<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/947fbe02-95a3-441e-b516-ac7265184d3f?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> received numerous awards and recognition during his three years as a standout basketball player at Kansas Wesleyan.

Winning the Gene Bissell Male Athlete of the Year Award for a second time was as special as it was unexpected.

"It means a lot, it's a blessing to win that award," Murdock said. "Really, I didn't even expect to win it. There's a lot of good athletes at this school especially the ones that we were up against. It's just another way how the school shows a lot of love and respect to their student-athletes."

Murdock was recognized during the annual Yotee Awards earlier this month. He also received honor in 2022.

Murdock transferred to KWU after spending his freshman year at Friends. He sat out a year because of Kansas Conference transfer rules then immediately became the Coyotes' starting point guard for three years.

He earned NAIA All-America honors in 2022 and again this season after averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and helping the Coyotes compile a 23-9 record. He was named All-KCAC three times - First Team this season and 2022 - and was on this year's All-Defensive Team and 2023.

Off the court Murdock was a key player on campus working as a resident assistant and in the Advancement Office as a graduate intern.

"I feel like it's definitely given me a lot of experience especially if I want to get into my career and work in the sports management field," he said. "(Being an RA) gives me a lot of experience working with people, being personal with people, learning about what they like and things like that.

"It let me do a lot of things I thought I would never do and I want to thank Michelle (Dolan), Cathy (Doubrava), Kay (Quinn) ... all of those people that work in advancement for giving me the opportunity to do that."

The experience also allowed him to do continue doing what he's most passionate about.

"It gave me a chance to come back and play my favorite sport for my last year," he said. "I love basketball, I've been loving it my whole life."

Murdock will continue to love it and will continue his career overseas having agreed to play professionally in England next season. He is slated to leave this summer.

"Just another chance for me to play basketball," he said. "Definitely another level so just continuing to work on my game."

KWU will always be a special place though.

"It's been a very big part of my life," he said. "These past four years definitely have made me a better person on and off the court and I just appreciate everything that I've been through here."

Freshman of the Year: Damion Jackson - Track and Cross Country

Newcomer of the Year: Tyler Favretto - Baseball

Randy Bemiss Lone Coyote: Bryce Ware - Tennis

Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ritter Steinmann - Baseball

Frankin Gene Bissell Male Student-Athlete of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d5488685-ff2d-4060-adfb-3d63d504f991?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> - Basketball

Best Comeback Win: Softball vs Bethany (Game 2)

Best Developmental Team Win: Women's Soccer

Best Overall Win: Flag Football vs Ottawa

Highest Team GPA: Women's Cross Country and Competitive Dance

Assistant Coach of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/2891e444-ee35-4a8c-87eb-0af358a019d8?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> - Men's Basketball

Head Coach of the Year: Garrett Young - Cross Country

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/947fbe02-95a3-441e-b516-ac7265184d3f?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> received numerous awards and recognition during his three years as a standout basketball player at Kansas Wesleyan.Winning the Gene Bissell Male Athlete of the Year Award for a second time was as special as it was unexpected."It means a lot, it's a blessing to win that award," Murdock said. "Really, I didn't even expect to win it. There's a lot of good athletes at this school especially the ones that we were up against. It's just another way how the school shows a lot of love and respect to their student-athletes."Murdock was recognized during the annual Yotee Awards earlier this month. He also received honor in 2022.Murdock transferred to KWU after spending his freshman year at Friends. He sat out a year because of Kansas Conference transfer rules then immediately became the Coyotes' starting point guard for three years.He earned NAIA All-America honors in 2022 and again this season after averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and helping the Coyotes compile a 23-9 record. He was named All-KCAC three times - First Team this season and 2022 - and was on this year's All-Defensive Team and 2023.Off the court Murdock was a key player on campus working as a resident assistant and in the Advancement Office as a graduate intern."I feel like it's definitely given me a lot of experience especially if I want to get into my career and work in the sports management field," he said. "(Being an RA) gives me a lot of experience working with people, being personal with people, learning about what they like and things like that."It let me do a lot of things I thought I would never do and I want to thank Michelle (Dolan), Cathy (Doubrava), Kay (Quinn) ... all of those people that work in advancement for giving me the opportunity to do that."The experience also allowed him to do continue doing what he's most passionate about."It gave me a chance to come back and play my favorite sport for my last year," he said. "I love basketball, I've been loving it my whole life."Murdock will continue to love it and will continue his career overseas having agreed to play professionally in England next season. He is slated to leave this summer."Just another chance for me to play basketball," he said. "Definitely another level so just continuing to work on my game."KWU will always be a special place though."It's been a very big part of my life," he said. "These past four years definitely have made me a better person on and off the court and I just appreciate everything that I've been through here."2024 Yotee Awards - Male Award WinnersFreshman of the Year: Damion Jackson - Track and Cross CountryNewcomer of the Year: Tyler Favretto - BaseballRandy Bemiss Lone Coyote: Bryce Ware - TennisMale Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ritter Steinmann - BaseballFrankin Gene Bissell Male Student-Athlete of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d5488685-ff2d-4060-adfb-3d63d504f991?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> - BasketballOther Award WinnersBest Comeback Win: Softball vs Bethany (Game 2)Best Win over Bethany: Men's SoccerBest Developmental Team Win: Women's SoccerBest Overall Win: Flag Football vs OttawaHighest Team GPA: Women's Cross Country and Competitive DanceAssistant Coach of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/2891e444-ee35-4a8c-87eb-0af358a019d8?elinkdata=10471">Jun Murdock</a> - Men's BasketballHead Coach of the Year: Garrett Young - Cross Country

KWU's Murdock named Bissell Male Student-Athlete of the Year

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1c70d179-efc3-4f82-a62a-ad49c2b10651?elinkdata=10492">Madisyn Ehrlich</a> was stunned and thrilled upon hearing she had been chosen Kansas Wesleyan's Ginny Bevan Female Athlete of the Year during the annual Yotee Awards ceremony last month.

She was just as delighted to share her joy with her teammates, coaches and family.

"It's really exciting that I actually won it. I was up against some really good athletes from different areas of sports," said Ehrlich, a sophomore and standout distance runner in cross country and track. "I just think it's pretty cool in general that they had a track and field athlete because I don't really know when the last time a track and field athlete has won something like this."

It was indeed a huge night for the track and cross country programs. Freshman distance runner Damion Jackson was named Male Freshman of the Year and head cross country/assistant track coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/232182cb-1cf5-4170-bee7-be0c5cbf71a7?elinkdata=10492">Garrett Young</a> the Coach of the Year.

"I think it was really cool to be able to represent my team and show that the track team is getting better as the years go on," Ehrlich said. "We're getting people for different areas of track - we've got sprinters, distance throwers ... it's just a really cool thing that we are building this program back up. We're putting our name out there."

Ehrlich, a graduate of Sacred Heart High School, did her part. She qualified for NAIA championships in cross country and indoor track and earned indoor All-America honors in the 1,000 meters and 4x800-meter relay.

She finished 158 places higher than she did as a freshman at the NAIA cross country meet and qualified for the finals of the NAIA indoor 1,000 meters in a school record time of 2:56.66. Her teammates in the 4x800 relay were Josie Koppas, <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d89f9c83-7d94-4a17-a08c-6b15ebd8ad3b?elinkdata=10492">Shelby Lingle</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/98468153-d9c2-43a5-b152-05ac625291b2?elinkdata=10492">Joni Schroeder</a>.

Ehrlich received a surprise earlier this month when learned she was chosen to compete in the 1,500 meters in the NAIA Outdoors Championships in Marion, Indiana. She didn't meet the NAIA qualifying standard during the season, but the field fell short of the minimum number of entries and she received an invitation to compete after KWU coaches submitted her name for consideration.

The plethora of accomplishments aside Ehrlich was not expecting her named to be called during the Yotee ceremony.

"I was like 'wait, what, he called me?'" she said. "It was a really cool feeling when it hit and it's pretty cool just to see how the hard work has paid off and is continuing to pay off."

Ehrlich says Young and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0e9e8a94-a7d6-43d3-86d2-ed2eac17c9c6?elinkdata=10492">Kyle Hiser</a>, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, are the reasons for her success.

"It's cool to see where I started out as a freshman last year to how many gains I've made this year and how much stronger I've gotten," she said. "I credit my coaches for being able to push me. It's just progressively gotten better and better and I'm excited for the upcoming years to see what else I can do."

Ehrlich gives ample credit to her parents Jeff and Jeanine.

"I cannot explain how much they have done for me," she said. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They've been there with me every step of the way and I'm very grateful for that."

Ehrlich said the award will help her confidence.

"I lack a lot of confidence sometimes but just seeing the success, my hard work pay-off is a big confidence booster," she said. "It just pushes me to be better and I'm getting more confident with my running every single meet, every single race."

Freshman of the Year: Odessa Ozuna, Basketball

Newcomer of the Year: Kylee Harris, Volleyball

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kiran Bailey, Competitive Dance

Mary Virginia Bevan Female Student-Athlete of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/f6b74642-f400-4a5c-b462-d5d21ffc5d0b?elinkdata=10492">Madisyn Ehrlich</a>, Cross Country and Track

Assistant Coach of the Year: Jun Murdock - Men's Basketball

Head Coach of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/8eb8f3c7-8926-4fdc-82bf-6d636471f352?elinkdata=10492">Garrett Young</a> - Cross Country

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1c70d179-efc3-4f82-a62a-ad49c2b10651?elinkdata=10492">Madisyn Ehrlich</a> was stunned and thrilled upon hearing she had been chosen Kansas Wesleyan's Ginny Bevan Female Athlete of the Year during the annual Yotee Awards ceremony last month.She was just as delighted to share her joy with her teammates, coaches and family."It's really exciting that I actually won it. I was up against some really good athletes from different areas of sports," said Ehrlich, a sophomore and standout distance runner in cross country and track. "I just think it's pretty cool in general that they had a track and field athlete because I don't really know when the last time a track and field athlete has won something like this."It was indeed a huge night for the track and cross country programs. Freshman distance runner Damion Jackson was named Male Freshman of the Year and head cross country/assistant track coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/232182cb-1cf5-4170-bee7-be0c5cbf71a7?elinkdata=10492">Garrett Young</a> the Coach of the Year."I think it was really cool to be able to represent my team and show that the track team is getting better as the years go on," Ehrlich said. "We're getting people for different areas of track - we've got sprinters, distance throwers ... it's just a really cool thing that we are building this program back up. We're putting our name out there."Ehrlich, a graduate of Sacred Heart High School, did her part. She qualified for NAIA championships in cross country and indoor track and earned indoor All-America honors in the 1,000 meters and 4x800-meter relay.She finished 158 places higher than she did as a freshman at the NAIA cross country meet and qualified for the finals of the NAIA indoor 1,000 meters in a school record time of 2:56.66. Her teammates in the 4x800 relay were Josie Koppas, <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d89f9c83-7d94-4a17-a08c-6b15ebd8ad3b?elinkdata=10492">Shelby Lingle</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/98468153-d9c2-43a5-b152-05ac625291b2?elinkdata=10492">Joni Schroeder</a>.Ehrlich received a surprise earlier this month when learned she was chosen to compete in the 1,500 meters in the NAIA Outdoors Championships in Marion, Indiana. She didn't meet the NAIA qualifying standard during the season, but the field fell short of the minimum number of entries and she received an invitation to compete after KWU coaches submitted her name for consideration.The plethora of accomplishments aside Ehrlich was not expecting her named to be called during the Yotee ceremony."I was like 'wait, what, he called me?'" she said. "It was a really cool feeling when it hit and it's pretty cool just to see how the hard work has paid off and is continuing to pay off."Ehrlich says Young and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0e9e8a94-a7d6-43d3-86d2-ed2eac17c9c6?elinkdata=10492">Kyle Hiser</a>, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, are the reasons for her success."It's cool to see where I started out as a freshman last year to how many gains I've made this year and how much stronger I've gotten," she said. "I credit my coaches for being able to push me. It's just progressively gotten better and better and I'm excited for the upcoming years to see what else I can do."Ehrlich gives ample credit to her parents Jeff and Jeanine."I cannot explain how much they have done for me," she said. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They've been there with me every step of the way and I'm very grateful for that."Ehrlich said the award will help her confidence."I lack a lot of confidence sometimes but just seeing the success, my hard work pay-off is a big confidence booster," she said. "It just pushes me to be better and I'm getting more confident with my running every single meet, every single race."2024 Yotee Awards Female Award WinnersFreshman of the Year: Odessa Ozuna, BasketballNewcomer of the Year: Kylee Harris, VolleyballLone Coyote: Abby Donovan, GolfScholar-Athlete of the Year: Kiran Bailey, Competitive DanceMary Virginia Bevan Female Student-Athlete of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/f6b74642-f400-4a5c-b462-d5d21ffc5d0b?elinkdata=10492">Madisyn Ehrlich</a>, Cross Country and TrackOther Award WinnersBest Comeback Win: Softball vs Bethany (Game 2)Best Win over Bethany: Men's SoccerBest Developmental Team Win: Women's SoccerBest Overall Win: Flag Football vs OttawaHighest Team GPA: Women's Cross Country and Competitive DanceAssistant Coach of the Year: Jun Murdock - Men's BasketballHead Coach of the Year: <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/8eb8f3c7-8926-4fdc-82bf-6d636471f352?elinkdata=10492">Garrett Young</a> - Cross Country

KWU's Ehrlich named Bevan Female Student-Athlete of the Year at Yotee Awards

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

The Salina Liberty battled on Sunday but ultimately fell 34-31 in Dodge City at the hands of the Southwest Kansas Storm.

With this result, the Liberty slide to 3-2 on the year while the Storm improve to 3-3.

The Liberty were gifted a free point before a single second came off the clock when Southwest Kansas failed to get the opening kickoff out of the end zone.

Just one touchdown would be scored in the first quarter, and it would belong to the Storm as Caden Walters found paydirt from the goal line on a QB run.

Salina wasted little time striking back, opening the second quarter with a QB keeper of their own, as Charles McCullum gave Salina an 8-7 lead.

McCullum would extend that lead with his second rushing touchdown of the day, but a touchdown pass, a pick-six, and a safety for the Storm would allow Southwest Kansas a 23-15 lead at the half.

After trading turnovers at the top of the third quarter, Otis Odom would claim the third score on the ground for the Liberty, and a forced fumble in the red zone would keep the Storm silent for the whole frame.

The Liberty had a chance to take their first lead of the half early in the fourth, but a missed field goal gave the ball back to the Storm, who extended the lead to nine on a 15-yard connection to Todd Athey.

Not deterred in the slightest, Salina answered with yet another score on the ground, this time from Jamario Benson, and took a 31-30 lead on a rare four-point conversion with time winding down.

Unfortunately for Salina, defense and special teams would put the game on ice as a field goal and rouge point made the score 34-31, and a pick in the end zone intended for Demarius Washington put the final nail in the Liberty coffin.

Despite this loss, the Liberty keep their spot in fourth place among the nine remaining AFL teams, and will look to chase Albany, Billings, and West Texas down the stretch.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostThe Salina Liberty battled on Sunday but ultimately fell 34-31 in Dodge City at the hands of the Southwest Kansas Storm.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>With this result, the Liberty slide to 3-2 on the year while the Storm improve to 3-3.The Liberty were gifted a free point before a single second came off the clock when Southwest Kansas failed to get the opening kickoff out of the end zone.Just one touchdown would be scored in the first quarter, and it would belong to the Storm as Caden Walters found paydirt from the goal line on a QB run.Salina wasted little time striking back, opening the second quarter with a QB keeper of their own, as Charles McCullum gave Salina an 8-7 lead.McCullum would extend that lead with his second rushing touchdown of the day, but a touchdown pass, a pick-six, and a safety for the Storm would allow Southwest Kansas a 23-15 lead at the half.After trading turnovers at the top of the third quarter, Otis Odom would claim the third score on the ground for the Liberty, and a forced fumble in the red zone would keep the Storm silent for the whole frame.The Liberty had a chance to take their first lead of the half early in the fourth, but a missed field goal gave the ball back to the Storm, who extended the lead to nine on a 15-yard connection to Todd Athey.Not deterred in the slightest, Salina answered with yet another score on the ground, this time from Jamario Benson, and took a 31-30 lead on a rare four-point conversion with time winding down.Unfortunately for Salina, defense and special teams would put the game on ice as a field goal and rouge point made the score 34-31, and a pick in the end zone intended for Demarius Washington put the final nail in the Liberty coffin.Despite this loss, the Liberty keep their spot in fourth place among the nine remaining AFL teams, and will look to chase Albany, Billings, and West Texas down the stretch.

Liberty fall to Storm in Dodge City

Your Wildcats are moving on to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2013! 

K-State Baseball will play #12 Virginia in a best-of-three series in Charlottesville beginning this Friday, June 7 or Saturday, June 8.

The winner of the Charlottesville Super Regional will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

A limited number of tickets in the official K-State allotment will be available for request beginning June 3. Requests will be allocated in priority point order.

The deadline to request tickets is 2:00pm tomorrow, and you will be notified by 5:00pm on the status of your request.

Your Wildcats are moving on to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2013! K-State Baseball will play #12 Virginia in a best-of-three series in Charlottesville beginning this Friday, June 7 or Saturday, June 8.The winner of the Charlottesville Super Regional will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.A limited number of tickets in the official K-State allotment will be available for request beginning June 3. Requests will be allocated in priority point order.The deadline to request tickets is 2:00pm tomorrow, and you will be notified by 5:00pm on the status of your request.

Cats Defeat Redhawks for Regional Title

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this morning that infielder&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for May. The awards are determined by a local media vote.

Witt Jr. ranked among Major League leaders in several offensive categories last month, including 2nd in runs scored (26), 3rd in RBI (25), tied for 5th in hits (35) and 6th in total bases (61). He matched&nbsp;Michael Massey&nbsp;for the team lead with 5 home runs and batted .315 (35-for-111) with multiple hits in 13 of his 28 games, as he currently leads the Majors with 25 multi-hit games this season. He put together a season-best 10-game hit streak from May 17-27, and on May 28, Major League Baseball announced that Witt Jr. was named American League Player of the Week for May 20-26, his first career weekly honor. He was the first Royal to win the award since&nbsp;Vinnie Pasquantino&nbsp;earned the honors for the week of Aug. 8-14, 2022, and he became the fourth Royals shortstop to ever win the award. Over that week, he landed among AL leaders in home runs (4, T-2nd), extra-base hits (6, T-2nd), hits (10, T-4th), slugging pct. (.923, T-4th) and OPS (1.356, 6th). He had a career day on May 21 vs. Detroit, becoming the third player in Royals history with a 2-homer, 6-RBI, 1-steal game, following&nbsp;Bo Jackson&nbsp;on April 14, 1987 and&nbsp;Carlos Beltrán&nbsp;on May 21, 2003. That also made him the&nbsp;third&nbsp;shortstop&nbsp;in Major League history&nbsp;with such a game, following&nbsp;Cal Ripken Jr.&nbsp;on Sept. 2, 1985 and&nbsp;Barry Larkin&nbsp;on June 28, 1991. This marks Witt Jr.’s fifth career monthly honor and first since winning the award in three consecutive months from last June through August. His five awards in three seasons are already tied for the 8th most by a Royals position player since the title was established in 1995.

Lugo went a perfect 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA (8 ER in 40.1 IP) over his 6 starts in the month of May. His 40.1 innings pitched led the Majors, while his 5 wins trailed only&nbsp;Luis Gil&nbsp;(6) for the Major League lead and his 1.79 ERA ranked 4th (min. 30.0 IP). Opponents batted just .188 (28-for-149) off him, which marked the 8th-lowest opponents’ average by any pitcher in the Majors. Lugo also recorded 43 strikeouts spanning his 6 starts—which was in stark contrast to his 23 strikeouts over 6 starts in March/April—and he trailed only&nbsp;Dylan Cease&nbsp;(47),&nbsp;Chris Sale&nbsp;(45) and Gil (44) for the most in the Majors. He limited opponents to just 2 runs or fewer in 5 of his 6 starts, and covered at least 6.0 innings in each of his outings. On May 12 vs. the Angels in Anaheim, he yielded just 1 run in 8.0 innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts and no walks, becoming the second Royal to ever toss at least 8.0 innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks, following&nbsp;Zack Greinke&nbsp;on June 13, 2010. In 12 overall starts this season, he’s tied for the Majors lead with 9 wins and 10 quality starts, and ranks 2nd in the Majors with a 1.72 ERA and 78.1 innings pitched. Lugo is one of just four pitchers in Royals history to win at least 9 of his 1st 12 starts in a season, and he’s the first to turn the trick since Royals Hall of Famer&nbsp;Kevin Appier&nbsp;went 9-2 through 12 starts in 1995. He’s the only pitcher in Royals history to win 9 of his 1st 12 starts&nbsp;with the franchise, besting the previous mark of 8 wins, which was done twice. The nine-year veteran has earned Royals Pitcher of the Month honors in back-to-back months to begin the season, after signing a two-year free agent contract with Kansas City last Dec. 14.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this morning that infielder&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for May. The awards are determined by a local media vote.Witt Jr. ranked among Major League leaders in several offensive categories last month, including 2nd in runs scored (26), 3rd in RBI (25), tied for 5th in hits (35) and 6th in total bases (61). He matched&nbsp;Michael Massey&nbsp;for the team lead with 5 home runs and batted .315 (35-for-111) with multiple hits in 13 of his 28 games, as he currently leads the Majors with 25 multi-hit games this season. He put together a season-best 10-game hit streak from May 17-27, and on May 28, Major League Baseball announced that Witt Jr. was named American League Player of the Week for May 20-26, his first career weekly honor. He was the first Royal to win the award since&nbsp;Vinnie Pasquantino&nbsp;earned the honors for the week of Aug. 8-14, 2022, and he became the fourth Royals shortstop to ever win the award. Over that week, he landed among AL leaders in home runs (4, T-2nd), extra-base hits (6, T-2nd), hits (10, T-4th), slugging pct. (.923, T-4th) and OPS (1.356, 6th). He had a career day on May 21 vs. Detroit, becoming the third player in Royals history with a 2-homer, 6-RBI, 1-steal game, following&nbsp;Bo Jackson&nbsp;on April 14, 1987 and&nbsp;Carlos Beltrán&nbsp;on May 21, 2003. That also made him the&nbsp;third&nbsp;shortstop&nbsp;in Major League history&nbsp;with such a game, following&nbsp;Cal Ripken Jr.&nbsp;on Sept. 2, 1985 and&nbsp;Barry Larkin&nbsp;on June 28, 1991. This marks Witt Jr.’s fifth career monthly honor and first since winning the award in three consecutive months from last June through August. His five awards in three seasons are already tied for the 8th most by a Royals position player since the title was established in 1995.Lugo went a perfect 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA (8 ER in 40.1 IP) over his 6 starts in the month of May. His 40.1 innings pitched led the Majors, while his 5 wins trailed only&nbsp;Luis Gil&nbsp;(6) for the Major League lead and his 1.79 ERA ranked 4th (min. 30.0 IP). Opponents batted just .188 (28-for-149) off him, which marked the 8th-lowest opponents’ average by any pitcher in the Majors. Lugo also recorded 43 strikeouts spanning his 6 starts—which was in stark contrast to his 23 strikeouts over 6 starts in March/April—and he trailed only&nbsp;Dylan Cease&nbsp;(47),&nbsp;Chris Sale&nbsp;(45) and Gil (44) for the most in the Majors. He limited opponents to just 2 runs or fewer in 5 of his 6 starts, and covered at least 6.0 innings in each of his outings. On May 12 vs. the Angels in Anaheim, he yielded just 1 run in 8.0 innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts and no walks, becoming the second Royal to ever toss at least 8.0 innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks, following&nbsp;Zack Greinke&nbsp;on June 13, 2010. In 12 overall starts this season, he’s tied for the Majors lead with 9 wins and 10 quality starts, and ranks 2nd in the Majors with a 1.72 ERA and 78.1 innings pitched. Lugo is one of just four pitchers in Royals history to win at least 9 of his 1st 12 starts in a season, and he’s the first to turn the trick since Royals Hall of Famer&nbsp;Kevin Appier&nbsp;went 9-2 through 12 starts in 1995. He’s the only pitcher in Royals history to win 9 of his 1st 12 starts&nbsp;with the franchise, besting the previous mark of 8 wins, which was done twice. The nine-year veteran has earned Royals Pitcher of the Month honors in back-to-back months to begin the season, after signing a two-year free agent contract with Kansas City last Dec. 14.

Bobby Witt Jr, Seth Lugo named Royals Players of the Month for May

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nick Loftin hit a walk-off sacrifice fly, Nelson Velázquez hit two RBIs and the Kansas City Royals defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday.

Loftin's sacrifice fly came after Velázquez pinch-hit a game-tying, two-run triple with no outs in the ninth. Velázquez finished the series with four RBIs.

“It is a huge win; we had to battle all weekend against a good team,” Loftin said. “It is big to get this win before we go into a big series this week. In that last at-bat, I just wanted to get a pitch up, something I could handle. I got to pitch up, and I was able to do enough.”

The Padres won the series, but Kansas City avoided the sweep. The Royals have not been swept this season and ended a three-game skid.

Cole Ragans allowed one run on five hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks. It was the ninth time this season Ragans had six or more strikeouts in an outing this season. Will Klein (1-0) earned his first-career win with a scoreless ninth inning.

“It felt great. I thought I commanded my stuff today," Ragans said. “I don’t think I changed anything. Just sticking to the process and going out there and executing that is the biggest thing. In late innings, we put together good bats. These guys are relentless. It is so fun to watch and be a part of.”

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. It was his fifth RBI of the series.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit an RBI single in the eighth to give the Padres a 2-1 lead. Manny Machado followed up with an RBI single. This season, San Diego has scored 121 runs in the eighth inning, more than any other inning. Luis Arraez tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth.

Michael King pitched seven innings of one-run ball on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. It was the fourth time this year that King had pitched seven or more innings. Reliever Enyel De Los Santos tossed a scoreless eighth. Yuki Matsui (3-1) was tabbed with the loss.

“That’s a good team, let’s not kid ourselves," San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “They do a heck of a job, and it was a good series, and credit to them for Friday night’s comeback because they compromised their bullpen. They got us at the end today.”

The series featured the hit leaders in the National and American leagues. Arraez recorded six hits in the series, extending an eight-game hitting streak. Bobby Witt Jr. had five hits in the series. Arraez leads the majors in the category.

Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (left foot fracture) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 1. Wacha was struck by a comebacker on the fourth pitch of his start on Friday night.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/padres-royals-score-0a330acde8416b9e8accdb9c1dcb026d">He stayed in the game</a>&nbsp;and pitched 5 1/3 innings. Daniel Lynch IV was recalled from Triple-A Omaha in the corresponding move.

Royals: Kyle Isbel (nonconcussive head and neck injury) left the game in the fifth inning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746301/video/cole-ragans-in-play-no-out-to-jose-azocar">after a collision with Witt</a>&nbsp;in centerfield. Isbel had to exit in the seventh inning on May 24 after fouling a ball off his face.

Padres:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746301/video/cole-ragans-in-play-run-s-to-luis-arraez">Arraez exited the game</a>&nbsp;in the sixth inning after getting called out after a headfirst slide into second on an RBI single to end the inning. He was looked at by trainers in the middle of the inning but stayed in before being replaced in the next inning. After the game, Shildt said the substitution was just a precaution.

“He jammed his shoulder on that play at second base and a little bit of his neck," Shildt said. "Nothing looks overly serious, just a precaution to take him out. Things are as positive as they can be right after the game.”

The Padres will head to Anaheim for another interleague series with the Angles starting Monday. Matt Waldron (3-5, 4.26 ERA) will take the mound for San Diego. Kansas City travels to Cleveland for a three-game road trip. Seth Lugo (9-1, 1.72) will open the series for the Royals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717365505784.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nick Loftin hit a walk-off sacrifice fly, Nelson Velázquez hit two RBIs and the Kansas City Royals defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday.Loftin's sacrifice fly came after Velázquez pinch-hit a game-tying, two-run triple with no outs in the ninth. Velázquez finished the series with four RBIs.“It is a huge win; we had to battle all weekend against a good team,” Loftin said. “It is big to get this win before we go into a big series this week. In that last at-bat, I just wanted to get a pitch up, something I could handle. I got to pitch up, and I was able to do enough.”The Padres won the series, but Kansas City avoided the sweep. The Royals have not been swept this season and ended a three-game skid.Cole Ragans allowed one run on five hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks. It was the ninth time this season Ragans had six or more strikeouts in an outing this season. Will Klein (1-0) earned his first-career win with a scoreless ninth inning.“It felt great. I thought I commanded my stuff today," Ragans said. “I don’t think I changed anything. Just sticking to the process and going out there and executing that is the biggest thing. In late innings, we put together good bats. These guys are relentless. It is so fun to watch and be a part of.”Vinnie Pasquantino hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. It was his fifth RBI of the series.Fernando Tatis Jr. hit an RBI single in the eighth to give the Padres a 2-1 lead. Manny Machado followed up with an RBI single. This season, San Diego has scored 121 runs in the eighth inning, more than any other inning. Luis Arraez tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth.Michael King pitched seven innings of one-run ball on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. It was the fourth time this year that King had pitched seven or more innings. Reliever Enyel De Los Santos tossed a scoreless eighth. Yuki Matsui (3-1) was tabbed with the loss.“That’s a good team, let’s not kid ourselves," San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “They do a heck of a job, and it was a good series, and credit to them for Friday night’s comeback because they compromised their bullpen. They got us at the end today.”HITS, HITS, HITSThe series featured the hit leaders in the National and American leagues. Arraez recorded six hits in the series, extending an eight-game hitting streak. Bobby Witt Jr. had five hits in the series. Arraez leads the majors in the category.ROSTER MOVESRoyals: RHP Michael Wacha (left foot fracture) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 1. Wacha was struck by a comebacker on the fourth pitch of his start on Friday night.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/padres-royals-score-0a330acde8416b9e8accdb9c1dcb026d">He stayed in the game</a>&nbsp;and pitched 5 1/3 innings. Daniel Lynch IV was recalled from Triple-A Omaha in the corresponding move.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Kyle Isbel (nonconcussive head and neck injury) left the game in the fifth inning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746301/video/cole-ragans-in-play-no-out-to-jose-azocar">after a collision with Witt</a>&nbsp;in centerfield. Isbel had to exit in the seventh inning on May 24 after fouling a ball off his face.Padres:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746301/video/cole-ragans-in-play-run-s-to-luis-arraez">Arraez exited the game</a>&nbsp;in the sixth inning after getting called out after a headfirst slide into second on an RBI single to end the inning. He was looked at by trainers in the middle of the inning but stayed in before being replaced in the next inning. After the game, Shildt said the substitution was just a precaution.“He jammed his shoulder on that play at second base and a little bit of his neck," Shildt said. "Nothing looks overly serious, just a precaution to take him out. Things are as positive as they can be right after the game.”UP NEXTThe Padres will head to Anaheim for another interleague series with the Angles starting Monday. Matt Waldron (3-5, 4.26 ERA) will take the mound for San Diego. Kansas City travels to Cleveland for a three-game road trip. Seth Lugo (9-1, 1.72) will open the series for the Royals.

⚾️ Nick Loftin lifts Royals over Padres in a walk-off win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ha-Seong Kim hit a go-ahead three-run double, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Higashioka homered and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Saturday.

Randy Vásquez (1-3) started after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/padres-yu-darvish-joe-musgrove-injured-list-bab334b52c06d354d6d0fe7c0832f935">Joe Musgrove was scratched</a>&nbsp;hours before the first pitch with right elbow inflammation and went five innings, allowing three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

With the Padres trailing 3-2 in the fourth inning, Kim cleared cleared the bases with a double to left field off Royals starter Alec Marsh (4-3).

Marsh gave up five earned runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Tatis Jr. hit a solo homer in the top of the first to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. But Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning to put the Royals ahead.

Pasquantino had another chance to get Kansas City closer in the seventh when he came up with two outs and the bases loaded, but Jeremiah Estrada struck him out.

Higashioka homered in the top of the ninth for his second of the season.

The Padres will look for their first sweep of the season Sunday, while the Royals will try to avoid being swept for the first time this year.

Padres: Placed RHPs Musgrove and Yu Darvish (left groin strain) on the 15-day injured list and recalled Vásquez and RHP Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717284217439.jpeg" alt="San Diego Padres' Ha-Seong Kim hits a three-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>San Diego Padres' Ha-Seong Kim hits a three-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ha-Seong Kim hit a go-ahead three-run double, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Higashioka homered and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Saturday.Randy Vásquez (1-3) started after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/padres-yu-darvish-joe-musgrove-injured-list-bab334b52c06d354d6d0fe7c0832f935">Joe Musgrove was scratched</a>&nbsp;hours before the first pitch with right elbow inflammation and went five innings, allowing three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.With the Padres trailing 3-2 in the fourth inning, Kim cleared cleared the bases with a double to left field off Royals starter Alec Marsh (4-3).Marsh gave up five earned runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out three.Tatis Jr. hit a solo homer in the top of the first to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. But Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning to put the Royals ahead.Pasquantino had another chance to get Kansas City closer in the seventh when he came up with two outs and the bases loaded, but Jeremiah Estrada struck him out.Higashioka homered in the top of the ninth for his second of the season.The Padres will look for their first sweep of the season Sunday, while the Royals will try to avoid being swept for the first time this year.ROSTER MOVESPadres: Placed RHPs Musgrove and Yu Darvish (left groin strain) on the 15-day injured list and recalled Vásquez and RHP Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso.UP NEXT

⚾️ Kim's 3-run double helps lead Padres past Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jake Cronenworth drove in three runs in a nine-run eighth inning, Luis Arraez had four hits and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 11-8 on Friday night.

Cronenworth hit a two-run single in the eighth to give the Padres a 4-3 lead and added an RBI double to make it 11-3. He leads San Diego with 38 RBIs. Luis Arraez had his fifth four-hit game of the season.

“That was amazing,” Arraez said. “When we put the ball in play, good things happen, so we just need to continue to do that so we can win a lot of games."

San Diego took command in the eighth inning, getting seven straight singles before the Royals recorded an out. The Padres totaled 18 hits in the game and had 10 singles and 11 total hits in the eighth inning, a club record for an inning.

“That eighth inning was pretty special and you don’t see many of them,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We just put together professional at-bats throughout, so it was pretty exciting. The approach was good we were just taking what the game gave us. It was a great inning and we got contributions from all.”

Yuki Matsui (3-0) got the victory with a scoreless seventh.

Dylan Cease gave up three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Cease made his 16th career start against the Royals, which is his most against any club in his career. He also added to his strikeout total against Kansas City, eclipsing 104 strikeouts, the most against one opponent.

“I think my outing was good enough to keep us in it, but it wasn’t very dominant," Cease said. “I am not thrilled with it, but I am happy we got the win, and the offense picked it up.”

Michael Wacha pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. It was his lowest strikeout total of the season and the fewest since June 19, 2023, while with San Diego. John Schreiber (3-1) gave up three runs in the eighth.

Nelson Velázquez hit a solo home run in Kansas City's five-run ninth.

“That’s the nature of baseball," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I wish we could explain the ins and outs of why, but a lot of it has to do with these guys never quitting. When their back is against the wall they know they have to go and keep fighting.”

San Diego reliever Jeremiah Estrada entered the game in the sixth inning, holding a major league record of 13 straight consecutive strikeouts, which came to an end on an intentional walk to Salvador Perez. The record dated to the Expansion Era in 1961 when play-by-play data was available and was broken by Jose Alvarado with 11 straight in 2023.

Royals: LHP Daniel Lynch IV was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after the game on Thursday. In the corresponding move, the Royals recalled RHP Will Klein.

Padres: RHP Yu Darvish (left hamstring tightness) remained in San Diego to receive treatment after an early exit in his last start due to the hamstring tightness on Wednesday against Miami. No move has been made.

Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.66 ERA) was set to start for San Diego on Saturday against Alec Marsh (4-2, 3.24 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717212665259.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals left fielder MJ Melendez catches a fly ball for the out on San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, May 31, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals left fielder MJ Melendez catches a fly ball for the out on San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, May 31, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jake Cronenworth drove in three runs in a nine-run eighth inning, Luis Arraez had four hits and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 11-8 on Friday night.Cronenworth hit a two-run single in the eighth to give the Padres a 4-3 lead and added an RBI double to make it 11-3. He leads San Diego with 38 RBIs. Luis Arraez had his fifth four-hit game of the season.“That was amazing,” Arraez said. “When we put the ball in play, good things happen, so we just need to continue to do that so we can win a lot of games."San Diego took command in the eighth inning, getting seven straight singles before the Royals recorded an out. The Padres totaled 18 hits in the game and had 10 singles and 11 total hits in the eighth inning, a club record for an inning.“That eighth inning was pretty special and you don’t see many of them,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We just put together professional at-bats throughout, so it was pretty exciting. The approach was good we were just taking what the game gave us. It was a great inning and we got contributions from all.”Yuki Matsui (3-0) got the victory with a scoreless seventh.Dylan Cease gave up three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Cease made his 16th career start against the Royals, which is his most against any club in his career. He also added to his strikeout total against Kansas City, eclipsing 104 strikeouts, the most against one opponent.“I think my outing was good enough to keep us in it, but it wasn’t very dominant," Cease said. “I am not thrilled with it, but I am happy we got the win, and the offense picked it up.”Michael Wacha pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. It was his lowest strikeout total of the season and the fewest since June 19, 2023, while with San Diego. John Schreiber (3-1) gave up three runs in the eighth.Nelson Velázquez hit a solo home run in Kansas City's five-run ninth.“That’s the nature of baseball," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I wish we could explain the ins and outs of why, but a lot of it has to do with these guys never quitting. When their back is against the wall they know they have to go and keep fighting.”K STREAK ENDSSan Diego reliever Jeremiah Estrada entered the game in the sixth inning, holding a major league record of 13 straight consecutive strikeouts, which came to an end on an intentional walk to Salvador Perez. The record dated to the Expansion Era in 1961 when play-by-play data was available and was broken by Jose Alvarado with 11 straight in 2023.ROSTER MOVESRoyals: LHP Daniel Lynch IV was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after the game on Thursday. In the corresponding move, the Royals recalled RHP Will Klein.TRAINER’S ROOMPadres: RHP Yu Darvish (left hamstring tightness) remained in San Diego to receive treatment after an early exit in his last start due to the hamstring tightness on Wednesday against Miami. No move has been made.UP NEXTJoe Musgrove (3-4, 5.66 ERA) was set to start for San Diego on Saturday against Alec Marsh (4-2, 3.24 ERA).

⚾️ Cronenworth drives in 3 runs in 9-run 8th, Padres beat Royals

Throughout the week, the AVCTL, NCKL, and NCAA released their list of All-League athletes, including a number of baseball and softball players from our area.

Below you can see the full list of honorees from Salina South, Salina Central, Abilene, Chapman, Southeast of Saline, Ellsworth, Minneapolis, and Sacred Heart.

All-AVCTL Div I Kaden Budke (Salina South- Player of the Year, 3B) Brady Howard (Salina South- P, SS)
 Kolton Herbal (Salina South- 2B)

AVCTL Div I&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kaden Budke (Salina South- P) Jace Humphrey (Salina South- P, OF) Aiden Spellman (Salina South- 1B) Ryan Brown (Salina South- OF) Dawson Dooley (Salina South- OF) Landon Putman (Salina South- OF)

All-AVCTL Div II Gunnar Gross (Salina Central- P)

AVCTL Div II&nbsp;Honorable Mention Brody Farthing (Salina Central- P) Grayton Gross (Salina Central- P) Jack Gordon (Salina Central- SS)

All-NCKL Stocton Timbrook (Abilene- P) Zach Miller (Abilene- C) Heath Hoekman (Abilene- IF) Drew Hansen (Abilene- IF) Jake Bartley (Abilene- IF) Thomas Keener (Abilene- UT) Aven Woods (Chapman- IF)

All-NCKL&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kyson Becker (Abilene- P) Cooper Lewis (Chapman- OF)

All-NCAA Evan Bogart (Sacred Heart) Cam Yohe (Sacred Heart) Leon Rowe (Sacred Heart) Lane Rolfs (Ellsworth) Cole Webber (Ellsworth) Will Cravens (Ellsworth) Jordan Rodriguez (Ellsworth) Ben Hipp (Ellsworth) Grady Gebhardt (SES)
 Ian Nickelson (SES) Treytan Olson (SES) Grant Rice (Minneapolis)

All-NCAA Honorable Mention Cooper Ivey (Sacred Heart) Brady Wells (Sacred Heart) Layton Leiker (Ellsworth) Sam Knopf (SES)

All-AVCTL Div I 1st Team Paityn Fritz (Salina South- UT)

AVCTL Div I&nbsp;Honorable Mention Emily Newman (Salina South- C) Maliyah Koster (Salina South- SS) Macy Yost (Salina South- 1B) Morgan Janousek (Salina South- OF) Mackenzie Langer (Salina South- OF)

All-AVCTL Div II 1st Team Madilynn Crough (Salina Central- OF) Katy Wagner (Salina Central- UT)

All-AVCTL Div II 2nd Team Tayler Gary (Salina Central- OF)

All-AVCTL Div II&nbsp;Honorable Mention Brooke Banninger (Salina Central- C) Ellie Riekhof (Salina Central- 1B) Valerie VanZant (Salina Central- SS) Harper Turpin (Salina Central- 2B) Caroline Brady (Salina Central- 1B)

All-NCKL Madalynn Harold (Chapman- P) Jai Rodgers (Chapman- IF) Taylor Gustufson (Chapman- OF) Maddie Murray (Abilene- C) Jamboree Bryson (Abilene- OF)

All-NCKL&nbsp;Honorable Mention McKenzie Leighty (Chapman- IF) Tailyn Needham (Abilene- IF)

All-NCAA Bryna Baird (SES)
 Brielle Ptacek (SES) Maddie Harris (SES) Lexi Jacobson (SES) Emma Moore (Ellsworth) Kenna Haas (Ellsworth) Paityn Tenbrink (Ellsworth) Braedee Weatherman (Minneapolis) Shelby Davidson (Minneapolis) Katie Weiss (Sacred Heart)

All-NCAA&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kimber Ogorzolka (SES) Abby Wyatt (SES) Isabelle Lindsley (Ellsworth) Sydney Parks (Minneapolis) Maegan Torrey (Sacred Heart)

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostThroughout the week, the AVCTL, NCKL, and NCAA released their list of All-League athletes, including a number of baseball and softball players from our area.Below you can see the full list of honorees from Salina South, Salina Central, Abilene, Chapman, Southeast of Saline, Ellsworth, Minneapolis, and Sacred Heart.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>BASEBALL SELECTIONSAll-AVCTL Div I Kaden Budke (Salina South- Player of the Year, 3B) Brady Howard (Salina South- P, SS)
 Kolton Herbal (Salina South- 2B)AVCTL Div I&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kaden Budke (Salina South- P) Jace Humphrey (Salina South- P, OF) Aiden Spellman (Salina South- 1B) Ryan Brown (Salina South- OF) Dawson Dooley (Salina South- OF) Landon Putman (Salina South- OF)All-AVCTL Div II Gunnar Gross (Salina Central- P)AVCTL Div II&nbsp;Honorable Mention Brody Farthing (Salina Central- P) Grayton Gross (Salina Central- P) Jack Gordon (Salina Central- SS)All-NCKL Stocton Timbrook (Abilene- P) Zach Miller (Abilene- C) Heath Hoekman (Abilene- IF) Drew Hansen (Abilene- IF) Jake Bartley (Abilene- IF) Thomas Keener (Abilene- UT) Aven Woods (Chapman- IF)All-NCKL&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kyson Becker (Abilene- P) Cooper Lewis (Chapman- OF)All-NCAA Evan Bogart (Sacred Heart) Cam Yohe (Sacred Heart) Leon Rowe (Sacred Heart) Lane Rolfs (Ellsworth) Cole Webber (Ellsworth) Will Cravens (Ellsworth) Jordan Rodriguez (Ellsworth) Ben Hipp (Ellsworth) Grady Gebhardt (SES)
 Ian Nickelson (SES) Treytan Olson (SES) Grant Rice (Minneapolis)All-NCAA Honorable Mention Cooper Ivey (Sacred Heart) Brady Wells (Sacred Heart) Layton Leiker (Ellsworth) Sam Knopf (SES)SOFTBALL SELECTIONSAll-AVCTL Div I 1st Team Paityn Fritz (Salina South- UT)AVCTL Div I&nbsp;Honorable Mention Emily Newman (Salina South- C) Maliyah Koster (Salina South- SS) Macy Yost (Salina South- 1B) Morgan Janousek (Salina South- OF) Mackenzie Langer (Salina South- OF)All-AVCTL Div II 1st Team Madilynn Crough (Salina Central- OF) Katy Wagner (Salina Central- UT)All-AVCTL Div II 2nd Team Tayler Gary (Salina Central- OF)All-AVCTL Div II&nbsp;Honorable Mention Brooke Banninger (Salina Central- C) Ellie Riekhof (Salina Central- 1B) Valerie VanZant (Salina Central- SS) Harper Turpin (Salina Central- 2B) Caroline Brady (Salina Central- 1B)All-NCKL Madalynn Harold (Chapman- P) Jai Rodgers (Chapman- IF) Taylor Gustufson (Chapman- OF) Maddie Murray (Abilene- C) Jamboree Bryson (Abilene- OF)All-NCKL&nbsp;Honorable Mention McKenzie Leighty (Chapman- IF) Tailyn Needham (Abilene- IF)All-NCAA Bryna Baird (SES)
 Brielle Ptacek (SES) Maddie Harris (SES) Lexi Jacobson (SES) Emma Moore (Ellsworth) Kenna Haas (Ellsworth) Paityn Tenbrink (Ellsworth) Braedee Weatherman (Minneapolis) Shelby Davidson (Minneapolis) Katie Weiss (Sacred Heart)All-NCAA&nbsp;Honorable Mention Kimber Ogorzolka (SES) Abby Wyatt (SES) Isabelle Lindsley (Ellsworth) Sydney Parks (Minneapolis) Maegan Torrey (Sacred Heart)

73 Area athletes named to all-league baseball and softball teams

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter-Salina Post

Hello and happy Friday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.

If you’re looking for an excuse to hit the links for a good cause be sure to join Kansas Wesleyan University for the return of the Coyote Cup on Friday, June 21, at the Salina Country Club.

The entry fee of $150 per person, or $600 per team, covers greens and cart fees, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, hole prizes and the meal following the event in the Salina Country Club ballroom

Funds raised from this year's Coyote Cup will go to help fund the full remodel of the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center inside the Student Activities Center on campus.

Thursday also saw the release of many state baseball and softball all-league and all-state teams across the state of Kansas and our four state contenders were well-represented

Southeast of Saline softball got four members on the NCAA all-league first team with Bryan Baird, Brielle Ptacek, Maddie Harris and Lexi Jacobson all making the cut, the Lady Trojans also got Kimber Ogorzolka and Abby Wyatt onto the list as honorable mentions

On a larger scale Abilene’s Stocton Timbrook and Heath Hoekman were each named to KSHSAAs all-state teams in Class 4A, joining Sacred Heart’s Evan Bogart from Class 2A, and from 5A Salina South’s Brady Howard and Kaden Budke, as well as Salina Central’s Gunner Gross.

That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to <a href="http://910kina.com">910 KINA</a>.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RJTT7lIWO6M?si=FnQTN0AZP02C0pDi" 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>By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter-Salina PostHello and happy Friday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>_________If you’re looking for an excuse to hit the links for a good cause be sure to join Kansas Wesleyan University for the return of the Coyote Cup on Friday, June 21, at the Salina Country Club.The entry fee of $150 per person, or $600 per team, covers greens and cart fees, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, hole prizes and the meal following the event in the Salina Country Club ballroomFunds raised from this year's Coyote Cup will go to help fund the full remodel of the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center inside the Student Activities Center on campus._________Thursday also saw the release of many state baseball and softball all-league and all-state teams across the state of Kansas and our four state contenders were well-representedSoutheast of Saline softball got four members on the NCAA all-league first team with Bryan Baird, Brielle Ptacek, Maddie Harris and Lexi Jacobson all making the cut, the Lady Trojans also got Kimber Ogorzolka and Abby Wyatt onto the list as honorable mentionsOn a larger scale Abilene’s Stocton Timbrook and Heath Hoekman were each named to KSHSAAs all-state teams in Class 4A, joining Sacred Heart’s Evan Bogart from Class 2A, and from 5A Salina South’s Brady Howard and Kaden Budke, as well as Salina Central’s Gunner Gross._________That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to <a href="http://910kina.com">910 KINA</a>.

910 KINA Headlines — May 31

Q:&nbsp;What can Xavier Worthy learn from these practices even if he is not out there taking reps?

NAGY:&nbsp;“A lot of mental. I know discussing it with you guys last year with Rashee (Rice) going through the process, we throw a lot at these guys in practice mentally. So right now, the biggest thing is for him (Xavier Worthy) to understand what we do offensively. Not just one position, but all the positions. I think for him it’s really valuable to be able to tell me while we are standing there in practice where he’s supposed to go and where he’s supposed to be more so than the physical routes. It’s been really good for him, he’s been great.”

Q:&nbsp;What are the traits you are looking for in the third running back position?

NAGY:&nbsp;“Somebody that can obviously run the football but also catch the football and be good in protection. Kind of a microcosm of what that position is. You have that third spot there, you want someone who can truly know where they’re supposed to go in protection. That’s always very important for us at coaches, for quarterbacks making sure you’re in sync with the linemen and tight ends. That part is huge, but at the same time making plays too. There’s going to be a great healthy competition, which there always is, that’ll be important. I think you really won’t truly see that until training camp.”

Q:&nbsp;How much of the offseason evaluation was focused on the deep passing game?

NAGY:&nbsp;“There was quite a bit. It’s a unique question because we always try to go into every year with that mindset. You want to have the initiative to be great at that and practice it from day one. We’ve had some success early on, we’ve got to keep it going, but it’s a mindset. Then you pair that with what the defense is going to give you. I think we’ve seen an evolution – not just against the Chiefs in recent years but also in the NFL in general – the deep shots aren’t there as much. Just having that balance of being able to still have that touchdown to check-down mentality but be smart with when we do take those shots.”

Q:&nbsp;What is it going to take for Nikko Remigio to break out this year?

NAGY:&nbsp;“Keep doing what he’s (Nikko Remigio) doing. I was so proud of him last year – it was unfortunate for him to get hurt like he did. Nikko is a prime example of an undrafted free agent that comes in, is an absolute true professional every day in the meeting room, every day at practice. It’s the same speed. It’s the same mentality. You root for guys like that. You’re bringing his name up, obviously he’s showing up and you see that. Again, guys like him they find a role as well and they’ve got to make an impact on special teams. I’m rooting for him. I think he’s a great kid and could be a fun story.”

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB

Q: In what ways have the new kickoff rules changed what you’re looking for in a returner?

TOUB: “That’s a good question. It’s going to change a lot. They’re going to be more like a running back style type guy because the other returner – the guy that doesn’t field the ball has got to be a good blocker. They have to be not only a good returner, solid, be able to take a hit and bounce back from a lot of tackles because there’s going to be a lot of tackles, but they have be a really good blocker because there’s going to be guys coming free, there’s just too many guys down the field at the point of attack.”

Q: What’s your evaluation on guys like Justin Reid as the kicker for kickoffs?

TOUB: “Justin (Reid) can cover, he can kick, which he can do and then he can go down there and make tackles. He’s an extra guy that they’re probably not accounting for. They know that that guy can go down (there) and tackle but a guy like Justin is a guy that they have to worry about. They have to get him blocked and they have to give up blocking somebody else so that’s the whole thought of that.”

Q: When you get to training camp, how much of your time is going to be spent on kickoffs?

TOUB: “A lot. I mean I haven’t done (planned) training camp practices yet everyday but everyday we’re going to be working either kickoff or kickoff return. It’ll be a portion of every practice, the same thing we’re doing now. You still have to work punt, punt return and everything – field goal, field goal block. I don’t need more time. I just need to change the schedule a little bit.”

Q: What have you seen from Matt Araiza?

TOUB: “I’m going to tell you both (Matt Araiza and Ryan Rehkow) these guys are really good, both. Matt is a lefty and Ryan is a righty, and they’re both excellent and they’re both NFL punters. I’m going to tell you it’s a real close battle right now, we kick them as much as we can without wearing out their legs. We’re practicing everything, the holds, the throws, who can throw better. We’re trying to look at everything to evaluate it. The holds are important. (Harrison) Butker is going to be involved. I’m going to talk to him (to see) who he likes when it comes time. We don’t know when we’re going to make that decision whether it’s before or after letting them play a game. I’m not sure yet. We have to tell (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, but it's a battle. Both of them give you a lot, both of them have things that they do well.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO

Q: Is Trent McDuffie going to cover your opponent’s number one receiver like L’Jarius Sneed did?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“We’ll see. I don’t think anybody is going to replace LJ (L’Jarius) Sneed. I thought LJ had a remarkable year in everything that he did. There are some shoes there to fill, whether we do it with one person or two people or shift guys around, we’ll see. We have a long way to go to figure that out. We have guys that aren’t out there yet, NJ (Nazeeh Johnson), Jaylen (Watson) so that’s one thing, we have to be concerned with.”

Q: If Trent McDuffie moves around, who do you like for the slot cornerback?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Chamarri (Conner) has been in there right now, Nic Jones has been in there. We have some young guys working in there. Trent (McDuffie) can always certainly slide back in. We haven’t put Justin Reid in there, but I’m not so sure if we got in a pinch in an emergency (that) we (couldn’t) do that but it’s good to have versatile guys.”

Q: There is a report that the NFL Players Association is going to send a proposal to eliminate OTAs and move training camp earlier, could this work?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“I’m a vacation guy, I like getting vacations (laughter). Just off the top of my head, now I have grown children and all of that but for guys with little kids and trying to have it coordinated with when the kids are off, I think that would take away from that. That was the only thing I could think of but wherever they tell us to go, I’ll go.”

Q: What are your impressions with Kelvin Joseph?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Early on, I couldn’t get a real good feel. He’s (Joseph Kelvin) kind of quiet and all that, but he’s made some plays. I think if you were to ask our players, they are getting a little bit more confidence in him. He’s been playing with the first group in a couple of reps there. He’s made some plays for us. I mean, he had an interception a couple of days ago in the redzone. Long way to go, but there’s hope there. He’s working well with the guys.”

MELVIN: “It’s been nice. We got a lot in. We’re throwing a lot at all these guys, and he’s done a very good job assimilating to what we call things – (he was in a) similar offense so it’s really not that foreign (but) the volume is. He’s done a nice job doing that. He’s playing a little bit faster every day we go, so it’s good to see. He has a long way to go, but we’re encouraged with where he’s at and what he’s been doing.”

Q:&nbsp;Jared Wiley mentioned that he had a number of offensive coordinators in college so learning a new offense isn’t new to him. Are you seeing that?

MELVIN:&nbsp;“Yeah, the expectation of him having to come in, understand a new language, understand that someone is asking him to do that same thing but calling it something different. I guess you could look at it that it benefits him as far as him having to do it that way. He’s handling it well; we’re encouraged with that.”

Q: How do you see the tight end rotation shaping out?

MELVIN: “We have no clue until they put pads on. I mean guys look different with shorts until they go. All the guys. I was just saying, Irv (Smith) is a really smart and instinctual guy, and that’s showing out there. He’s doing things that a vet would do where the rookies would run into a wall whereas he’s pulling up in front. I like what he gives us and then the rookies are doing their thing. We have a long way to go, we’re just happy when guys kind of flash out here. (We say), ‘Ooh he’s got that,’ it’s better than going, ‘Eh, he can’t do that.’ We’re seeing more of the positive parts right now.”

Q: Did you see something right away in Travis Kelce that led to what he is today?

MELVIN: “The personality was always there. I remember I went – after his first year- I went to the (NFL) Combine and came back, we had the Rodeo here, the pro bull rodeo tour and I was sitting in the stands with my wife and here’s Travis (Kelce) on the top of the dugout dancing around and so that right away, that’s him. It’s nothing new.”

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DAVE MERRITT

Q:&nbsp;What has been the early assessment of Jaden Hicks and Kamal Hadden?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“I tell you, first of all the kid (Jaden) Hicks, I tell him all the time, ‘You know what, you are the prototype safety.” He has the body, the size, the mental to be able to be a really good football player in this league. Then of course Kamal (Hadden) is another long athletic corner – he reminds me of (former Chiefs S) Bashaud Breeland to be honest with you, a very physical guy. These two guys, they’re just like Dory, they’re just swimming right now ‘Just keep swimming’ (laughter). It is overloading them mentally, but I’m happy to have these guys in a room. So thrilled that you have fresh blood in there. You’re trying to teach, trying to mold another young mind to become what they want to become. So, it’s been great.”

Q:&nbsp;How ready is Trent McDuffie to step up in the absence of L'Jarius Sneed?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“(Trent) McDuffie last year was first-team All-Pro, so he doesn’t need to do anything – he doesn’t need to try to become LJ (L'Jarius) Sneed. I think Trent is going to do well with his role and what he’s been doing.”

Q:&nbsp;What is your impression of Kelvin Joseph?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“Kelvin (Joseph) is another young man who has a lot of quick-twitch. He’s learning the defense, but he’s just like a rookie, he’s swimming just like the other guys because there is a lot thrown at him. This system here – as I’ve said in the past – if you can learn this system you’ll be able to go play in probably 95% of the other systems in the NFL, it’s just so much because we open up our entire playbook to these young men. Hopefully he’s going to be able to step up, step in and be able to accomplish the things we want him to accomplish when it comes to everything.”

Q:&nbsp;You said Kamal Hadden reminds you of&nbsp; former Chiefs S Bashaud Breeland. Is that just in size or are there other similar traits as well?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“Even his mentality, how he comes off. (Bashaud) Breeland always wanted to know some of the little details, so he could get better. (Kamal) Hadden has that type of personality. It more so is what you just said, it’s more so the size and physicality. I’m excited to get my hands on him.”

Q:&nbsp;You played in the NFL; can you take us back to what it was like trying to learn in your rookie year and how that forms how you coach rookies?

HECK:&nbsp;“When I came into the league, I was coming from a wishbone offense where we averaged six throws a game and there would have been a naked type of thing so I had my hands full learning how to pass protect. You take our rookies today, Kingsley (Suamataia) coming from a throwing offense, a spread offense, they’re much better developed in that regard. A lot of it is just, hey, let’s learn our terminology, let’s learn our calls, our concepts. Then everything else in between – there’s a lot – but we tell them, ‘Look, we’re not going to build Rome in a day here.’ We’ll do it day-by-day, and we’ve got these varied phases, minicamp and training came. (We have) a lot of time to get this done.”

Q:&nbsp;How is the left tackle position shaping out for you?

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGYQ:&nbsp;What can Xavier Worthy learn from these practices even if he is not out there taking reps?NAGY:&nbsp;“A lot of mental. I know discussing it with you guys last year with Rashee (Rice) going through the process, we throw a lot at these guys in practice mentally. So right now, the biggest thing is for him (Xavier Worthy) to understand what we do offensively. Not just one position, but all the positions. I think for him it’s really valuable to be able to tell me while we are standing there in practice where he’s supposed to go and where he’s supposed to be more so than the physical routes. It’s been really good for him, he’s been great.”Q:&nbsp;What are the traits you are looking for in the third running back position?NAGY:&nbsp;“Somebody that can obviously run the football but also catch the football and be good in protection. Kind of a microcosm of what that position is. You have that third spot there, you want someone who can truly know where they’re supposed to go in protection. That’s always very important for us at coaches, for quarterbacks making sure you’re in sync with the linemen and tight ends. That part is huge, but at the same time making plays too. There’s going to be a great healthy competition, which there always is, that’ll be important. I think you really won’t truly see that until training camp.”Q:&nbsp;How much of the offseason evaluation was focused on the deep passing game?NAGY:&nbsp;“There was quite a bit. It’s a unique question because we always try to go into every year with that mindset. You want to have the initiative to be great at that and practice it from day one. We’ve had some success early on, we’ve got to keep it going, but it’s a mindset. Then you pair that with what the defense is going to give you. I think we’ve seen an evolution – not just against the Chiefs in recent years but also in the NFL in general – the deep shots aren’t there as much. Just having that balance of being able to still have that touchdown to check-down mentality but be smart with when we do take those shots.”Q:&nbsp;What is it going to take for Nikko Remigio to break out this year?NAGY:&nbsp;“Keep doing what he’s (Nikko Remigio) doing. I was so proud of him last year – it was unfortunate for him to get hurt like he did. Nikko is a prime example of an undrafted free agent that comes in, is an absolute true professional every day in the meeting room, every day at practice. It’s the same speed. It’s the same mentality. You root for guys like that. You’re bringing his name up, obviously he’s showing up and you see that. Again, guys like him they find a role as well and they’ve got to make an impact on special teams. I’m rooting for him. I think he’s a great kid and could be a fun story.”ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUBQ: In what ways have the new kickoff rules changed what you’re looking for in a returner?TOUB: “That’s a good question. It’s going to change a lot. They’re going to be more like a running back style type guy because the other returner – the guy that doesn’t field the ball has got to be a good blocker. They have to be not only a good returner, solid, be able to take a hit and bounce back from a lot of tackles because there’s going to be a lot of tackles, but they have be a really good blocker because there’s going to be guys coming free, there’s just too many guys down the field at the point of attack.”Q: What’s your evaluation on guys like Justin Reid as the kicker for kickoffs?TOUB: “Justin (Reid) can cover, he can kick, which he can do and then he can go down there and make tackles. He’s an extra guy that they’re probably not accounting for. They know that that guy can go down (there) and tackle but a guy like Justin is a guy that they have to worry about. They have to get him blocked and they have to give up blocking somebody else so that’s the whole thought of that.”Q: When you get to training camp, how much of your time is going to be spent on kickoffs?TOUB: “A lot. I mean I haven’t done (planned) training camp practices yet everyday but everyday we’re going to be working either kickoff or kickoff return. It’ll be a portion of every practice, the same thing we’re doing now. You still have to work punt, punt return and everything – field goal, field goal block. I don’t need more time. I just need to change the schedule a little bit.”Q: What have you seen from Matt Araiza?TOUB: “I’m going to tell you both (Matt Araiza and Ryan Rehkow) these guys are really good, both. Matt is a lefty and Ryan is a righty, and they’re both excellent and they’re both NFL punters. I’m going to tell you it’s a real close battle right now, we kick them as much as we can without wearing out their legs. We’re practicing everything, the holds, the throws, who can throw better. We’re trying to look at everything to evaluate it. The holds are important. (Harrison) Butker is going to be involved. I’m going to talk to him (to see) who he likes when it comes time. We don’t know when we’re going to make that decision whether it’s before or after letting them play a game. I’m not sure yet. We have to tell (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, but it's a battle. Both of them give you a lot, both of them have things that they do well.”DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLOQ: Is Trent McDuffie going to cover your opponent’s number one receiver like L’Jarius Sneed did?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“We’ll see. I don’t think anybody is going to replace LJ (L’Jarius) Sneed. I thought LJ had a remarkable year in everything that he did. There are some shoes there to fill, whether we do it with one person or two people or shift guys around, we’ll see. We have a long way to go to figure that out. We have guys that aren’t out there yet, NJ (Nazeeh Johnson), Jaylen (Watson) so that’s one thing, we have to be concerned with.”Q: If Trent McDuffie moves around, who do you like for the slot cornerback?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Chamarri (Conner) has been in there right now, Nic Jones has been in there. We have some young guys working in there. Trent (McDuffie) can always certainly slide back in. We haven’t put Justin Reid in there, but I’m not so sure if we got in a pinch in an emergency (that) we (couldn’t) do that but it’s good to have versatile guys.”Q: There is a report that the NFL Players Association is going to send a proposal to eliminate OTAs and move training camp earlier, could this work?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“I’m a vacation guy, I like getting vacations (laughter). Just off the top of my head, now I have grown children and all of that but for guys with little kids and trying to have it coordinated with when the kids are off, I think that would take away from that. That was the only thing I could think of but wherever they tell us to go, I’ll go.”Q: What are your impressions with Kelvin Joseph?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Early on, I couldn’t get a real good feel. He’s (Joseph Kelvin) kind of quiet and all that, but he’s made some plays. I think if you were to ask our players, they are getting a little bit more confidence in him. He’s been playing with the first group in a couple of reps there. He’s made some plays for us. I mean, he had an interception a couple of days ago in the redzone. Long way to go, but there’s hope there. He’s working well with the guys.”TIGHT ENDS COACH TOM MELVINQ: On Jared Wiley.MELVIN: “It’s been nice. We got a lot in. We’re throwing a lot at all these guys, and he’s done a very good job assimilating to what we call things – (he was in a) similar offense so it’s really not that foreign (but) the volume is. He’s done a nice job doing that. He’s playing a little bit faster every day we go, so it’s good to see. He has a long way to go, but we’re encouraged with where he’s at and what he’s been doing.”Q:&nbsp;Jared Wiley mentioned that he had a number of offensive coordinators in college so learning a new offense isn’t new to him. Are you seeing that?MELVIN:&nbsp;“Yeah, the expectation of him having to come in, understand a new language, understand that someone is asking him to do that same thing but calling it something different. I guess you could look at it that it benefits him as far as him having to do it that way. He’s handling it well; we’re encouraged with that.”Q: How do you see the tight end rotation shaping out?MELVIN: “We have no clue until they put pads on. I mean guys look different with shorts until they go. All the guys. I was just saying, Irv (Smith) is a really smart and instinctual guy, and that’s showing out there. He’s doing things that a vet would do where the rookies would run into a wall whereas he’s pulling up in front. I like what he gives us and then the rookies are doing their thing. We have a long way to go, we’re just happy when guys kind of flash out here. (We say), ‘Ooh he’s got that,’ it’s better than going, ‘Eh, he can’t do that.’ We’re seeing more of the positive parts right now.”Q: Did you see something right away in Travis Kelce that led to what he is today?MELVIN: “The personality was always there. I remember I went – after his first year- I went to the (NFL) Combine and came back, we had the Rodeo here, the pro bull rodeo tour and I was sitting in the stands with my wife and here’s Travis (Kelce) on the top of the dugout dancing around and so that right away, that’s him. It’s nothing new.”DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DAVE MERRITTQ:&nbsp;What has been the early assessment of Jaden Hicks and Kamal Hadden?MERRITT:&nbsp;“I tell you, first of all the kid (Jaden) Hicks, I tell him all the time, ‘You know what, you are the prototype safety.” He has the body, the size, the mental to be able to be a really good football player in this league. Then of course Kamal (Hadden) is another long athletic corner – he reminds me of (former Chiefs S) Bashaud Breeland to be honest with you, a very physical guy. These two guys, they’re just like Dory, they’re just swimming right now ‘Just keep swimming’ (laughter). It is overloading them mentally, but I’m happy to have these guys in a room. So thrilled that you have fresh blood in there. You’re trying to teach, trying to mold another young mind to become what they want to become. So, it’s been great.”Q:&nbsp;How ready is Trent McDuffie to step up in the absence of L'Jarius Sneed?MERRITT:&nbsp;“(Trent) McDuffie last year was first-team All-Pro, so he doesn’t need to do anything – he doesn’t need to try to become LJ (L'Jarius) Sneed. I think Trent is going to do well with his role and what he’s been doing.”Q:&nbsp;What is your impression of Kelvin Joseph?MERRITT:&nbsp;“Kelvin (Joseph) is another young man who has a lot of quick-twitch. He’s learning the defense, but he’s just like a rookie, he’s swimming just like the other guys because there is a lot thrown at him. This system here – as I’ve said in the past – if you can learn this system you’ll be able to go play in probably 95% of the other systems in the NFL, it’s just so much because we open up our entire playbook to these young men. Hopefully he’s going to be able to step up, step in and be able to accomplish the things we want him to accomplish when it comes to everything.”Q:&nbsp;You said Kamal Hadden reminds you of&nbsp; former Chiefs S Bashaud Breeland. Is that just in size or are there other similar traits as well?MERRITT:&nbsp;“Even his mentality, how he comes off. (Bashaud) Breeland always wanted to know some of the little details, so he could get better. (Kamal) Hadden has that type of personality. It more so is what you just said, it’s more so the size and physicality. I’m excited to get my hands on him.”OFFENSIVE LINE COACH ANDY HECKQ:&nbsp;You played in the NFL; can you take us back to what it was like trying to learn in your rookie year and how that forms how you coach rookies?HECK:&nbsp;“When I came into the league, I was coming from a wishbone offense where we averaged six throws a game and there would have been a naked type of thing so I had my hands full learning how to pass protect. You take our rookies today, Kingsley (Suamataia) coming from a throwing offense, a spread offense, they’re much better developed in that regard. A lot of it is just, hey, let’s learn our terminology, let’s learn our calls, our concepts. Then everything else in between – there’s a lot – but we tell them, ‘Look, we’re not going to build Rome in a day here.’ We’ll do it day-by-day, and we’ve got these varied phases, minicamp and training came. (We have) a lot of time to get this done.”Q:&nbsp;How is the left tackle position shaping out for you?HECK:&nbsp;“I feel very good about the talent we have here on this team on the roster now to create some good competition there. You have guys who have played in games like Wanya (Morris) and Lucas Niang. Chew (Chukwuebuka Godrick) is an exciting developmental guy, and he’s been doing very well this spring, so we wanted to give him a look out there. That’ll be a work in progress, we’re going to give a lot of guys some looks there, Kingsley (Suamataia) certainly, Ethan Driskell one of our young guys. I feel good about the tackle depth that we have here to create some good competition.”Q:&nbsp;What are you seeing from Jawaan Taylor going into year two in the system?HECK:&nbsp;“You know, free agency is a good thing for this league, and it’s a good thing for our players, and I personally experienced this as a young free agent changing teams – I think that first year – we’ve seen it with several guys. You think back to (Bengals OT) Orlando’s (Brown) first year here. It takes a year, you’re getting moved, you’re learning a new town, new terminology, techniques. I think it can take a year to find your grove. It doesn’t have to, but I think it typically does. So, my expectation would be that JT (Jawaan Taylor) is going to pick up where he left off having cleaned some of those things up and be that much further along without being in the midst of a transition.”Q:&nbsp;Where is Joe Thuney in his recovery right now?HECK:&nbsp;“I don’t know where he’s at in terms of his rehab other than he’s doing very well. He is here every day diligently working on that. He’s in our meetings, provides great leadership in our meetings. (He’s an) excellent veteran voice in there, (a) good teacher, which you would expect from such a good player. We’re looking forward to getting him back, I don’t know when that is.”