anyone across home plate — they no doubt welcomed the Kikuchi’s wayward ways on Wednesday.He started by walking Andrew Benintendi and Bobby Witt Jr. to set up Melendez’s two-run bloop double. Then, the left-hander walked Santana before Rivera’s run-scoring base hit. And to finish things off, Kikuchi walked Michael Taylor before Montoyo brought in Trent Thornton to deal with a bases-loaded mess.Thornton got a dazzling snare from shortstop Bo Bichette to prevent more runs from scoring.It didn’t take Singer long to cough up the Royals’ lead: He served up homers to Tapia in the first and Collins in the third, both on 3-2 counts, along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI grounder that knotted the game 3-all.Perez’s single and Melendez’s grounder gave the Royals the lead back in the fourth, and they extended it on Taylor’s double in the fifth, Santana’s single in the sixth and Whit Merrifield’s double in the seventh.“We’re going to enjoy this one,” Matheny said. “Made the promise to myself that we’re going to stop and enjoy them when things come together the right way. I told the guys, ‘Enjoy dinner with your family and don’t forget to smile.’”TRAINER’S ROOMBlue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza (forearm inflammation) had a rehab outing for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and could rejoin the club in Detroit. RHP Nate Pearson (mononucleosis) also planned to pitch for the Bison in their doubleheader.Royals: OF Hunter Dozier is dealing with “something in his side” that flared up in an at-bat Monday, Matheny said. It kept Dozier out of the lineup for the second straight day. “They’re still checking it out,” Matheny said.UP NEXTThe Blue Jays are off Thursday before sending RHP Jose Berrios (4-2, 5.24) to the mound to open a three-game set against the Tigers on Friday night. The Royals continue their season-high 10-game homestand Thursday night with LHP Kris Bubic (0-3, 9.33) getting the start against the Orioles in the opener of a four-game series.

Royals’ bats awaken in 8-4 win over Blue Jays to avoid sweep

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

The drama lasted all the way to the finish line at this year's Kansas State High School (KSHSAA) High School Track and Field State Championships in Wichita. Quite literally. Great Bend freshman Kara Feist, running the final leg of the 4x400m relay, pulled ahead late to win the race by 0.08 seconds and secure the Class 5A runner-up trophy for the Lady Panthers.

Great Bend pulled off the state championship in the 4x400m relay despite having only one state-bound sprinter in Feist, who placed 10th in the 400m dash prelims Friday to miss the finals by half a second.

"We threw two of the 300m hurdlers in there with sophomores Sadie Spray and Makenzie Premer, which obviously made it a lot better right away," said Panther track coach Lyles Lashley. "(Feist), she's just a different beast when you put a baton in her hand."

The Lady Panthers were on a short list of contenders to win the relay title in the final race of the season. The drama was compounded by Kapaun Mt. Carmel running more than a second faster than Great Bend in Friday's prelims, and the Lady Crusaders held a one-point edge over the Panthers in the team standings.

"The girls actually wanted some pressure," Lashley said. "They wanted to have a little challenge and they rose up to it. They didn't fold. They knew Kapuan had run the fastest time in the other prelim the day before so they were looking forward to the challenge."

Sophomores Eliana Beckham, Premer, and Spray ran the first three laps of the relay. That trio competed well at home before a baton drop on the final handoff put Andale in the lead. The freshman Feist caught Andale's state sprinter late in that race to tie for the overall meet win, and she ran from behind before catching Kapaun at state.

"I wasn't worried about her," said Lashley. "We call her 'Barn Smeller.' She smells that finish line and she's tough to beat."

Mill Valley was expected to win this year's Class 5A title, and the Jaguars did just that with 75.5 points. Great Bend beat Kapaun by a single point with 67 for its best state finish since winning a state title in 2007.

The Panther boys dealt with some late injuries, but Lashley expects both squads to return strong in 2023.

"Most of them come back on the boys' side, actually all of them but one," he said. "The girls, we lose 11 points but hopefully that will motivate the kids to get out and compete."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654616410651.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostThe drama lasted all the way to the finish line at this year's Kansas State High School (KSHSAA) High School Track and Field State Championships in Wichita. Quite literally. Great Bend freshman Kara Feist, running the final leg of the 4x400m relay, pulled ahead late to win the race by 0.08 seconds and secure the Class 5A runner-up trophy for the Lady Panthers.Great Bend pulled off the state championship in the 4x400m relay despite having only one state-bound sprinter in Feist, who placed 10th in the 400m dash prelims Friday to miss the finals by half a second."We threw two of the 300m hurdlers in there with sophomores Sadie Spray and Makenzie Premer, which obviously made it a lot better right away," said Panther track coach Lyles Lashley. "(Feist), she's just a different beast when you put a baton in her hand."The Lady Panthers were on a short list of contenders to win the relay title in the final race of the season. The drama was compounded by Kapaun Mt. Carmel running more than a second faster than Great Bend in Friday's prelims, and the Lady Crusaders held a one-point edge over the Panthers in the team standings."The girls actually wanted some pressure," Lashley said. "They wanted to have a little challenge and they rose up to it. They didn't fold. They knew Kapuan had run the fastest time in the other prelim the day before so they were looking forward to the challenge."Sophomores Eliana Beckham, Premer, and Spray ran the first three laps of the relay. That trio competed well at home before a baton drop on the final handoff put Andale in the lead. The freshman Feist caught Andale's state sprinter late in that race to tie for the overall meet win, and she ran from behind before catching Kapaun at state.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654616750710.jpeg" alt="Great Bend freshman Kara Feist." />
 <figcaption>Great Bend freshman Kara Feist.</figcaption>
 </figure>"I wasn't worried about her," said Lashley. "We call her 'Barn Smeller.' She smells that finish line and she's tough to beat."Mill Valley was expected to win this year's Class 5A title, and the Jaguars did just that with 75.5 points. Great Bend beat Kapaun by a single point with 67 for its best state finish since winning a state title in 2007.The Panther boys dealt with some late injuries, but Lashley expects both squads to return strong in 2023."Most of them come back on the boys' side, actually all of them but one," he said. "The girls, we lose 11 points but hopefully that will motivate the kids to get out and compete."

'Barn smeller' leads to barn-burner state finish for GBHS

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Waltons, heirs to the Walmart fortune and America’s richest family, have won the bidding to purchase the Denver Broncos in the most expensive deal for a sports franchise anywhere in the world.

The Broncos announced late Tuesday night they had entered into a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner ownership group led by Rob Walton, his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner.

Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, but KUSA-TV in Denver reported it was for $4.65 billion.

The price tag far surpasses the $3.1 billion sale last month of Chelsea, one of European soccer’s blue ribbon teams, to an American-led consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly.

Boehly reportedly was among the investors with one of the five finalists who were invited to make bids for the Broncos by Monday’s deadline.

The agreement for the Walmart-Penner group to buy the franchise from the Pat Bowlen Trust must be approved by the NFL, but that is considered a formality.

“While this purchase and sale agreement is pending approval from the NFL’s finance committee and league ownership, today marks a significant step on the path to an exciting new chapter in Broncos history,” team president and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement.

“I have enjoyed getting to know Rob Walton, Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner throughout this process,” Ellis said. “Learning more about their background and vision for the Denver Broncos, I am confident that their leadership and support will help this team achieve great things on and off the field.”

Rob Walton said in a statement, “We are thrilled to be selected to move forward with the purchase of the Denver Broncos! Carrie, Greg and I are inspired by the opportunity to steward this great organization in a vibrant community full of opportunity and passionate fans.

“Having lived and worked in Colorado, we’ve always admired the Broncos. Our enthusiasm has only grown as we’ve learned more about the team, staff and Broncos Country over the last few months,” Walton added.

Walton said Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments and chairwoman of Starbucks, has agreed to join the ownership group.

Hobson is Black. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made minority ownership a point of emphasis in the league.

“Mellody currently serves as Chair of the Board of Starbucks Corporation and is also a director of JPMorgan Chase. We know she will bring her strategic acumen and leadership perspective to our team,” Walton said.

“We look forward to earning the confidence and support of the NFL as we take the next step in this process. When the necessary approval procedures are met, our family is excited to share more with Broncos fans, the organization and the community.”

Walton, 77, was chairman of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, from 1992-2015, when he retired. He is the eldest son of founder Sam Walton and Helen Walton and has an estimated net worth of nearly $60 billion.

First-year coach Nathaniel Hackett demurred when asked Monday during offseason workouts if he’s kept up with the sale process.

“My job is to get the team ready and teach systems and teach them to come together as a team and get them better at football,” Hackett said. “I know that’s obviously a huge, huge deal. But for us it’s about winning no matter who is going to own the team, so I’m excited.”

After a first round of bids, five finalists were invited to tour the team’s facilities and take a deeper dive into the franchise’s finances. Hackett said he met with most of the billionaire bidders.

“After talking with everybody, I think they all have an amazing passion and want to be part of this league, and they want to be part of a team — and I think that’s something that’s really beautiful,” Hackett said.

“They want to come to win, and they want to do something great here. And so wherever it is, I think we’re going to be very grateful.”

The Pat Bowlen Trust has run the franchise for several years and last year put the club up for sale after Hall of Famer Pat Bowlen’s children couldn’t concur on a successor to their father.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Waltons, heirs to the Walmart fortune and America’s richest family, have won the bidding to purchase the Denver Broncos in the most expensive deal for a sports franchise anywhere in the world.The Broncos announced late Tuesday night they had entered into a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner ownership group led by Rob Walton, his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner.Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, but KUSA-TV in Denver reported it was for $4.65 billion.The price tag far surpasses the $3.1 billion sale last month of Chelsea, one of European soccer’s blue ribbon teams, to an American-led consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly.Boehly reportedly was among the investors with one of the five finalists who were invited to make bids for the Broncos by Monday’s deadline.The agreement for the Walmart-Penner group to buy the franchise from the Pat Bowlen Trust must be approved by the NFL, but that is considered a formality.“While this purchase and sale agreement is pending approval from the NFL’s finance committee and league ownership, today marks a significant step on the path to an exciting new chapter in Broncos history,” team president and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement.“I have enjoyed getting to know Rob Walton, Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner throughout this process,” Ellis said. “Learning more about their background and vision for the Denver Broncos, I am confident that their leadership and support will help this team achieve great things on and off the field.”Rob Walton said in a statement, “We are thrilled to be selected to move forward with the purchase of the Denver Broncos! Carrie, Greg and I are inspired by the opportunity to steward this great organization in a vibrant community full of opportunity and passionate fans.“Having lived and worked in Colorado, we’ve always admired the Broncos. Our enthusiasm has only grown as we’ve learned more about the team, staff and Broncos Country over the last few months,” Walton added.Walton said Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments and chairwoman of Starbucks, has agreed to join the ownership group.Hobson is Black. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made minority ownership a point of emphasis in the league.“Mellody currently serves as Chair of the Board of Starbucks Corporation and is also a director of JPMorgan Chase. We know she will bring her strategic acumen and leadership perspective to our team,” Walton said.“We look forward to earning the confidence and support of the NFL as we take the next step in this process. When the necessary approval procedures are met, our family is excited to share more with Broncos fans, the organization and the community.”Walton, 77, was chairman of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, from 1992-2015, when he retired. He is the eldest son of founder Sam Walton and Helen Walton and has an estimated net worth of nearly $60 billion.First-year coach Nathaniel Hackett demurred when asked Monday during offseason workouts if he’s kept up with the sale process.“My job is to get the team ready and teach systems and teach them to come together as a team and get them better at football,” Hackett said. “I know that’s obviously a huge, huge deal. But for us it’s about winning no matter who is going to own the team, so I’m excited.”After a first round of bids, five finalists were invited to tour the team’s facilities and take a deeper dive into the franchise’s finances. Hackett said he met with most of the billionaire bidders.“After talking with everybody, I think they all have an amazing passion and want to be part of this league, and they want to be part of a team — and I think that’s something that’s really beautiful,” Hackett said.“They want to come to win, and they want to do something great here. And so wherever it is, I think we’re going to be very grateful.”The Pat Bowlen Trust has run the franchise for several years and last year put the club up for sale after Hall of Famer Pat Bowlen’s children couldn’t concur on a successor to their father.Bowlen died in 2019, a month shy of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.