- Barton Basketball coach Jeremy Coombs talks about his team's week of preparation for the NJCAA National Tournament that begins for the Cougars on Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. against either Daytona State or Walters State in Hutchinson.

- Sunflower Sports Solutions Conor Nichol has early observations on the High School spring sports season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Friday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher." />
 <figcaption>Friday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jn_QvxaYEk8?si=TmHZcZDFlBa4Lj8A" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Barton Basketball coach Jeremy Coombs talks about his team's week of preparation for the NJCAA National Tournament that begins for the Cougars on Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. against either Daytona State or Walters State in Hutchinson.- Sunflower Sports Solutions Conor Nichol has early observations on the High School spring sports season.- The latest from the NCAA Tournament- Friday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Friday on Sports Day (Watch)

The Lady Panther
softball team opens the season Saturday against Pratt at the Great Bend Sports
Complex. After going 11-11 last year, Great Bend loses a few seniors, including
Analiz Rivas. But most of last year’s squad returns to give coach Carrie Minton
high expectations for 2024.

“It's fantastic
going into the season knowing we have so much experience coming back from last
year,” she said. “We lose Analiz, who played a big role for four years on our
team, but we have three seniors who are going into their fourth year. We have a
large group of sophomores that played quite a bit as freshmen. Then we throw
the mix a couple of freshmen into what we already have. We're really excited.”

Senior Paige
Thexton is one of those big returners. Playing at short and pitching last
season, she batted .443 and reached base more than half the time. She drove in
18 runs and scored 22 more. In the circle, she threw 48 innings and struck out
43.

Senior Halle Post
finished with 26 hits and 16 runs last season after batting .371. Senior Rylee
Prilling returns at first base after batting .324.

The Lady Panthers
had some young power in the lineup last season. Junior DeShawnna Bryant returns
to the outfield after leading the team with a .482 batting average with eight
doubles, 30 RBIs, 20 runs, and five stolen bases. Sophomore Katherine Mazouch,
another outfield, made an immediate impact as a freshman with a .364 average,
21 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.

Also returning in
the circle this year are sophomores Alyssa McCauley and Braelyn Turner. Turner
struck out 40 in her 36 innings of work. McCauley batted .305 and struck out 21
in her 15 innings pitched.

Other key returners
include sophomore Denver Ringo, who batted .314 with 15 runs, sophomore Ava
Kaiser with her .305 average, and sophomore Kamryn Koelsch behind the dish with
13 hits and 11 runs scored last spring.

Junior Ava Carter
and sophomore Josie Blevins add some depth behind the plate, freshman Chayla
Prendergast could see time in the circle, and freshmen Camdyn Post and Kya Behr could
make an impact after picking up big varsity time in other sports.

“It makes
practices awesome because we have a lot of people challenging each other for
playing time,” Minton said. “The good side of that is the girls know it’s a
challenge. All of them are stepping up, working to make themselves better, and
working to make their teammates better.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886299669.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend Post
SportsThe Lady Panther
softball team opens the season Saturday against Pratt at the Great Bend Sports
Complex. After going 11-11 last year, Great Bend loses a few seniors, including
Analiz Rivas. But most of last year’s squad returns to give coach Carrie Minton
high expectations for 2024.“It's fantastic
going into the season knowing we have so much experience coming back from last
year,” she said. “We lose Analiz, who played a big role for four years on our
team, but we have three seniors who are going into their fourth year. We have a
large group of sophomores that played quite a bit as freshmen. Then we throw
the mix a couple of freshmen into what we already have. We're really excited.”Senior Paige
Thexton is one of those big returners. Playing at short and pitching last
season, she batted .443 and reached base more than half the time. She drove in
18 runs and scored 22 more. In the circle, she threw 48 innings and struck out
43.Senior Halle Post
finished with 26 hits and 16 runs last season after batting .371. Senior Rylee
Prilling returns at first base after batting .324.The Lady Panthers
had some young power in the lineup last season. Junior DeShawnna Bryant returns
to the outfield after leading the team with a .482 batting average with eight
doubles, 30 RBIs, 20 runs, and five stolen bases. Sophomore Katherine Mazouch,
another outfield, made an immediate impact as a freshman with a .364 average,
21 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.Also returning in
the circle this year are sophomores Alyssa McCauley and Braelyn Turner. Turner
struck out 40 in her 36 innings of work. McCauley batted .305 and struck out 21
in her 15 innings pitched.Other key returners
include sophomore Denver Ringo, who batted .314 with 15 runs, sophomore Ava
Kaiser with her .305 average, and sophomore Kamryn Koelsch behind the dish with
13 hits and 11 runs scored last spring.Junior Ava Carter
and sophomore Josie Blevins add some depth behind the plate, freshman Chayla
Prendergast could see time in the circle, and freshmen Camdyn Post and Kya Behr could
make an impact after picking up big varsity time in other sports.“It makes
practices awesome because we have a lot of people challenging each other for
playing time,” Minton said. “The good side of that is the girls know it’s a
challenge. All of them are stepping up, working to make themselves better, and
working to make their teammates better.”

Lady Panther softball team returns large group of varsity players

The Great Bend High School tennis team is set to get underway next Tuesday in McPherson. Head Coach Chris Manning will have a young squad with 13 of his 16 players being either freshmen or sophomores.

"Even though we are young, this is turning out to be the most ‘tennis’ players we have had in a long time," he said. "We are going to have growing pains but are looking forward to getting better each day."

Seniors on this year's team include Kaden Deines and Tyrese Patterson. Ryan hunter will be the lone junior on the squad. Sophomores are: Jacob Parks, Kia Brit, Kaden Pounds, Chason Rasmsey, Damian Mosqueda, Fabian Guerrero, Jorge Moreno, and Aaron Ramirez. Freshmen include Diego Soto, Aiden Tracy, Dominic Zimmerman, Leo Basher, and Brenton Jeska.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886492120.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend Post SportsThe Great Bend High School tennis team is set to get underway next Tuesday in McPherson. Head Coach Chris Manning will have a young squad with 13 of his 16 players being either freshmen or sophomores."Even though we are young, this is turning out to be the most ‘tennis’ players we have had in a long time," he said. "We are going to have growing pains but are looking forward to getting better each day."Seniors on this year's team include Kaden Deines and Tyrese Patterson. Ryan hunter will be the lone junior on the squad. Sophomores are: Jacob Parks, Kia Brit, Kaden Pounds, Chason Rasmsey, Damian Mosqueda, Fabian Guerrero, Jorge Moreno, and Aaron Ramirez. Freshmen include Diego Soto, Aiden Tracy, Dominic Zimmerman, Leo Basher, and Brenton Jeska.

Young Panther tennis team begins season March 26

Glen Grunwald Interview on Sports Day

Expectations are high for the Great Bend High School baseball team after a trip to the state tournament last spring. Thursday, the Panthers brought those expectations to fruition with a 13-run first inning in their season-opener against Russell. Great Bend tacked on four runs in the third to finish off the hitless Broncos 17-0 in three innings.&nbsp;

JJ Grove led the season off with a walk and advanced on a single from Daxton Minton. Both players scored on an error off the bat from Carson Umphres. Ian Premer kept the train rolling with a bunt, and Owen Kaiser reached on an error that scored Umphres. Slade Mohr added a 2-run single in the frame. Peyden Oelger and Grove followed a Hunter Herrman walk with triples to bump the Panther lead to 8-0 with just one out in the book. Premer and Koehn Ribordy added RBI-singles later in the inning.

The bats got even stronger in the third inning as Kaiser homered to left field and Herrman circled the bases on an inside-the-parker.

Herrman picked up the win on the mound, allowing one walk and no hits while striking out four in his two innings of work. Minton struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Ribordy paced the Panther offense with three hits. Herrman and Kaiser homered and singled, Premer had two singles, and Grove and Oelger tripled for their lone hits.

Great Bend is scheduled to host Pratt in a doubleheader that begins Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886547614.png" alt="panthers gbhs high school.png" />
 <figcaption>panthers gbhs high school.png</figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend Post SportsExpectations are high for the Great Bend High School baseball team after a trip to the state tournament last spring. Thursday, the Panthers brought those expectations to fruition with a 13-run first inning in their season-opener against Russell. Great Bend tacked on four runs in the third to finish off the hitless Broncos 17-0 in three innings.&nbsp;JJ Grove led the season off with a walk and advanced on a single from Daxton Minton. Both players scored on an error off the bat from Carson Umphres. Ian Premer kept the train rolling with a bunt, and Owen Kaiser reached on an error that scored Umphres. Slade Mohr added a 2-run single in the frame. Peyden Oelger and Grove followed a Hunter Herrman walk with triples to bump the Panther lead to 8-0 with just one out in the book. Premer and Koehn Ribordy added RBI-singles later in the inning.The bats got even stronger in the third inning as Kaiser homered to left field and Herrman circled the bases on an inside-the-parker.Herrman picked up the win on the mound, allowing one walk and no hits while striking out four in his two innings of work. Minton struck out two of the three batters he faced.Ribordy paced the Panther offense with three hits. Herrman and Kaiser homered and singled, Premer had two singles, and Grove and Oelger tripled for their lone hits.Great Bend is scheduled to host Pratt in a doubleheader that begins Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.

Panther baseball plates 13 runs in first inning of new season

Final	Michigan
St.	69	Mississippi St.	51	

at Spokane
Veterans Memorial Arena


Coll. of Charleston	vs	Alabama	7:35 p.m.	

Thursday NCAA
First RoundSOUTHFinal	Oakland	80	Kentucky	76	Final	NC
State	80	Texas Tech	67	MIDWESTFinal	Texas	56	Colorado
St.	44	Final	Tennessee	83	St.
Peter's	49	Final	Gonzaga	86	McNeese
St.	65	Final	Kansas	93	Samford	89	Final	Creighton	77	Akron	60	Final	Oregon	87	South
Carolina	73	EASTFinal	Duquesne	71	BYU	67	Final	Illinois	85	Morehead
St.	69	Final	Iowa St.	82	S.
Dakota St.	65	Final	Washington
St.	66	Drake	61	WESTFinal	Arizona	85	Long
Beach St.	65	Final	Dayton	63	Nevada	60	Final	Michigan
St.	69	Mississippi St.	51	Final	North
Carolina	90	Wagner	62	Friday NCAA First
RoundSOUTHat FedExForum
Texas A&amp;M	vs	Nebraska	6:50 p.m.	
Longwood	vs	Houston	9:20 p.m.	at Barclays
Center
Vermont	vs	Duke	7:10 p.m.	
James Madison	vs	Wisconsin	9:40 p.m.	at Gainbridge
Fieldhouse
W. Kentucky	vs	Marquette	2 p.m.	
Colorado	vs	Florida	4:30 p.m.	MIDWESTat Gainbridge
Fieldhouse
Grambling St.	vs	Purdue	7:25 p.m.	
TCU	vs	Utah St.	9:55 p.m.	EASTat Spokane
Veterans Memorial Arena
UAB	vs	San Diego St.	1:45 p.m.	
Yale	vs	Auburn	4:15 p.m.	at Barclays
Center
Northwestern	vs	FAU	12:15 p.m.	
Stetson	vs	UConn	2:45 p.m.	WESTat FedExForum
Colgate	vs	Baylor	12:40 p.m.	
New Mexico	vs	Clemson	3:10 p.m.	at Spokane
Veterans Memorial Arena
Coll. of Charleston	vs	Alabama	7:35 p.m.

Thursday NCAA Scores, Friday Schedule

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Perhaps if the Portland Pilots squint hard enough, the crowd they are going to play in front of Friday might appear to be backing them.

Thirteenth-seeded Portland takes on Kansas State at the home of the No. 4 seed Wildcats in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament, with a match between No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 12 seed Drake following Friday night.

The first game will be a purple parade — one the Pilots are used to — they hope.

“I think seeing everyone in purple is going to be a big plus,” Portland leading-scorer Emme Shearer said of the schools' matching primary colors.

Kansas State doesn't think so. With a sellout expected, the Wildcats are looking forward to the frenzied fans they've enjoyed all season.

“I’ve been saying all year that we have one of the best home-court advantages in the country,” Kansas State guard Gabby Gregory said. “It’s just going to be a really awesome experience, and I’m very, very, very excited.”

The Wildcats (25-7) are confident they will be successful if they stick with what they’ve done this year, in spite of the fact that Portland has a big post player in Lucy Cochrane, like their own Ayoka Lee, and tall guards.

“They have got good size at the guard spot,” K-State coach Jeff Mittie said. “They have got a 6-foot, 6-inch player that really defends the rim well for them.”

Despite the similarities in their rosters, Pilots coach Michael Meek said the teams' styles of play will separate them.

“We definitely play kind of a different style of play,” he said. “I think it’s not easy to replicate somebody like Lee with how strong she is and how powerful she is.”

Portland (21-12) won the West Coast Conference Tournament to make it into March Madness, beating top-seeded Gonzaga 67-66 in the conference championship game. Meek believes as good as his team played to make it this far, there's more in the tank.

"We came out of the game saying we were capable of being way more competitive than we were in that game,” he said.

Kansas State lost to eventual NCAA tourney No. 1 seed Texas 71-64 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal round. The Wildcats have been burning to get back on the court.

“They’re ready to play,” Mittie said. “They have had a good week of practice. It’s been what I wanted.”

In the second game Friday at Bramlage Coliseum, Drake (29-5) rides in on a high after winning the Missouri Valley Conference title game on a buzzer beater. Colorado (22-9) enters having lost six of its last eight games. The Buffaloes exited the Pac-12 Tournament in a double-overtime loss to Oregon State in the quarterfinals.

“Teams are in the tournament for a reason, so you respect everybody that you go up against,” Colorado guard Jaylyn Sherrod said. “Drake is a really good team. I think at the end of the day really — and I know we said it a lot — but it’s about us.”

Colorado coach JR Payne said she’s confident that outside noise won’t affect her team.

“A core identity of our program is trying to be great every day, no matter what we’re doing,” she said. “Our mindset is just to prioritize being excellent each and every day.”

The Bulldogs enter the tournament on a 14-game winning streak. They’re confident they can keep it going.

“We have tons of momentum,” guard Katie Dinnebier said. “We’re peaking at the right time.”

When asked if they could keep it going against teams they haven’t faced before, teammate Grace Berg said, “it plays to our advantage."

“We haven’t played them yet, but they haven’t played us either,” she said. "We’re hard to scout. We have five people on the court capable of scoring all the time.”

That confidence impressed coach Allison Pohlman.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Perhaps if the Portland Pilots squint hard enough, the crowd they are going to play in front of Friday might appear to be backing them.Thirteenth-seeded Portland takes on Kansas State at the home of the No. 4 seed Wildcats in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament, with a match between No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 12 seed Drake following Friday night.The first game will be a purple parade — one the Pilots are used to — they hope.“I think seeing everyone in purple is going to be a big plus,” Portland leading-scorer Emme Shearer said of the schools' matching primary colors.Kansas State doesn't think so. With a sellout expected, the Wildcats are looking forward to the frenzied fans they've enjoyed all season.“I’ve been saying all year that we have one of the best home-court advantages in the country,” Kansas State guard Gabby Gregory said. “It’s just going to be a really awesome experience, and I’m very, very, very excited.”The Wildcats (25-7) are confident they will be successful if they stick with what they’ve done this year, in spite of the fact that Portland has a big post player in Lucy Cochrane, like their own Ayoka Lee, and tall guards.“They have got good size at the guard spot,” K-State coach Jeff Mittie said. “They have got a 6-foot, 6-inch player that really defends the rim well for them.”Despite the similarities in their rosters, Pilots coach Michael Meek said the teams' styles of play will separate them.“We definitely play kind of a different style of play,” he said. “I think it’s not easy to replicate somebody like Lee with how strong she is and how powerful she is.”Portland (21-12) won the West Coast Conference Tournament to make it into March Madness, beating top-seeded Gonzaga 67-66 in the conference championship game. Meek believes as good as his team played to make it this far, there's more in the tank."We came out of the game saying we were capable of being way more competitive than we were in that game,” he said.Kansas State lost to eventual NCAA tourney No. 1 seed Texas 71-64 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal round. The Wildcats have been burning to get back on the court.“They’re ready to play,” Mittie said. “They have had a good week of practice. It’s been what I wanted.”In the second game Friday at Bramlage Coliseum, Drake (29-5) rides in on a high after winning the Missouri Valley Conference title game on a buzzer beater. Colorado (22-9) enters having lost six of its last eight games. The Buffaloes exited the Pac-12 Tournament in a double-overtime loss to Oregon State in the quarterfinals.“Teams are in the tournament for a reason, so you respect everybody that you go up against,” Colorado guard Jaylyn Sherrod said. “Drake is a really good team. I think at the end of the day really — and I know we said it a lot — but it’s about us.”Colorado coach JR Payne said she’s confident that outside noise won’t affect her team.“A core identity of our program is trying to be great every day, no matter what we’re doing,” she said. “Our mindset is just to prioritize being excellent each and every day.”The Bulldogs enter the tournament on a 14-game winning streak. They’re confident they can keep it going.“We have tons of momentum,” guard Katie Dinnebier said. “We’re peaking at the right time.”When asked if they could keep it going against teams they haven’t faced before, teammate Grace Berg said, “it plays to our advantage."“We haven’t played them yet, but they haven’t played us either,” she said. "We’re hard to scout. We have five people on the court capable of scoring all the time.”That confidence impressed coach Allison Pohlman.

Portland hopes purple-clad crowd will feel like home against Kansas State

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

Highlighted behind Reece Hemmerling's complete game shutout and Jaron Cotton's nine RBI performance, the Barton Community College baseball team served up a doubleheader sweep of Pratt Community College Thursday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Setting the tone from the start, Hemmerling tossed all seven innings posting his second complete game shutout of the year in the 8-0 series opening victory. Shadowing Hemmerling's strong outing in the nightcap, Cotton turned in a 4-for-4 nine RBI offensive performance at the plate highlighted behind his three-run sixth inning blast as the Cougars scored 12-unanswered in notching the seventh inning 22-12 run-rule victory.

Sweeping the twin bill, Barton improves to 8-2 in the Jayhawk West and 21-6 overall while the losses drop the Beavers to 0-10 in league play and 11-18 on the season. Winners of nine straight, the Cougars will put the win streak back on the line Saturday as the series shifts to Pratt's Stanion Baseball Field for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader. 

Hemmerling (3-1) notched his second straight victory going all seven innings while permitting six hits. Hemmerling's lone scare came in the sixth facing a bases loaded no-out jam succeeding three singles to open the inning. Digging deep the sophomore preserved the shutout recording two of his six strikeouts and generating a flyout to escape trouble.

Wyatt Yetter's double with two-outs in the home first gifted Barton a 2-0 advantage as the freshman drove in two of his game high three RBIs.

Adding to the lead in the fourth, Owen Clyne's double extending his hitting streak to then nine straight games fashioned the first of a three-run inning with Ayden Hadley's run producing single and Yetter fielder's choice growing the lead to 5-0.

Laying the game on ice in the sixth after escaping the bases loaded jam in the top half, a wild pitch scoring Grant Nottlemann's second drawn walk of the game powered the first of another three-run inning. Pinch hitting in the fifth, Hank Orr's first collegiate triple added a second run with Robby Bolin's third hit ensuing resting the score, 8-0.

Trailing 12-10 heading to the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars rallied to take a 16-12 lead with the first of two straight six-run innings.

The comeback started with Clyne drawing a bases loaded RBI walk while Cotton's two-run producing single gifting the lead back to Barton scoring Cesar Gomez walk and Bolin hit-by-pitch. Nottlemann's two-run triple stretched the advantage to three as Barrett Donaldson's RBI groundout capped the six run response for a 16-12 lead.

The momentum lingered into the sixth holding the Beavers scoreless for the first time with reigning conference player of the week Cotton remaining perfect at the plate belting a three-run blast to left for his fifth of the season. Donaldson's two-run double two batters later and error scoring the freshman finished the second straight six-run frame and eventual run-rule victory.

Starting pitcher Aidan Sowers earned a no-decision tossing 3.1-innings allowing five hits, six runs, four earned, walking three and striking out one.

Utilizing five pitchers on the afternoon, Jackson MacWilliams (1-0) collected his first collegiate victory working 1.1-innings scattering three hits, two runs, one earned while Colton Wahlstrom posted two shutouts innings yielding three hits, a walk and two punchouts.

Barton had 13 total hits and had to overcome five errors in the game while Pratt finished with 15 hits and three errors.

Cotton wen 4-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs scored and nine RBIs. Nottlemann finished 2-for-4 with a triple, double and two RBIs while Donaldson rounded out the 2-for-5 day with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Following a 3-for-4 game 1 performance, Bolin finished 1-for-3 in the backend extending his hitting streak to 24-straight games with three runs scored and two stolen bases.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711104070094.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoHighlighted behind Reece Hemmerling's complete game shutout and Jaron Cotton's nine RBI performance, the Barton Community College baseball team served up a doubleheader sweep of Pratt Community College Thursday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.Setting the tone from the start, Hemmerling tossed all seven innings posting his second complete game shutout of the year in the 8-0 series opening victory. Shadowing Hemmerling's strong outing in the nightcap, Cotton turned in a 4-for-4 nine RBI offensive performance at the plate highlighted behind his three-run sixth inning blast as the Cougars scored 12-unanswered in notching the seventh inning 22-12 run-rule victory.Sweeping the twin bill, Barton improves to 8-2 in the Jayhawk West and 21-6 overall while the losses drop the Beavers to 0-10 in league play and 11-18 on the season. Winners of nine straight, the Cougars will put the win streak back on the line Saturday as the series shifts to Pratt's Stanion Baseball Field for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader. Game 1 Recap (W 8-0)Hemmerling (3-1) notched his second straight victory going all seven innings while permitting six hits. Hemmerling's lone scare came in the sixth facing a bases loaded no-out jam succeeding three singles to open the inning. Digging deep the sophomore preserved the shutout recording two of his six strikeouts and generating a flyout to escape trouble.Wyatt Yetter's double with two-outs in the home first gifted Barton a 2-0 advantage as the freshman drove in two of his game high three RBIs.Adding to the lead in the fourth, Owen Clyne's double extending his hitting streak to then nine straight games fashioned the first of a three-run inning with Ayden Hadley's run producing single and Yetter fielder's choice growing the lead to 5-0.Laying the game on ice in the sixth after escaping the bases loaded jam in the top half, a wild pitch scoring Grant Nottlemann's second drawn walk of the game powered the first of another three-run inning. Pinch hitting in the fifth, Hank Orr's first collegiate triple added a second run with Robby Bolin's third hit ensuing resting the score, 8-0.Game 2 Recap (W 22-12 (7))Trailing 12-10 heading to the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars rallied to take a 16-12 lead with the first of two straight six-run innings.The comeback started with Clyne drawing a bases loaded RBI walk while Cotton's two-run producing single gifting the lead back to Barton scoring Cesar Gomez walk and Bolin hit-by-pitch. Nottlemann's two-run triple stretched the advantage to three as Barrett Donaldson's RBI groundout capped the six run response for a 16-12 lead.The momentum lingered into the sixth holding the Beavers scoreless for the first time with reigning conference player of the week Cotton remaining perfect at the plate belting a three-run blast to left for his fifth of the season. Donaldson's two-run double two batters later and error scoring the freshman finished the second straight six-run frame and eventual run-rule victory.Starting pitcher Aidan Sowers earned a no-decision tossing 3.1-innings allowing five hits, six runs, four earned, walking three and striking out one.Utilizing five pitchers on the afternoon, Jackson MacWilliams (1-0) collected his first collegiate victory working 1.1-innings scattering three hits, two runs, one earned while Colton Wahlstrom posted two shutouts innings yielding three hits, a walk and two punchouts.Barton had 13 total hits and had to overcome five errors in the game while Pratt finished with 15 hits and three errors.Cotton wen 4-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs scored and nine RBIs. Nottlemann finished 2-for-4 with a triple, double and two RBIs while Donaldson rounded out the 2-for-5 day with four RBIs and two runs scored.Following a 3-for-4 game 1 performance, Bolin finished 1-for-3 in the backend extending his hitting streak to 24-straight games with three runs scored and two stolen bases.

Barton Baseball takes two from Pratt

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nicolas Timberlake of Kansas swears he got fouled. If he did, Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray insisted, then “I guess Casper hit him.”

The fourth-seeded Jayhawks took advantage of what looked like a phantom foul in the waning seconds Thursday night that set up two key free throws by Timberlake for a 93-89 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 13th-seeded Bulldogs used their frenetic press and deep bench to trim a 22-point deficit to one with less than a minute left. They were trapping KU in the backcourt when Timberlake took a long pass in stride as he was streaking toward the basket.

As he went up to dunk, Staton-McCray came from behind and blocked the shot, appearing to touch nothing but ball.

The whistle blew and Timberlake calmly made both free throws with 14.7 seconds left to help Bill Self's team push the lead to three and set up a second-round meeting against Gonzaga.

“I was definitely fouled on the breakaway,” Timberlake said.

Well, maybe not, according to Staton-McCray.

“I feel like it was a great play by me,” he said “Terrible call.”

The debate will play out for about a day back in Lawrence, where bigger things await, but will linger longer in Birmingham, where tiny Samford, champion of the Southern Conference, was denied the first tournament victory in program history.

“I thought A.J. made an incredible play, you know what I’m saying?” Samford coach Bucky McMillan said. “I’m not faulting the call. You can see it different ways. But I was really proud of our guys’ ability to go make a play.”

The call certainly didn't detract from the game Hunter Dickinson had for Kansas.

Playing with a sleeve on to protect his recently dislocated right shoulder, the KU center finished with 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. KJ Adams Jr., led the Jayhawks with 20 points, while Timberlake finished with 19 after his two game-deciding free throws.

Self’s team came into the tournament slumping — a popular pick to go down early without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) and having lost four of its last five.

The Jayhawks play on. But the Kansas coach wouldn't play into the good call-bad call debate.

“I thought Nic attacked the basket well,” Self said. “He’s a much better athlete than what a lot of people think. He attacked it strong, just like he should.”

That he had legs left to do that was a feat, given the way Samford played fullcourt basketball for 40 minutes, slowly wearing down a KU rotation that had essentially been reduced to six players.

Achor Achor had 23 points and eight rebounds for Samford, including a tomahawk jam with 38 seconds that cut the Bulldog deficit to two.

Dickinson then hit Adams with a long pass for a dunk, but Jaden Campbell (18 points) answered with a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to set up the crazy finish.

Kansas, and the refs, walked off the court to lusty boos from the rowdy Samford contingent, many of whom stuck around, calling up replays of the foul call on their phones.

The Jayhawks won this game, but they were forced to do it Samford’s way. The Bulldogs rushed Kansas into tying its season high with 18 turnovers.

The tradeoff was that Kansas shot 60% from the floor and made this look like a dunk contest at times. Of KU's 35 field goals, 14 were layups and eight were slams

The biggest shot, though, was the one that didn’t go in by Timberlake.

“I’m not blaming the whistle (but) if there is no whistle, we’re going to have the numbers advantage going the other way to advance to round two,” McMillan said. "That’s how close the game was and that’s how well our guys played when we were down 22.”

The first tipoff Saturday in Salt Lake City will be at 10:45 a.m. local time between Arizona and Dayton, with the Kansas-Gonzaga matchup to follow. This will mark the third matchup between the programs; they split the last two.

A technical foul on the Samford bench gave Kansas two easy points in the first half that turned out to be important in a game this close. Samford officials said they weren't told which coach was slapped with the ‘T,’ which was officially charged to the bench.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nicolas Timberlake of Kansas swears he got fouled. If he did, Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray insisted, then “I guess Casper hit him.”The fourth-seeded Jayhawks took advantage of what looked like a phantom foul in the waning seconds Thursday night that set up two key free throws by Timberlake for a 93-89 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.The 13th-seeded Bulldogs used their frenetic press and deep bench to trim a 22-point deficit to one with less than a minute left. They were trapping KU in the backcourt when Timberlake took a long pass in stride as he was streaking toward the basket.As he went up to dunk, Staton-McCray came from behind and blocked the shot, appearing to touch nothing but ball.The whistle blew and Timberlake calmly made both free throws with 14.7 seconds left to help Bill Self's team push the lead to three and set up a second-round meeting against Gonzaga.“I was definitely fouled on the breakaway,” Timberlake said.Well, maybe not, according to Staton-McCray.“I feel like it was a great play by me,” he said “Terrible call.”The debate will play out for about a day back in Lawrence, where bigger things await, but will linger longer in Birmingham, where tiny Samford, champion of the Southern Conference, was denied the first tournament victory in program history.“I thought A.J. made an incredible play, you know what I’m saying?” Samford coach Bucky McMillan said. “I’m not faulting the call. You can see it different ways. But I was really proud of our guys’ ability to go make a play.”The call certainly didn't detract from the game Hunter Dickinson had for Kansas.Playing with a sleeve on to protect his recently dislocated right shoulder, the KU center finished with 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. KJ Adams Jr., led the Jayhawks with 20 points, while Timberlake finished with 19 after his two game-deciding free throws.Self’s team came into the tournament slumping — a popular pick to go down early without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) and having lost four of its last five.The Jayhawks play on. But the Kansas coach wouldn't play into the good call-bad call debate.“I thought Nic attacked the basket well,” Self said. “He’s a much better athlete than what a lot of people think. He attacked it strong, just like he should.”That he had legs left to do that was a feat, given the way Samford played fullcourt basketball for 40 minutes, slowly wearing down a KU rotation that had essentially been reduced to six players.Achor Achor had 23 points and eight rebounds for Samford, including a tomahawk jam with 38 seconds that cut the Bulldog deficit to two.Dickinson then hit Adams with a long pass for a dunk, but Jaden Campbell (18 points) answered with a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to set up the crazy finish.Kansas, and the refs, walked off the court to lusty boos from the rowdy Samford contingent, many of whom stuck around, calling up replays of the foul call on their phones.The Jayhawks won this game, but they were forced to do it Samford’s way. The Bulldogs rushed Kansas into tying its season high with 18 turnovers.The tradeoff was that Kansas shot 60% from the floor and made this look like a dunk contest at times. Of KU's 35 field goals, 14 were layups and eight were slamsThe biggest shot, though, was the one that didn’t go in by Timberlake.“I’m not blaming the whistle (but) if there is no whistle, we’re going to have the numbers advantage going the other way to advance to round two,” McMillan said. "That’s how close the game was and that’s how well our guys played when we were down 22.”UP NEXTThe first tipoff Saturday in Salt Lake City will be at 10:45 a.m. local time between Arizona and Dayton, with the Kansas-Gonzaga matchup to follow. This will mark the third matchup between the programs; they split the last two.MYSTERY TECHA technical foul on the Samford bench gave Kansas two easy points in the first half that turned out to be important in a game this close. Samford officials said they weren't told which coach was slapped with the ‘T,’ which was officially charged to the bench.

Jayhawks advance in March Madness with 93-89 victory over Samford

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— Kansas got a kind whistle at the end and Nicolas Timberlake made
both his free throws to help the Jayhawks hold off Samford for a
93-89 victory in the NCAA Tournament. The 13th-seeded Bulldogs were
trapping after trimming a 22-point deficit to one when Timberlake got
the ball as he was streaking alone toward the basket. Timberlake went
to dunk and Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray came from behind and
blocked the shot, touching nothing but ball. The whistle blew and
Timberlake calmly made both free throws to give KU a three-point
lead. The Jayhawks will play Gonzaga on in the second round of the
Midwest Regional.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)
— Thirteenth-seeded Portland will take on Kansas State at the home
of the No. 4 seed Wildcats in the first round of the women’s NCAA
Tournament, with a match between No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 12 seed
Drake following Friday night. The Wildcats are confident they will be
successful if they stick with what they’ve done this year. Portland
won the West Coast Conference Tournament to make it into March
Madness, beating top-seeded Gonzaga 67-66 in the conference
championship game. Drake rides in on a high after winning the
Missouri Valley Conference title game on a buzzer beater. Colorado
enters having lost six of its last eight games.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points and 11th-seeded North
Carolina State surged past sixth-seeded Texas Tech 80-67 in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack, who won five games in
five days in the ACC Tournament, won their first March Madness game
in nine years behind Middlebrooks’ boost off the bench and another
bruising performance by center DJ Burns Jr. The 6-foot-9, 275-pound
Burns finished with 16 points. Mo Diarra had 17 points and 12
rebounds for N.C. State, and DJ Horne also scored 16. The Wolfpack
will face 14th-seeded Oakland in the South Region on Saturday. Joe
Toussaint led the Red Raiders with 16 points.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Milan Momcilovic had 19 points, Tamin Lipsey added 17 with seven
assists, and second-seeded Iowa State beat South Dakota State 82-65
in the NCAA Tournament. Big 12 tourney MVP Keshon Gilbert added 15
points for the Cyclones, who avenged a first-round loss to Pittsburgh
last year and advanced to play seventh-seeded Washington State in the
East Region. Zeke Mayo led the way with 19 points and William Kyle
III had 14 for South Dakota State, the champs of the Summit League.
They trailed just 40-33 at halftime but allowed Iowa State to go on a
14-5 run out of the locker room to put the game away.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points to help No. 11 seed Duquesne keep
retiring coach Keith Dambrot working a little bit longer with a 71-67
victory against sixth-seeded BYU in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament. Grant made four free throws in the final 10 seconds to
help hold on after Duquesne blew a 14-point lead in the second half.
Jakub Necas added 12 points and Jimmy Clark III had 11 for the
Atlantic 10 Tournament champs celebrated their return to the tourney
after 47 years with their first win there since 1969. They will play
No. 3 seed Illinois on Saturday after the Illini rolled past No. 14
seed Morehead State. Jaxson Robinson had 25 points for the Cougars,
who have lost five straight in the NCAA tourney.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Jack Gohlke made 10 3-pointers and 14th-seeded Oakland delivered the
first true shock of this year’s March Madness, beating third-seeded
Kentucky 80-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The
Grizzlies sent the Wildcats and coach John Calipari to another early
March exit behind Gohlke and some late shot-making by his teammates.
The graduate transfer finished with 32 points. Antonio Reeves led
Kentucky with 27 points. The Wildcats fell to 1-4 in their last five
NCAA Tournament games. Oakland picked up the second NCAA Tournament
win in school history.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— DaRon Holmes II and seventh-seeded Dayton staged a huge March
Madness rally, closing with a 24-4 run to erase a 17-point deficit
and beat 10th-seeded Nevada 63-60 in the West Region. Holmes, the
Atlantic 10 player of the year, finished with 18 points, including a
three-point play with 2:01 remaining that gave Dayton its first lead
since the first half. Koby Brea scored 15 points for the Flyers,
including three 3-pointers during a 17-0 run that tied the game.
Dayton won in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and
will face Arizona on Saturday. Jarrod Lucas scored 17 points for
Nevada.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) —
A judge says a federal lawsuit against the NFL’s disability plan
can proceed to trial. The potential class action on behalf of retired
players accuses the league of routinely denying valid injury claims
so that it won’t have to make disability payments. The judge said
the plan's six-member board will remain as defendants but she’s
removed individual board members and Commissioner Roger Goodell. The
lawsuit says the disability board favors doctors who are more likely
to deny claims. It says one neuropsychologist who was paid more than
$800,000 examined 29 former players and found none were disabled. An
NFL spokesman didn’t immediately comment on Thursday.

SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally
investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker
said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on
international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday
that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged
illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the
agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation
spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional
details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday
following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his
alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710682717672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— Kansas got a kind whistle at the end and Nicolas Timberlake made
both his free throws to help the Jayhawks hold off Samford for a
93-89 victory in the NCAA Tournament. The 13th-seeded Bulldogs were
trapping after trimming a 22-point deficit to one when Timberlake got
the ball as he was streaking alone toward the basket. Timberlake went
to dunk and Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray came from behind and
blocked the shot, touching nothing but ball. The whistle blew and
Timberlake calmly made both free throws to give KU a three-point
lead. The Jayhawks will play Gonzaga on in the second round of the
Midwest Regional.MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)
— Thirteenth-seeded Portland will take on Kansas State at the home
of the No. 4 seed Wildcats in the first round of the women’s NCAA
Tournament, with a match between No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 12 seed
Drake following Friday night. The Wildcats are confident they will be
successful if they stick with what they’ve done this year. Portland
won the West Coast Conference Tournament to make it into March
Madness, beating top-seeded Gonzaga 67-66 in the conference
championship game. Drake rides in on a high after winning the
Missouri Valley Conference title game on a buzzer beater. Colorado
enters having lost six of its last eight games.PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points and 11th-seeded North
Carolina State surged past sixth-seeded Texas Tech 80-67 in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack, who won five games in
five days in the ACC Tournament, won their first March Madness game
in nine years behind Middlebrooks’ boost off the bench and another
bruising performance by center DJ Burns Jr. The 6-foot-9, 275-pound
Burns finished with 16 points. Mo Diarra had 17 points and 12
rebounds for N.C. State, and DJ Horne also scored 16. The Wolfpack
will face 14th-seeded Oakland in the South Region on Saturday. Joe
Toussaint led the Red Raiders with 16 points.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Milan Momcilovic had 19 points, Tamin Lipsey added 17 with seven
assists, and second-seeded Iowa State beat South Dakota State 82-65
in the NCAA Tournament. Big 12 tourney MVP Keshon Gilbert added 15
points for the Cyclones, who avenged a first-round loss to Pittsburgh
last year and advanced to play seventh-seeded Washington State in the
East Region. Zeke Mayo led the way with 19 points and William Kyle
III had 14 for South Dakota State, the champs of the Summit League.
They trailed just 40-33 at halftime but allowed Iowa State to go on a
14-5 run out of the locker room to put the game away.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) —
Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points to help No. 11 seed Duquesne keep
retiring coach Keith Dambrot working a little bit longer with a 71-67
victory against sixth-seeded BYU in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament. Grant made four free throws in the final 10 seconds to
help hold on after Duquesne blew a 14-point lead in the second half.
Jakub Necas added 12 points and Jimmy Clark III had 11 for the
Atlantic 10 Tournament champs celebrated their return to the tourney
after 47 years with their first win there since 1969. They will play
No. 3 seed Illinois on Saturday after the Illini rolled past No. 14
seed Morehead State. Jaxson Robinson had 25 points for the Cougars,
who have lost five straight in the NCAA tourney.PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Jack Gohlke made 10 3-pointers and 14th-seeded Oakland delivered the
first true shock of this year’s March Madness, beating third-seeded
Kentucky 80-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The
Grizzlies sent the Wildcats and coach John Calipari to another early
March exit behind Gohlke and some late shot-making by his teammates.
The graduate transfer finished with 32 points. Antonio Reeves led
Kentucky with 27 points. The Wildcats fell to 1-4 in their last five
NCAA Tournament games. Oakland picked up the second NCAA Tournament
win in school history.SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— DaRon Holmes II and seventh-seeded Dayton staged a huge March
Madness rally, closing with a 24-4 run to erase a 17-point deficit
and beat 10th-seeded Nevada 63-60 in the West Region. Holmes, the
Atlantic 10 player of the year, finished with 18 points, including a
three-point play with 2:01 remaining that gave Dayton its first lead
since the first half. Koby Brea scored 15 points for the Flyers,
including three 3-pointers during a 17-0 run that tied the game.
Dayton won in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and
will face Arizona on Saturday. Jarrod Lucas scored 17 points for
Nevada.PHILADELPHIA (AP) —
A judge says a federal lawsuit against the NFL’s disability plan
can proceed to trial. The potential class action on behalf of retired
players accuses the league of routinely denying valid injury claims
so that it won’t have to make disability payments. The judge said
the plan's six-member board will remain as defendants but she’s
removed individual board members and Commissioner Roger Goodell. The
lawsuit says the disability board favors doctors who are more likely
to deny claims. It says one neuropsychologist who was paid more than
$800,000 examined 29 former players and found none were disabled. An
NFL spokesman didn’t immediately comment on Thursday.SEOUL, South Korea
(AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally
investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker
said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on
international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday
that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged
illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the
agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation
spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional
details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday
following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his
alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million.THURSDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Atlanta	5	N.Y.
Yankees	2	Final	Tampa
Bay	6	Philadelphia	5	Final	Houston	9	St.
Louis	1	Final	Washington	9	Minnesota	8	Final	N.Y.
Mets	10	Detroit	5	Final	Toronto	3	Pittsburgh	2	Final	Seattle	7	Cincinnati	6	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Cleveland	8	Kansas
City	5	Final	Chicago White
Sox	3	Kansas City	3	Final	Boston	3	Baltimore	2	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	San
Diego	15	L.A. Dodgers	11	Final	Chicago
Cubs	5	Colorado	2	Final	San
Francisco	7	Milwaukee	6	NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Orlando	121	New
Orleans	106	Final	Washington	109	Sacramento	102	Final	Milwaukee	115	Brooklyn	108	Final	Houston	127	Chicago	117	Final	Dallas	113	Utah	97	Final	Denver	113	New
York	100	Final	Phoenix	128	Atlanta	115	NATIONAL HOCKEY
LEAGUEFinal	St.
Louis	5	Ottawa	2	Final	N-Y
Rangers	5	Boston	2	Final	New
Jersey	4	Winnipeg	1	Final	Detroit	6	N-Y
Islanders	3	Final
OT	Carolina	3	Philadelphia	2	Final	Nashville	3	Florida	0	Final	Edmonton	8	Buffalo	3	Final	Vancouver	4	Montreal	1	Final	Anaheim	4	Chicago	0	Final	Tampa
Bay	4	San Jose	1

Friday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

- Former "Voice of the NJCAA Tournament" Glen Grunwald will be in studio to discuss next week's national tournament. He'll also talk about his time a the play-by-play voice of the Barton Cougars from 1990 - 1999.

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" with Great Bend Panther Baseball coach Randy Beck.

- "Voice of the Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock talks everything Fort Hays State.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Thursday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Thursday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure>- Former "Voice of the NJCAA Tournament" Glen Grunwald will be in studio to discuss next week's national tournament. He'll also talk about his time a the play-by-play voice of the Barton Cougars from 1990 - 1999.- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" with Great Bend Panther Baseball coach Randy Beck.- "Voice of the Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock talks everything Fort Hays State.- Thursday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Thursday on Sports Day

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — After helping the Chiefs end the Bills’ season for a third time in four playoff meetings in January, safety Mike Edwards hopes he can be part of revamped secondary to help Buffalo go further.

It helps, too, that the fifth-year player brings two Super Bowl wins of experience with him in signing a one-year contract with the Bills on Wednesday.

“I know the AFC's been going through Kansas City for the past few years, but I see it from afar, Buffalo has been one win away,” Edwards said during a Zoom conference call. “They have a great team, great quarterback. It’s only a little bit left. So I feel like I can come in and help those guys, help whatever they need.”

Safety is among Buffalo’s biggest needs in an offseason the team is starting fresh after spending the past seven seasons with the same starting tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Hyde is a free agent and considering retirement, while Poyer has since signed with AFC East rival Miami after being cut by Buffalo.

“Those guys were the standard, two of the best safeties in the league,” Edwards said. “Just trying to take on that and build on that and come in ready to work and aim for that.”

Edwards will have a chance to form a new starting tandem alongside Taylor Rapp, who returns for a second season after being re-signed to a three-year contract two weeks ago.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Edwards had one interception and two fumble recoveries, one returned for a touchdown, in 17 games, including five starts, with the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs last season. He also started all four playoff games, including Kansas City’s 27-24 win at Buffalo in the divisional round.

Edwards spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay, where he also won a Super Bowl title to close his rookie season in 2019, when the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs for the championship.

A third-round pick in 2019, Edwards has eight interceptions, three of which he’s returned for scores, five fumble recoveries and three sacks over 28 starts in 75 career games. He also has three interceptions in 11 career playoff games.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — After helping the Chiefs end the Bills’ season for a third time in four playoff meetings in January, safety Mike Edwards hopes he can be part of revamped secondary to help Buffalo go further.It helps, too, that the fifth-year player brings two Super Bowl wins of experience with him in signing a one-year contract with the Bills on Wednesday.“I know the AFC's been going through Kansas City for the past few years, but I see it from afar, Buffalo has been one win away,” Edwards said during a Zoom conference call. “They have a great team, great quarterback. It’s only a little bit left. So I feel like I can come in and help those guys, help whatever they need.”Safety is among Buffalo’s biggest needs in an offseason the team is starting fresh after spending the past seven seasons with the same starting tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Hyde is a free agent and considering retirement, while Poyer has since signed with AFC East rival Miami after being cut by Buffalo.“Those guys were the standard, two of the best safeties in the league,” Edwards said. “Just trying to take on that and build on that and come in ready to work and aim for that.”Edwards will have a chance to form a new starting tandem alongside Taylor Rapp, who returns for a second season after being re-signed to a three-year contract two weeks ago.Listed at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Edwards had one interception and two fumble recoveries, one returned for a touchdown, in 17 games, including five starts, with the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs last season. He also started all four playoff games, including Kansas City’s 27-24 win at Buffalo in the divisional round.Edwards spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay, where he also won a Super Bowl title to close his rookie season in 2019, when the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs for the championship.A third-round pick in 2019, Edwards has eight interceptions, three of which he’s returned for scores, five fumble recoveries and three sacks over 28 starts in 75 career games. He also has three interceptions in 11 career playoff games.

Bills sign Chiefs safety Mike Edwards to a 1-year contract

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kansas center Hunter Dickinson said he's good to go for the Jayhawks in their NCAA Tournament opener after a dislocated shoulder that sidelined him last week.

“The shoulder feels good — good enough to be out there with my teammates,” Dickinson said Wednesday, on the eve of fourth-seeded KU's first-round game against Samford.

That was the good news for Kansas. The rest of it — rough. The Jayhawks will be without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. They have lost four of five, including a 72-52 loss at the hands of Cincinnati last Wednesday.

In that game, they were missing both McCullar (18.3 points per game), who has been dealing with a bone bruise on his knee since January, and Dickinson (18 ppg), who dislocated his shoulder on March 9 against Houston.

All this has turned Kansas into a popular pick to suffer an upset on opening day. Guard Dajuan Harris said none of that talk resonates inside the Jayhawks locker room.

“Not really because we beat some pretty good teams without Kev this year,” he said.

Still, coach Bill Self said he's had to double down on morale boosting during this tough streak. Most recently, the team watched the movie “Boys in the Boat,” about a group of underdog rowers who go on to win an Olympic gold medal.

“It's kids that have been dealt a hard hand, and rallying out of that,” Self said.

Asked if Dickinson had any limitations, Self said, “No, no limitations.”

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kansas center Hunter Dickinson said he's good to go for the Jayhawks in their NCAA Tournament opener after a dislocated shoulder that sidelined him last week.“The shoulder feels good — good enough to be out there with my teammates,” Dickinson said Wednesday, on the eve of fourth-seeded KU's first-round game against Samford.That was the good news for Kansas. The rest of it — rough. The Jayhawks will be without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. They have lost four of five, including a 72-52 loss at the hands of Cincinnati last Wednesday.In that game, they were missing both McCullar (18.3 points per game), who has been dealing with a bone bruise on his knee since January, and Dickinson (18 ppg), who dislocated his shoulder on March 9 against Houston.All this has turned Kansas into a popular pick to suffer an upset on opening day. Guard Dajuan Harris said none of that talk resonates inside the Jayhawks locker room.“Not really because we beat some pretty good teams without Kev this year,” he said.Still, coach Bill Self said he's had to double down on morale boosting during this tough streak. Most recently, the team watched the movie “Boys in the Boat,” about a group of underdog rowers who go on to win an Olympic gold medal.“It's kids that have been dealt a hard hand, and rallying out of that,” Self said.Asked if Dickinson had any limitations, Self said, “No, no limitations.”

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson says shoulder feels good on eve of March Madness


Final OT	Grambling St.	88	Montana St.	81	


Final OT	Seton Hall	75	Saint Joseph's	72	


Final OT	Cincinnati	73	San Francisco	72	


Final	Alabama A&amp;M	81	Austin Peay	71	


Final	Tarleton St. 	86	Abilene Christian	 59	


Michigan St.	vs	Mississippi St.	12:15 p.m.	

WEDNESDAY SCORESNCAA First FourSOUTH
Final	Colorado	60	Boise St.	53	MIDWEST
Final OT	Grambling St.	88	Montana St.	81	NIT First Round
Final	UNLV	84	Princeton	77	
Final OT	Seton Hall	75	Saint Joseph's	72	
Final	VCU	70	Villanova	61	
Final	Bradley	74	Loyola Chicago	62	
Final OT	Cincinnati	73	San Francisco	72	
Final	Indiana St.	101	SMU	92	
Final	Wake Forest	87	Appalachian St.	76CIT Round 2
Final	Fort Wayne	77	Bowling Green	75	
Final	Alabama A&amp;M	81	Austin Peay	71	
Final	Tarleton St. 	86	Abilene Christian	 59	THURSDAY SCHEDULE
(ALL TIMES EST)NCAA First RoundSOUTH at PPG
Paints Arena
Oakland	vs	Kentucky	7:10 p.m.	
NC State	vs	Texas Tech	9:40 p.m.	MIDWEST at
Spectrum Center
Colorado St.	vs	Texas	6:50 p.m.	
St. Peter's	vs	Tennessee	9:20 p.m.	at Delta Center
McNeese St.	vs	Gonzaga	7:25 p.m.	
Samford	vs	Kansas	9:55 p.m.	at PPG Paints
Arena
Akron	vs	Creighton	1:30 p.m.	
Oregon	vs	South Carolina	4 p.m.	EAST at CHI
Health Center Omaha
Duquesne	vs	BYU	12:40 p.m.	
Morehead St.	vs	Illinois	3:10 p.m.	
S. Dakota St.	vs	Iowa St.	7:35 p.m.	
Drake	vs	Washington St.	10:05 p.m.	WEST at Delta
Center
Long Beach St.	vs	Arizona	2 p.m.	
Nevada	vs	Dayton	4:30 p.m.	at Spectrum
Center
Michigan St.	vs	Mississippi St.	12:15 p.m.	
Wagner	vs	North Carolina	2:45 p.m.

Tourney Scores and Schedule

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lady Cougars sweep Pratt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Panther baseball reloads after trip to state last spring

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


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

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

Wednesday on Sports Day (Watch)

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

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

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

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

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

By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports Info

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

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

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

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