OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, good to be back together. So,&nbsp;I’ll&nbsp;start with Norma Hunt.&nbsp;You know&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;obviously&nbsp;sad that she passed away.&nbsp;You know the thing that gets you through these things is trying&nbsp;to focus on the good times&nbsp;and we had so many good timeswith her.&nbsp;And just the picture,&nbsp;the image of her greeting Lamar up there kind of fires me up.&nbsp;It’ll&nbsp;be a great reunion and there’s&nbsp;suchlove between them and the family&nbsp;so we’re here to support&nbsp;them, the family,&nbsp;and our memories of Norma are great.&nbsp;With&nbsp;that,&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;good to get these guys out here working.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;working&nbsp;their tail&nbsp;off. This week has been all against opponents, so&nbsp;the AFC West and&nbsp;then&nbsp;our first&nbsp;opponent,&nbsp;the Lions. So,&nbsp;we’ve&nbsp;got some work.&nbsp;We’ve&nbsp;got the Lions tomorrow.&nbsp;We’ve&nbsp;had the AFC West the last three days. So, the guys are working hard,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;challenging each other within the rules&nbsp;that you’re confined to.&nbsp;But&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a good foundation for them&nbsp;as we work into the veteran mini-camp and then&nbsp;into&nbsp;training camp,most of all.&nbsp;They’ll&nbsp;at least have a foundation there going up to St. Joseph. Anyways, with that,&nbsp;time’s&nbsp;yours.”

Q:&nbsp;Early impressions on&nbsp;Skyy Moore&nbsp;heading into this season.

REID:&nbsp;“Skyy’s&nbsp;worked real hard this offseason. He looks like&nbsp;he’s on the same page with Patrick.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;doing a nice job and again, we just – in these camps he’s been doing a real nice job.&nbsp;Let’s&nbsp;keep on advancing as we go and he’ll do that because he’s wired right to do that.”

Q:&nbsp;Have you learned anything about Donovan Smith&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jawaan&nbsp;Taylor&nbsp;after&nbsp;a few&nbsp;weeks?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah so this is all pass game.&nbsp;There’s&nbsp;no run game and then the defensive line pulls off once they get&nbsp;up the field but, listen, they’re smart guys.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;taking good sets and doing the things that they’re supposed to do. You can tell that&nbsp;they’ve&nbsp;played before.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;handling themselves right and digging in on the new protections and the snap count&nbsp;in&nbsp;itself, you know and all those things&nbsp;to make sure they’re ready once we get to training camp.”

Q:&nbsp;You’ve&nbsp;had turnover&nbsp;at the receiver position especially the last couple of years. With the new guys and the&nbsp;rookies&nbsp;coming in&nbsp;as well,&nbsp;is there a custom game&nbsp;plan as far as how you prep those guys and get&nbsp;them up to speed?&nbsp;Or is it one-size fits all?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, well you&nbsp;kind of teach&nbsp;them the whole as&nbsp;you’regoing, one day at a time. The whole to the part and not the part&nbsp;tothe&nbsp;whole. So, we give them the whole&nbsp;shebang&nbsp;and then we break it down for them in little pods each day.&nbsp;Although&nbsp;they have all the&nbsp;information,&nbsp;and they can go look at the big picture of things but we try to taper the&nbsp;individual practices and pretty tight window there for them so they can focus in on what they need to.”

Q:&nbsp;From a skill position standpoint what are your&nbsp;thoughts on Rashee Rice&nbsp;and&nbsp;Deneric Prince?

REID:&nbsp;“Listen,&nbsp;I think they both have done&nbsp;a nice job. Again, I&nbsp;think&nbsp;the&nbsp;volume&nbsp;and the tempo&nbsp;and all those things,&nbsp;the newness of the plays,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;in a huddle&nbsp;–&nbsp;you know what I’m saying?&nbsp;Then&nbsp;the speed that we go at and then the speed obviously that the defense presents,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;in their different coverages. So,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;working through all that and that’s a positive.”

Q:&nbsp;Deneric Prince had a good catch out there&nbsp;today. What have you seen from him?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“Listen, I saw&nbsp;(General Manager Brett) Veach&nbsp;over there coaching&nbsp;you guys&nbsp;up (laughter).&nbsp;Yeah, he’s got really good hands and it&nbsp;looked&nbsp;like&nbsp;he caught one right when Veach was there, in the endzone, right in front of you guys.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;done a nice job. Again, that’s part of the game.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;another part is the running game which&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;not doing (yet), except versus air, so we’ll have to see how all of that goes once we get there. But&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;a sharp kid, he’s got skill,&nbsp;looks like.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;big and can run and has good feel for things right now.”

Q:&nbsp;Is Felix&nbsp;Anudike-Uzomah&nbsp;back to full participation?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;he is. He had that surgery&nbsp;–&nbsp;that thumb surgery&nbsp;–&nbsp;and had a hamstring too and&nbsp;so&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;worked through all that and he’s back&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;swing and looks like he’s feeling better every day,&nbsp;which is a good thing.”

Q:&nbsp;What was it like&nbsp;being around last year’s team at the White House? How was it to have guys like&nbsp;former Chiefs Offensive Coordinator&nbsp;Eric Bieniemy and&nbsp;former Chiefs DE&nbsp;Frank Clark attend?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“I’ll&nbsp;tell you it was great. You know what was neat,&nbsp;I mentioned it to you&nbsp;down&nbsp;there that you put all the politics aside.So,&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;not democratic,&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;not republican,&nbsp;you’re not independent, you’re&nbsp;just – you’re&nbsp;an American. I thought that was the neatest part of the thing – that everybody&nbsp;was just enjoying the history and they laid out a spread for us of food that was great. The&nbsp;hospitality&nbsp;was&nbsp;phenomenal. They had different military guys in each of the rooms&nbsp;they&nbsp;let us go in and the guys were experts on the paintings and the architecture and who’s special room this was&nbsp;andthat room,&nbsp;and so you got the history. Everything&nbsp;from the oldest table to the oldest picture, you know you got&nbsp;the history of&nbsp;that,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I think the guys&nbsp;appreciated that part. And then, listen&nbsp;PresidentBiden spent a ton&nbsp;of&nbsp;time with the guys and myself,&nbsp;and some of the coaches there.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;obviously&nbsp;a Delaware&nbsp;fan&nbsp;and&nbsp;we’ve got a lot of&nbsp;those&nbsp;Blue Hens on our team&nbsp;in the coaching ranks&nbsp;and&nbsp;Brett.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;he spent a ton of time with us – more than we thought. We were thinking&nbsp;maybe 10&nbsp;minutes that you get&nbsp;from&nbsp;the president but he was very giving there.”

Q:&nbsp;Did you attend the White House when you were with Green Bay?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“I did.&nbsp;Yeah,&nbsp;I went with&nbsp;Green&nbsp;Bay.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was a little different than that.&nbsp;Some of&nbsp;the&nbsp;restrictions&nbsp;are tighter now but, they try not to make you feel that way. We were in,&nbsp;and they appreciated us being there. I mean, like I said, the&nbsp;hospitality&nbsp;was phenomenal. My hat goes off to them.”

Q:&nbsp;How impactful was it for you and&nbsp;some of&nbsp;the other players from the 2019 team who weren’t able to visit the White House after that Super Bowl win?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;it was&nbsp;kind of fun.&nbsp;I&nbsp;mentioned&nbsp;that you know when I had a chance to talk that&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;enjoying the heck out of this thing. I wish all the guys from that team&nbsp;could’ve&nbsp;been there too but, you&nbsp;know, it was great. That was great. We had a ton – they divided off, which I know some of&nbsp;you&nbsp;guys&nbsp;were there, they divided off the crowd. So,&nbsp;you had the team and the Chiefs organization on one side and then on the other&nbsp;side you had people that&nbsp;were Chiefs fans&nbsp;thatlived either in D.C.&nbsp;and&nbsp;work or in the&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;area there. And&nbsp;both sides&nbsp;were fully loaded.&nbsp;There were a lot of people and that was&nbsp;kind&nbsp;of&nbsp;fun&nbsp;to see and the people that were outside&nbsp;around&nbsp;the busses. They let people get&nbsp;relatively close&nbsp;there. Again, the support was&nbsp;great,&nbsp;and you felt that for the guys. The guys that left had a blast with it. They just&nbsp;jumped in like they were still on the team and rolling. So, I had&nbsp;a good time.”

Q:&nbsp;How fun has it been celebrating this time around after not getting to&nbsp;much&nbsp;after 2019?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, in a weird way&nbsp;I think they&nbsp;were excited to have us there just because of that. And President Biden played football&nbsp;at Delaware.&nbsp;He was –&nbsp;I’m&nbsp;sure it’s a breath&nbsp;of&nbsp;fresh air where he doesn’t have to worry about talking to the guys&nbsp;(the Chiefs)&nbsp;he could just talk to them and he did. And&nbsp;I think the guys&nbsp;loved&nbsp;that part, I think he loved it.&nbsp;It was neat.”

Q:&nbsp;Are you excited for Chiefs Night at the K with the Royals? On Travis Kelce throwing out the first pitch&nbsp;to redeem himself.

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;he’s been working hard (laughter).”

Q:&nbsp;Have you&nbsp;been coaching him up?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“I think Pat&nbsp;(Mahomes)&nbsp;has. Pat’s been on him.&nbsp;He’sworking hard at it. I think&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;going to get a better performance this time. He can throw&nbsp;now;&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;just getting it straight there.”

Q:&nbsp;So much of Kadarius Toney’s time here has been keeping him healthy. How has he been feeling and looking?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;no,&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;doing good.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;good&nbsp;to&nbsp;have him out there.&nbsp;I think&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;having fun and developing&nbsp;a relationship there with everybody,&nbsp;and the quarterback in particular.”

Q:&nbsp;You mentioned the excellent food at the White House. Can you elaborate on the spread at all?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, they did have&nbsp;some&nbsp;good stuff.&nbsp;I’ve&nbsp;never had this before, but they had a French Toast grilled cheese and ham sandwich that they sprinkled a little bit of powdered sugar on. It was phenomenal. There was an abundance of this. Then they had chicken fingers – exotic chicken fingers.&nbsp;Maybe the&nbsp;best part was, which I hadn’t seen before, little bite-size squares of the heart of the watermelon. My hat went off to the chef. I went back and talked to him and I just go “You guys are unbelievable.” Whoever cut all of that out, had the patience to do it, my hat goes off to them.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/5/1559312679990.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, good to be back together. So,&nbsp;I’ll&nbsp;start with Norma Hunt.&nbsp;You know&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;obviously&nbsp;sad that she passed away.&nbsp;You know the thing that gets you through these things is trying&nbsp;to focus on the good times&nbsp;and we had so many good timeswith her.&nbsp;And just the picture,&nbsp;the image of her greeting Lamar up there kind of fires me up.&nbsp;It’ll&nbsp;be a great reunion and there’s&nbsp;suchlove between them and the family&nbsp;so we’re here to support&nbsp;them, the family,&nbsp;and our memories of Norma are great.&nbsp;With&nbsp;that,&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;good to get these guys out here working.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;working&nbsp;their tail&nbsp;off. This week has been all against opponents, so&nbsp;the AFC West and&nbsp;then&nbsp;our first&nbsp;opponent,&nbsp;the Lions. So,&nbsp;we’ve&nbsp;got some work.&nbsp;We’ve&nbsp;got the Lions tomorrow.&nbsp;We’ve&nbsp;had the AFC West the last three days. So, the guys are working hard,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;challenging each other within the rules&nbsp;that you’re confined to.&nbsp;But&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a good foundation for them&nbsp;as we work into the veteran mini-camp and then&nbsp;into&nbsp;training camp,most of all.&nbsp;They’ll&nbsp;at least have a foundation there going up to St. Joseph. Anyways, with that,&nbsp;time’s&nbsp;yours.”Q:&nbsp;Early impressions on&nbsp;Skyy Moore&nbsp;heading into this season.REID:&nbsp;“Skyy’s&nbsp;worked real hard this offseason. He looks like&nbsp;he’s on the same page with Patrick.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;doing a nice job and again, we just – in these camps he’s been doing a real nice job.&nbsp;Let’s&nbsp;keep on advancing as we go and he’ll do that because he’s wired right to do that.”Q:&nbsp;Have you learned anything about Donovan Smith&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jawaan&nbsp;Taylor&nbsp;after&nbsp;a few&nbsp;weeks?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah so this is all pass game.&nbsp;There’s&nbsp;no run game and then the defensive line pulls off once they get&nbsp;up the field but, listen, they’re smart guys.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;taking good sets and doing the things that they’re supposed to do. You can tell that&nbsp;they’ve&nbsp;played before.&nbsp;They’re&nbsp;handling themselves right and digging in on the new protections and the snap count&nbsp;in&nbsp;itself, you know and all those things&nbsp;to make sure they’re ready once we get to training camp.”Q:&nbsp;You’ve&nbsp;had turnover&nbsp;at the receiver position especially the last couple of years. With the new guys and the&nbsp;rookies&nbsp;coming in&nbsp;as well,&nbsp;is there a custom game&nbsp;plan as far as how you prep those guys and get&nbsp;them up to speed?&nbsp;Or is it one-size fits all?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, well you&nbsp;kind of teach&nbsp;them the whole as&nbsp;you’regoing, one day at a time. The whole to the part and not the part&nbsp;tothe&nbsp;whole. So, we give them the whole&nbsp;shebang&nbsp;and then we break it down for them in little pods each day.&nbsp;Although&nbsp;they have all the&nbsp;information,&nbsp;and they can go look at the big picture of things but we try to taper the&nbsp;individual practices and pretty tight window there for them so they can focus in on what they need to.”Q:&nbsp;From a skill position standpoint what are your&nbsp;thoughts on Rashee Rice&nbsp;and&nbsp;Deneric Prince?REID:&nbsp;“Listen,&nbsp;I think they both have done&nbsp;a nice job. Again, I&nbsp;think&nbsp;the&nbsp;volume&nbsp;and the tempo&nbsp;and all those things,&nbsp;the newness of the plays,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;in a huddle&nbsp;–&nbsp;you know what I’m saying?&nbsp;Then&nbsp;the speed that we go at and then the speed obviously that the defense presents,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;in their different coverages. So,&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;working through all that and that’s a positive.”Q:&nbsp;Deneric Prince had a good catch out there&nbsp;today. What have you seen from him?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“Listen, I saw&nbsp;(General Manager Brett) Veach&nbsp;over there coaching&nbsp;you guys&nbsp;up (laughter).&nbsp;Yeah, he’s got really good hands and it&nbsp;looked&nbsp;like&nbsp;he caught one right when Veach was there, in the endzone, right in front of you guys.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;done a nice job. Again, that’s part of the game.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;another part is the running game which&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;not doing (yet), except versus air, so we’ll have to see how all of that goes once we get there. But&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;a sharp kid, he’s got skill,&nbsp;looks like.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;big and can run and has good feel for things right now.”Q:&nbsp;Is Felix&nbsp;Anudike-Uzomah&nbsp;back to full participation?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;he is. He had that surgery&nbsp;–&nbsp;that thumb surgery&nbsp;–&nbsp;and had a hamstring too and&nbsp;so&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;worked through all that and he’s back&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;swing and looks like he’s feeling better every day,&nbsp;which is a good thing.”Q:&nbsp;What was it like&nbsp;being around last year’s team at the White House? How was it to have guys like&nbsp;former Chiefs Offensive Coordinator&nbsp;Eric Bieniemy and&nbsp;former Chiefs DE&nbsp;Frank Clark attend?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“I’ll&nbsp;tell you it was great. You know what was neat,&nbsp;I mentioned it to you&nbsp;down&nbsp;there that you put all the politics aside.So,&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;not democratic,&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;not republican,&nbsp;you’re not independent, you’re&nbsp;just – you’re&nbsp;an American. I thought that was the neatest part of the thing – that everybody&nbsp;was just enjoying the history and they laid out a spread for us of food that was great. The&nbsp;hospitality&nbsp;was&nbsp;phenomenal. They had different military guys in each of the rooms&nbsp;they&nbsp;let us go in and the guys were experts on the paintings and the architecture and who’s special room this was&nbsp;andthat room,&nbsp;and so you got the history. Everything&nbsp;from the oldest table to the oldest picture, you know you got&nbsp;the history of&nbsp;that,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I think the guys&nbsp;appreciated that part. And then, listen&nbsp;PresidentBiden spent a ton&nbsp;of&nbsp;time with the guys and myself,&nbsp;and some of the coaches there.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;obviously&nbsp;a Delaware&nbsp;fan&nbsp;and&nbsp;we’ve got a lot of&nbsp;those&nbsp;Blue Hens on our team&nbsp;in the coaching ranks&nbsp;and&nbsp;Brett.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;he spent a ton of time with us – more than we thought. We were thinking&nbsp;maybe 10&nbsp;minutes that you get&nbsp;from&nbsp;the president but he was very giving there.”Q:&nbsp;Did you attend the White House when you were with Green Bay?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“I did.&nbsp;Yeah,&nbsp;I went with&nbsp;Green&nbsp;Bay.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was a little different than that.&nbsp;Some of&nbsp;the&nbsp;restrictions&nbsp;are tighter now but, they try not to make you feel that way. We were in,&nbsp;and they appreciated us being there. I mean, like I said, the&nbsp;hospitality&nbsp;was phenomenal. My hat goes off to them.”Q:&nbsp;How impactful was it for you and&nbsp;some of&nbsp;the other players from the 2019 team who weren’t able to visit the White House after that Super Bowl win?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;it was&nbsp;kind of fun.&nbsp;I&nbsp;mentioned&nbsp;that you know when I had a chance to talk that&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;enjoying the heck out of this thing. I wish all the guys from that team&nbsp;could’ve&nbsp;been there too but, you&nbsp;know, it was great. That was great. We had a ton – they divided off, which I know some of&nbsp;you&nbsp;guys&nbsp;were there, they divided off the crowd. So,&nbsp;you had the team and the Chiefs organization on one side and then on the other&nbsp;side you had people that&nbsp;were Chiefs fans&nbsp;thatlived either in D.C.&nbsp;and&nbsp;work or in the&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;area there. And&nbsp;both sides&nbsp;were fully loaded.&nbsp;There were a lot of people and that was&nbsp;kind&nbsp;of&nbsp;fun&nbsp;to see and the people that were outside&nbsp;around&nbsp;the busses. They let people get&nbsp;relatively close&nbsp;there. Again, the support was&nbsp;great,&nbsp;and you felt that for the guys. The guys that left had a blast with it. They just&nbsp;jumped in like they were still on the team and rolling. So, I had&nbsp;a good time.”Q:&nbsp;How fun has it been celebrating this time around after not getting to&nbsp;much&nbsp;after 2019?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, in a weird way&nbsp;I think they&nbsp;were excited to have us there just because of that. And President Biden played football&nbsp;at Delaware.&nbsp;He was –&nbsp;I’m&nbsp;sure it’s a breath&nbsp;of&nbsp;fresh air where he doesn’t have to worry about talking to the guys&nbsp;(the Chiefs)&nbsp;he could just talk to them and he did. And&nbsp;I think the guys&nbsp;loved&nbsp;that part, I think he loved it.&nbsp;It was neat.”Q:&nbsp;Are you excited for Chiefs Night at the K with the Royals? On Travis Kelce throwing out the first pitch&nbsp;to redeem himself.REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;he’s been working hard (laughter).”Q:&nbsp;Have you&nbsp;been coaching him up?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“I think Pat&nbsp;(Mahomes)&nbsp;has. Pat’s been on him.&nbsp;He’sworking hard at it. I think&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;going to get a better performance this time. He can throw&nbsp;now;&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;just getting it straight there.”Q:&nbsp;So much of Kadarius Toney’s time here has been keeping him healthy. How has he been feeling and looking?&nbsp;REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;no,&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;doing good.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;good&nbsp;to&nbsp;have him out there.&nbsp;I think&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;having fun and developing&nbsp;a relationship there with everybody,&nbsp;and the quarterback in particular.”Q:&nbsp;You mentioned the excellent food at the White House. Can you elaborate on the spread at all?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, they did have&nbsp;some&nbsp;good stuff.&nbsp;I’ve&nbsp;never had this before, but they had a French Toast grilled cheese and ham sandwich that they sprinkled a little bit of powdered sugar on. It was phenomenal. There was an abundance of this. Then they had chicken fingers – exotic chicken fingers.&nbsp;Maybe the&nbsp;best part was, which I hadn’t seen before, little bite-size squares of the heart of the watermelon. My hat went off to the chef. I went back and talked to him and I just go “You guys are unbelievable.” Whoever cut all of that out, had the patience to do it, my hat goes off to them.”

Q&A with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid 

By SALINA POST Following are the sports programs and events scheduled for KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) this week.

Monday The Coach Heron O'Neal Show at AJ's in the Alley at &nbsp;6 p.m.

Salina Liberty Champions Bowl 8 Champions Indoor Football Pregame Show at 6 p.m.&nbsp; Salina Liberty VS Omaha Beef Champions Bowl 8 Champions Indoor Football at Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska at 6:30 p.m.&nbsp;

Sunday PRN The Pit Reporters&nbsp;9 a.m.

By SALINA POST Following are the sports programs and events scheduled for KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) this week. Monday The Coach Heron O'Neal Show at AJ's in the Alley at &nbsp;6 p.m. SaturdayMRN Nascar Live at 8 a.m.Salina Liberty Champions Bowl 8 Champions Indoor Football Pregame Show at 6 p.m.&nbsp; Salina Liberty VS Omaha Beef Champions Bowl 8 Champions Indoor Football at Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska at 6:30 p.m.&nbsp;Sunday PRN The Pit Reporters&nbsp;9 a.m.

Sports on KINA this week 

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor

With the CIF quarterfinals officially in the books, the Salina Liberty will return to Tony’s Pizza Events Center on Saturday for a semifinal tilt with the Gillette Mustangs.

The 2-seeded Liberty are fresh off a bye-week that they earned with a 43-41 win in Gillette just two weeks ago, while the Mustangs come into this one having knocked off the Southwest Kansas Storm 40-35 last week.

Salina’s youth was tested in the first battle between these two, but several players rose to the occasion and will be prepared if called upon to answer the bell again in this one.

“We saw a lot of young players really grow up in that first game with Gillette,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “Antoine Brown made the game-clinching interception in his first start, Donavyn Jackson led us in tackles as a rookie and Parker faced some adversity for the first time but he adjusted and helped us solidify the win.”

Unlike in their first meeting, the Liberty will have this game in front of a ruckus home fanbase that has turned out in numbers to spur Salina all season.

“Having our city support us the way they have this year has been huge,” O’Neal said. “We’ve seen some of the biggest crowds that this team has ever played in front of and these fans expect to see us compete for championships now. It’s been fun to see the hard work of so many people pay off and we don’t do what we do without them.”

To make a return to their third-consecutive Champions Bowl, the Liberty will have to overcome a Gillette squad that has silenced their opponents this season, ranking second in the league in both scoring defense (32 PPGA), and total defense (155 Y/GA)

“Defensively this is a team that doesn’t let you into that end zone,” he said. “Coach Walker was a legend as a defensive specialist with the Arizona Rattlers and he’s built this defense in his image. They fly around and make plays all over the field. It’s a tough unit to go against but we’re looking forward to battling them on Saturday.”

In addition to a stout defense, the Mustangs have retooled their attack around new QB Aaron Aiken, who has racked up 14 touchdowns, including nine on the ground, in just three games under center.

“This is a Mustang team that is very well coached,” O’Neal said. “They had great personnel on that line and a great running game already but then they bring in Aaron Aiken and he’s added a dynamic to this offense. He has the experience of playing in big games and that’s put them in a different place as a team.”

Two weeks ago, the Liberty emphasized and won the turnover battle, and this week's focus will be no different as Salina turns their attention to taking care of the football as well as the battle up-front.

“This game will be won or lost in the trenches,” he said. “We have some things that we need to be ready for and this should be a fun battle between two supremely talented lines. Just like in that first matchup, we can’t turn the ball over and we have to find ways to generate turnovers on them again.”

Kickoff between the Liberty and Mustangs is set for 6:30 CT at Tony’s Pizza Events Center and as always, the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617387097958.png" alt="Coverage of Liberty football is presented by Ryan Roofing" />
 <figcaption>Coverage of Liberty football is presented by Ryan Roofing</figcaption>
 </figure>With the CIF quarterfinals officially in the books, the Salina Liberty will return to Tony’s Pizza Events Center on Saturday for a semifinal tilt with the Gillette Mustangs.The 2-seeded Liberty are fresh off a bye-week that they earned with a 43-41 win in Gillette just two weeks ago, while the Mustangs come into this one having knocked off the Southwest Kansas Storm 40-35 last week.Salina’s youth was tested in the first battle between these two, but several players rose to the occasion and will be prepared if called upon to answer the bell again in this one.“We saw a lot of young players really grow up in that first game with Gillette,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “Antoine Brown made the game-clinching interception in his first start, Donavyn Jackson led us in tackles as a rookie and Parker faced some adversity for the first time but he adjusted and helped us solidify the win.”Unlike in their first meeting, the Liberty will have this game in front of a ruckus home fanbase that has turned out in numbers to spur Salina all season.“Having our city support us the way they have this year has been huge,” O’Neal said. “We’ve seen some of the biggest crowds that this team has ever played in front of and these fans expect to see us compete for championships now. It’s been fun to see the hard work of so many people pay off and we don’t do what we do without them.”To make a return to their third-consecutive Champions Bowl, the Liberty will have to overcome a Gillette squad that has silenced their opponents this season, ranking second in the league in both scoring defense (32 PPGA), and total defense (155 Y/GA)“Defensively this is a team that doesn’t let you into that end zone,” he said. “Coach Walker was a legend as a defensive specialist with the Arizona Rattlers and he’s built this defense in his image. They fly around and make plays all over the field. It’s a tough unit to go against but we’re looking forward to battling them on Saturday.”In addition to a stout defense, the Mustangs have retooled their attack around new QB Aaron Aiken, who has racked up 14 touchdowns, including nine on the ground, in just three games under center.“This is a Mustang team that is very well coached,” O’Neal said. “They had great personnel on that line and a great running game already but then they bring in Aaron Aiken and he’s added a dynamic to this offense. He has the experience of playing in big games and that’s put them in a different place as a team.”Two weeks ago, the Liberty emphasized and won the turnover battle, and this week's focus will be no different as Salina turns their attention to taking care of the football as well as the battle up-front.“This game will be won or lost in the trenches,” he said. “We have some things that we need to be ready for and this should be a fun battle between two supremely talented lines. Just like in that first matchup, we can’t turn the ball over and we have to find ways to generate turnovers on them again.”Kickoff between the Liberty and Mustangs is set for 6:30 CT at Tony’s Pizza Events Center and as always, the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.

Liberty host Gillette to kick off title defense in CIF semifinals

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State men’s basketball head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;was selected as the Burns &amp; McDonnell Coach of the Year at the 50th annual Kansas City Sports Awards presented by Populous held&nbsp;Thursday evening&nbsp;(June 8) at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.

One of the region’s longest running and preeminent sports awards programs, the event was held in conjunction with the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation.

“As Kansas City continues to generate unprecedented excitement for its national and international sporting events, these honorees represent the best of our local sporting community,” says&nbsp;Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “Together, these individuals and their organizations play a critical role driving fan engagement, awareness and opportunity for Kansas City.”&nbsp;

Along with Tang, the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation honored Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle&nbsp;Chris Jones&nbsp;as the Polsinelli Sportsman of the Year, Kansas City Current Midfielder&nbsp;Lo’eau LaBonta&nbsp;as the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Sportswoman of the Year, Kansas City Chiefs General Manager&nbsp;Brett Veach&nbsp;as the McCownGordon Construction Executive of the Year and the late&nbsp;Grant Wahland&nbsp;Ron Labinski&nbsp;as the Spire Community Champion and T-Mobile Legacy Award winners, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The honor was yet another for Tang, who was named the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 26-win season and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23. He was also selected as the Big 12 Coach of the Year by both the league coaches and The Associated Press, while he was honored as the District Coach of the Year by the NABC and USBWA. He was the runner-up for AP National Coach of the Year.

Picked 10th in the preseason Big 12 poll and armed with just two returning players, Tang guided the Wildcats to a 26-10 overall record and a spot in the Elite Eight, which was the 13th in school history and the first since 2017-18. The 26 wins are the third-most in school history, trailing the school-record 29 in 2009-10 and the 27 in 2012-13, and just the eighth 25-win campaign and first since 2017-18. His win total was the second-most by a first-year Division I head coach, trailing Duke’s&nbsp;Jon Scheyer&nbsp;(27-9).&nbsp;

Tang and Texas’&nbsp;Rodney Terry&nbsp;were the only first-year Division I head coaches to advance to his team to the Elite Eight in 2022-23. Overall, Tang is the 11th first-year head coach to direct his team to Elite Eight since 1996-97, while he is just the fourth first-time head coach to do so, joining North Carolina’s&nbsp;Bill Guthridge&nbsp;in 1997-98 and&nbsp;Hubert Davis&nbsp;in 2021-22 and Kent State’s&nbsp;Stan Heath&nbsp;in 2001-02.

Tang was selected as the 25th head men’s basketball coach at K-State on March 21, 2022, after serving as the one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach from 2003 to 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648145734415.jpeg" alt="Coach Jerome Tang Photo Courtesy K-State" />
 <figcaption>Coach Jerome Tang Photo Courtesy K-State</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State men’s basketball head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;was selected as the Burns &amp; McDonnell Coach of the Year at the 50th annual Kansas City Sports Awards presented by Populous held&nbsp;Thursday evening&nbsp;(June 8) at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. One of the region’s longest running and preeminent sports awards programs, the event was held in conjunction with the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation.“As Kansas City continues to generate unprecedented excitement for its national and international sporting events, these honorees represent the best of our local sporting community,” says&nbsp;Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “Together, these individuals and their organizations play a critical role driving fan engagement, awareness and opportunity for Kansas City.”&nbsp;Along with Tang, the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation honored Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle&nbsp;Chris Jones&nbsp;as the Polsinelli Sportsman of the Year, Kansas City Current Midfielder&nbsp;Lo’eau LaBonta&nbsp;as the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Sportswoman of the Year, Kansas City Chiefs General Manager&nbsp;Brett Veach&nbsp;as the McCownGordon Construction Executive of the Year and the late&nbsp;Grant Wahland&nbsp;Ron Labinski&nbsp;as the Spire Community Champion and T-Mobile Legacy Award winners, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;The honor was yet another for Tang, who was named the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 26-win season and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23. He was also selected as the Big 12 Coach of the Year by both the league coaches and The Associated Press, while he was honored as the District Coach of the Year by the NABC and USBWA. He was the runner-up for AP National Coach of the Year.Picked 10th in the preseason Big 12 poll and armed with just two returning players, Tang guided the Wildcats to a 26-10 overall record and a spot in the Elite Eight, which was the 13th in school history and the first since 2017-18. The 26 wins are the third-most in school history, trailing the school-record 29 in 2009-10 and the 27 in 2012-13, and just the eighth 25-win campaign and first since 2017-18. His win total was the second-most by a first-year Division I head coach, trailing Duke’s&nbsp;Jon Scheyer&nbsp;(27-9).&nbsp;Tang and Texas’&nbsp;Rodney Terry&nbsp;were the only first-year Division I head coaches to advance to his team to the Elite Eight in 2022-23. Overall, Tang is the 11th first-year head coach to direct his team to Elite Eight since 1996-97, while he is just the fourth first-time head coach to do so, joining North Carolina’s&nbsp;Bill Guthridge&nbsp;in 1997-98 and&nbsp;Hubert Davis&nbsp;in 2021-22 and Kent State’s&nbsp;Stan Heath&nbsp;in 2001-02.Tang was selected as the 25th head men’s basketball coach at K-State on March 21, 2022, after serving as the one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach from 2003 to 2022.

Tang honored by the Kansas City sports commission

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head men's golf coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/coaches/grant-robbins/1886">Grant Robbins</a>&nbsp;was honored by his peers on Thursday as he was named the 2023 Big 12 Men's Golf Coach of the Year, the conference office announced.&nbsp;

Robbins, who shared this year's award with TCU head coach Bill Montigel in a vote among all Big 12 coaches, is the first K-State men's golf coach to earn Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades. Completing his ninth year in Manhattan during the 2022-23 season, Robbins led K-State to one of its best campaigns in school history as the Wildcats set a school record with a team stroke average of 281.47, nearly seven shots per round better than the previous low mark of 288.24 put together by the 2021-22 squad. K-State also tied for second in school history in both team victories (4) and top-five finishes (7), while it had eight of the top-20 team rounds and seven of the top-25 team 54-hole scores in school history. The Wildcats won each of their first three events during the fall - the Wildcat Invitational, Old Town Collegiate and Oregon State Invitational - to mark the first time in school history K-State captured three-straight team titles. In the spring, K-State opened with three more top-three performances, including a victory at The Johnnie-O, to propel the Wildcats to a highwater mark of No. 17 in the Golfstat Top 25. K-State earned a bid as the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Bath (Mich.) Regional, the first time the Wildcats advanced to postseason play in consecutive years since 2008 and 2009. The Wildcats just missed the cut for the fifth and final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship as they battled Florida, which eventually went on to win the National Championship. Under Robbins, four Kansas State golfers finished in the top six in school history in single-season stroke average during the 2022-23 season with the top three marks being claimed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/tim-tillmanns/9694">Tim Tillmanns</a>&nbsp;(70.21),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/will-hopkins/9688">Will Hopkins</a>&nbsp;(70.35) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/cooper-schultz/9693">Cooper Schultz</a>&nbsp;(71.15). Additionally, Hopkins set the school's career stroke average mark at 72.29. <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/luke-o-neill/9691">Luke O'Neill</a>&nbsp;finished sixth in school history in stroke average at 71.65, and he became the fifth Wildcat to ever compete in the NCAA Championship as he qualified as an individual.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686257636341.jpeg" alt="Grant Robbins was named the Big 12 Men's Golf Coach of the Year." />
 <figcaption>Grant Robbins was named the Big 12 Men's Golf Coach of the Year.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head men's golf coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/coaches/grant-robbins/1886">Grant Robbins</a>&nbsp;was honored by his peers on Thursday as he was named the 2023 Big 12 Men's Golf Coach of the Year, the conference office announced.&nbsp; Robbins, who shared this year's award with TCU head coach Bill Montigel in a vote among all Big 12 coaches, is the first K-State men's golf coach to earn Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades. Completing his ninth year in Manhattan during the 2022-23 season, Robbins led K-State to one of its best campaigns in school history as the Wildcats set a school record with a team stroke average of 281.47, nearly seven shots per round better than the previous low mark of 288.24 put together by the 2021-22 squad. K-State also tied for second in school history in both team victories (4) and top-five finishes (7), while it had eight of the top-20 team rounds and seven of the top-25 team 54-hole scores in school history. The Wildcats won each of their first three events during the fall - the Wildcat Invitational, Old Town Collegiate and Oregon State Invitational - to mark the first time in school history K-State captured three-straight team titles. In the spring, K-State opened with three more top-three performances, including a victory at The Johnnie-O, to propel the Wildcats to a highwater mark of No. 17 in the Golfstat Top 25. K-State earned a bid as the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Bath (Mich.) Regional, the first time the Wildcats advanced to postseason play in consecutive years since 2008 and 2009. The Wildcats just missed the cut for the fifth and final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship as they battled Florida, which eventually went on to win the National Championship. Under Robbins, four Kansas State golfers finished in the top six in school history in single-season stroke average during the 2022-23 season with the top three marks being claimed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/tim-tillmanns/9694">Tim Tillmanns</a>&nbsp;(70.21),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/will-hopkins/9688">Will Hopkins</a>&nbsp;(70.35) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/cooper-schultz/9693">Cooper Schultz</a>&nbsp;(71.15). Additionally, Hopkins set the school's career stroke average mark at 72.29. <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/luke-o-neill/9691">Luke O'Neill</a>&nbsp;finished sixth in school history in stroke average at 71.65, and he became the fifth Wildcat to ever compete in the NCAA Championship as he qualified as an individual.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⛳ K-State's Robbins named Big 12 Coach of the Year

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas Football will host a weekday game on an ESPN platform for the first time since 1995 when the Jayhawks welcome Illinois to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium&nbsp;on Friday, Sept. 8.

&nbsp; ESPN announced Thursday that the Kansas-Illinois matchup – originally scheduled for&nbsp;Sept. 9&nbsp;– has been moved up a day, so the game can be a nationally televised primetime matchup to kick off Week 2 of the college football season. Kickoff is scheduled for&nbsp;6:30 p.m., on ESPN2&nbsp;on Sept. 8. &nbsp; To help accommodate the move, Kansas also moved its season opener against Missouri State back one day to&nbsp;Friday, Sept. 1.&nbsp;That game will kick off&nbsp;at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN Plus. &nbsp; “This is an incredible opportunity for Kansas Football to be featured on primetime,” Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “We look forward to showcasing a program on an unrivaled trajectory to a national audience against a high-quality opponent. This is a testament to a new era of KU Football and a group of young men and coaching staff who have worked tirelessly to restore pride and belief in this program. We expect this will be a highly viewed early season game and an outstanding sell-out environment at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.” &nbsp; Kansas has not been selected for an ESPN nationally televised home weekday game since beating TCU 38-20 on ESPN in 1995. However, coming off a six-win season in 2022 that also featured Kansas Football hosting ESPN’s College GameDay for the first time ever, the Jayhawks find themselves in the national spotlight in a compelling matchup against a Fighting Illini team that went 8-5 last season and appeared in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State. &nbsp; “We are excited to play a home game in primetime on a night where our players will be seen by a national audience,” Coach Lance Leipold said. &nbsp; The Jayhawks return 17 of 22 starters from the 2022 team, which experienced a breakthrough season as it played in the program’s first bowl game since 2008 with an appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Leipold led the Jayhawks to their first 5-0 start since 2009 and KU played in front of three home sellout crowds. &nbsp; All total, Kansas will host seven games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium during the 2023 season. Other home opponents for the Jayhawks include BYU, UCF, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas State. &nbsp; Season tickets for the 2023 campaign are on sale starting at just $195. Seating options include bowl seating, family zone, the Meritrust Touchdown Club, and more. &nbsp; During the purchasing process, fans have the option to add a premium seatback to their order for less than $8 per game. To purchase season tickets, and for more information, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=fcfd21469d&amp;e=42e2e56024" target="_blank">here</a>.

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas Football will host a weekday game on an ESPN platform for the first time since 1995 when the Jayhawks welcome Illinois to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium&nbsp;on Friday, Sept. 8.&nbsp; ESPN announced Thursday that the Kansas-Illinois matchup – originally scheduled for&nbsp;Sept. 9&nbsp;– has been moved up a day, so the game can be a nationally televised primetime matchup to kick off Week 2 of the college football season. Kickoff is scheduled for&nbsp;6:30 p.m., on ESPN2&nbsp;on Sept. 8. &nbsp; To help accommodate the move, Kansas also moved its season opener against Missouri State back one day to&nbsp;Friday, Sept. 1.&nbsp;That game will kick off&nbsp;at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN Plus. &nbsp; “This is an incredible opportunity for Kansas Football to be featured on primetime,” Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “We look forward to showcasing a program on an unrivaled trajectory to a national audience against a high-quality opponent. This is a testament to a new era of KU Football and a group of young men and coaching staff who have worked tirelessly to restore pride and belief in this program. We expect this will be a highly viewed early season game and an outstanding sell-out environment at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.” &nbsp; Kansas has not been selected for an ESPN nationally televised home weekday game since beating TCU 38-20 on ESPN in 1995. However, coming off a six-win season in 2022 that also featured Kansas Football hosting ESPN’s College GameDay for the first time ever, the Jayhawks find themselves in the national spotlight in a compelling matchup against a Fighting Illini team that went 8-5 last season and appeared in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State. &nbsp; “We are excited to play a home game in primetime on a night where our players will be seen by a national audience,” Coach Lance Leipold said. &nbsp; The Jayhawks return 17 of 22 starters from the 2022 team, which experienced a breakthrough season as it played in the program’s first bowl game since 2008 with an appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Leipold led the Jayhawks to their first 5-0 start since 2009 and KU played in front of three home sellout crowds. &nbsp; All total, Kansas will host seven games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium during the 2023 season. Other home opponents for the Jayhawks include BYU, UCF, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas State. &nbsp; Season tickets for the 2023 campaign are on sale starting at just $195. Seating options include bowl seating, family zone, the Meritrust Touchdown Club, and more. &nbsp; During the purchasing process, fans have the option to add a premium seatback to their order for less than $8 per game. To purchase season tickets, and for more information, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=fcfd21469d&amp;e=42e2e56024" target="_blank">here</a>.

Kansas-Illinois matchup moved to Friday Night Primetime slot

David Toelle's work ethic, loyalty, longevity and patience at Kansas Wesleyan have been rewarded.

Toelle '01, '08, sports information director since 2001, has been promoted to associate athletic director of athletics communications.&nbsp;

"For me this is a promotion that has been waiting for a very long time," KWU Director of Athletics Miguel Paredes said in making the announcement. "David has tremendous knowledge of Kansas Wesleyan athletics — to me, he's like a history book. Any information you want, he has it. When you think of Kansas Wesleyan athletics, you think of David Toelle."

Toelle has been at KWU since 1996, when he arrived as a freshman, member of the cross country team and aspiring athletic trainer. Toelle changed his major to Computer Information Systems and after completion of his degree in 2001, and worked part-time in the information technology office and in the athletics office before taking on the SID full-time in 2005. During his time, he has established himself as one of the top SIDs in the Kansas Conference and all of small college athletics.

Former longtime Director of Athletics Jerry Jones installed Toelle as fulltime sports information director in 2005.&nbsp;

"Best hire I ever had," Jones said last summer.

●&nbsp; KCAC statistician for seven years

● Statistician for KCAC tournament soccer, basketball, baseball and softball

● Helped develop the KWU athletic department website

● Mentored the development of the Coyote Sports Network

● The development of live video productions at KWU events

● KCAC Sports Information Director of the Year, 2012 and 2020

● Inductee in the Coyote Athletic Hall of Fame, 2022

"It is extremely humbling," Toelle said of the promotion. "It's something that I've hoped for and hoped would come, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait. Good things come to those who wait and those who put in the time and the effort to make things happen.

"When I first stepped into this position, I didn't know what I was doing. I had the opportunity to have some strong mentors and some people who helped along the way. Being able to develop my skills put me in the position that I am in now."

The promotion will allow Toelle to assume more of a leadership role within the department, according to Paredes.

"It's more of the hands-on, it's more of us solidifying a graduate assistant for him, so that way he can oversee a lot more of the events that he would like to do," he said. "This gives him the ability to delegate certain responsibilities when it comes to sports information, game-day administration and the live stream.

"I go back to my coaching days: You have your head coach, then you have your coordinators — David's like a coordinator. He knows exactly what type of offense and defense we're going to run; he knows exactly how we're going to do it."

Under Toelle's guidance, KWU has become a leader in the live stream of athletic events. He frequently coordinates KCAC championship events, as well, along with nonathletic events on campus.

"I go back to a comment that was made to us by a parent that kind of critiqued our live streaming," Paredes said. "They saw the stream and their email response was, 'Oh my, best ever. Did you hire a professional crew?' I said, 'No, that was David Toelle and his staff.' He takes a lot of pride in his work."

Toelle credits the university for allowing him to enhance and grow the stream.

"When we got into streaming, we were using a junky camera that people would laugh at," he said. "Now we're using industry standard equipment. We've been fortunate to have the opportunity to get those things and put those things in place.&nbsp;

"I can do some of the tech stuff, but when the magic happens, that's just the good group of people that we have."

Richard Speas, director of athletic recruiting and fundraising, knows the effect of Toelle's work.

"In the past 11 months, our athletic website had 1.5 million views," he said. "Is that impactful to branding and marketing opportunities? I think the answer is yes, and I think most people would look at that and say, 'Wow, that's impressive.'

"Dave is extremely involved in game-day operations — more so than most SIDs, and I've been at various institutions. Not only from a technology standpoint, obviously, but he does a lot of other things, as well, like getting personnel lined up and accompanying them."

Helping the athletics department grow is Toelle's top objective.

"I hope that someday we'll get to a point that in some sport we can claim a national title or we can get individuals to win national titles," he said. "That's the ultimate goal, and it's the goal for everyone in the room and everyone on campus. I think we have plenty of opportunities to continue to grow and make ourselves known on the national scene in all sports."

Paredes said he knew of Toelle before taking over the department in January.

"A gentleman from Columbia College (Mo.) who found out that I got the job here at Kansas Wesleyan told me, 'It's an amazing place; you'll be working with a living legend. Your SID is amazing,'" said Paredes, who came to KWU from Missouri.

"David is known not just throughout the KCAC but throughout the NAIA for his work and what he's done."

"David Toelle is a Kansas Wesleyan institution. His work not only increases the exposure of our teams but it betters the student-athlete experience by providing some of the best coverage, dollar-for-dollar, in the state. He's been a leader in his field for years and is constantly thinking of ways to make his results, and thus Kansas Wesleyan, better." —&nbsp;Ken Oliver, executive vice president for advancement and university operations

"David is Kansas Wesleyan. What he has done to enhance the athletic department is second to none, not only in the KCAC but the NAIA, as well. He is a tireless worker who gives his time and effort to make sure every program here is represented to the highest level possible." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/1/13280" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>, men's basketball coach

"David is the legend of SIDs in the KCAC. He does a great job of pushing the limits on technology and vision in sports. He is the hidden gem to our successful teams since he has been at KWU." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/18/13818" target="_blank">Jessica Biegert</a>, women's volleyball coach

"David does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for KWU athletics. Many hours are spent making sure we are the standard in sports information not only in our conference but regionally as well." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/2/13621" target="_blank">Ryan Showman</a>, women's basketball coach

"David continues to make the KWU experience for students and families better every year. He has set the standard for SIDs in the conference and the country."&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/5/13353" target="_blank">Matt Myers</a>, football coach

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592241582372.png" alt="David Toelle KWU image" />
 <figcaption>David Toelle KWU image</figcaption>
 </figure>KWUDavid Toelle's work ethic, loyalty, longevity and patience at Kansas Wesleyan have been rewarded.Toelle '01, '08, sports information director since 2001, has been promoted to associate athletic director of athletics communications.&nbsp;"For me this is a promotion that has been waiting for a very long time," KWU Director of Athletics Miguel Paredes said in making the announcement. "David has tremendous knowledge of Kansas Wesleyan athletics — to me, he's like a history book. Any information you want, he has it. When you think of Kansas Wesleyan athletics, you think of David Toelle."Toelle has been at KWU since 1996, when he arrived as a freshman, member of the cross country team and aspiring athletic trainer. Toelle changed his major to Computer Information Systems and after completion of his degree in 2001, and worked part-time in the information technology office and in the athletics office before taking on the SID full-time in 2005. During his time, he has established himself as one of the top SIDs in the Kansas Conference and all of small college athletics.Former longtime Director of Athletics Jerry Jones installed Toelle as fulltime sports information director in 2005.&nbsp;"Best hire I ever had," Jones said last summer.Some of Toelle's accomplishments:●&nbsp; KCAC statistician for seven years● Statistician for KCAC tournament soccer, basketball, baseball and softball● Helped develop the KWU athletic department website● Mentored the development of the Coyote Sports Network● The development of live video productions at KWU events● KWU Young Alumnus Award winner, 2011● KCAC Sports Information Director of the Year, 2012 and 2020● Inductee in the Coyote Athletic Hall of Fame, 2022"It is extremely humbling," Toelle said of the promotion. "It's something that I've hoped for and hoped would come, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait. Good things come to those who wait and those who put in the time and the effort to make things happen."When I first stepped into this position, I didn't know what I was doing. I had the opportunity to have some strong mentors and some people who helped along the way. Being able to develop my skills put me in the position that I am in now."The promotion will allow Toelle to assume more of a leadership role within the department, according to Paredes."It's more of the hands-on, it's more of us solidifying a graduate assistant for him, so that way he can oversee a lot more of the events that he would like to do," he said. "This gives him the ability to delegate certain responsibilities when it comes to sports information, game-day administration and the live stream."I go back to my coaching days: You have your head coach, then you have your coordinators — David's like a coordinator. He knows exactly what type of offense and defense we're going to run; he knows exactly how we're going to do it."Under Toelle's guidance, KWU has become a leader in the live stream of athletic events. He frequently coordinates KCAC championship events, as well, along with nonathletic events on campus."I go back to a comment that was made to us by a parent that kind of critiqued our live streaming," Paredes said. "They saw the stream and their email response was, 'Oh my, best ever. Did you hire a professional crew?' I said, 'No, that was David Toelle and his staff.' He takes a lot of pride in his work."Toelle credits the university for allowing him to enhance and grow the stream."When we got into streaming, we were using a junky camera that people would laugh at," he said. "Now we're using industry standard equipment. We've been fortunate to have the opportunity to get those things and put those things in place.&nbsp;"I can do some of the tech stuff, but when the magic happens, that's just the good group of people that we have."Richard Speas, director of athletic recruiting and fundraising, knows the effect of Toelle's work."In the past 11 months, our athletic website had 1.5 million views," he said. "Is that impactful to branding and marketing opportunities? I think the answer is yes, and I think most people would look at that and say, 'Wow, that's impressive.'"Dave is extremely involved in game-day operations — more so than most SIDs, and I've been at various institutions. Not only from a technology standpoint, obviously, but he does a lot of other things, as well, like getting personnel lined up and accompanying them."Helping the athletics department grow is Toelle's top objective."I hope that someday we'll get to a point that in some sport we can claim a national title or we can get individuals to win national titles," he said. "That's the ultimate goal, and it's the goal for everyone in the room and everyone on campus. I think we have plenty of opportunities to continue to grow and make ourselves known on the national scene in all sports."Paredes said he knew of Toelle before taking over the department in January."A gentleman from Columbia College (Mo.) who found out that I got the job here at Kansas Wesleyan told me, 'It's an amazing place; you'll be working with a living legend. Your SID is amazing,'" said Paredes, who came to KWU from Missouri."David is known not just throughout the KCAC but throughout the NAIA for his work and what he's done."<h2>What others at KWU are saying</h2>"David Toelle is a Kansas Wesleyan institution. His work not only increases the exposure of our teams but it betters the student-athlete experience by providing some of the best coverage, dollar-for-dollar, in the state. He's been a leader in his field for years and is constantly thinking of ways to make his results, and thus Kansas Wesleyan, better." —&nbsp;Ken Oliver, executive vice president for advancement and university operations"David is Kansas Wesleyan. What he has done to enhance the athletic department is second to none, not only in the KCAC but the NAIA, as well. He is a tireless worker who gives his time and effort to make sure every program here is represented to the highest level possible." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/1/13280" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>, men's basketball coach"David is the legend of SIDs in the KCAC. He does a great job of pushing the limits on technology and vision in sports. He is the hidden gem to our successful teams since he has been at KWU." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/18/13818" target="_blank">Jessica Biegert</a>, women's volleyball coach"David does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for KWU athletics. Many hours are spent making sure we are the standard in sports information not only in our conference but regionally as well." —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/2/13621" target="_blank">Ryan Showman</a>, women's basketball coach"David continues to make the KWU experience for students and families better every year. He has set the standard for SIDs in the conference and the country."&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/24/5/13353" target="_blank">Matt Myers</a>, football coach

KWU: Toelle promoted to associate director of athletic communications 

ATLANTA –&nbsp;Kansas Football’s Jalon Daniels was named the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year at the 2023 INFLCR NIL Summit in Atlanta this past weekend. The national award recognizes a student-athlete that achieved exceptional results in the classroom and in their respective sport, while maximizing their NIL for the greater good. &nbsp; Daniels was alongside Stanford’s Caitie Baird, who was named the female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Oklahoma’s Tanner Groves, Baylor’s Jaden Owens and Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez were among the nominees. &nbsp; Kansas’ NIL platform, Jayhawks Ascend, was also nominated for Best Institutional Program, awarded to a college or institution that has shown exceptional commitment to supporting its student-athletes in maximizing their NIL opportunities through a combination of education, resources, and industry-leading innovation. &nbsp; Daniels, a junior from Lawndale, California, had a breakout 2022-23 year across the board, leading Kansas to its first Bowl Game since 2008 and being named a CSC Scholar-Athlete All-American, all while maximizing his impact in NIL. &nbsp; Daniels has utilized the Jayhawks Ascend program to maximize his earning potential through branding and social media efforts, community engagement, licensing opportunities, and working with corporate partners. &nbsp; On the field, Daniels led a breakout season by completing 152 passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. In the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, Daniels passed for a KU football record 544 yards on 37-of-55 passing, while combining for six total touchdowns, which was a Liberty Bowl record. &nbsp; Daniels was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team following the 2022 season, as voted on by the league’s coaches. He earned recognition as the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week following his performance at Houston, while he was a four-time Manning Award Star of the Week and three-time Davey O’Brien Great 8 List honoree this season. Daniels also rushed for 404 yards and six touchdowns on 63 rushes in 2022. &nbsp; In the classroom, Daniels earned Academic All-America honors with a 3.51 cumulative GPA in Sport Management. Daniels has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in each of the last two seasons and was a member of the All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2020. &nbsp; Jayhawks Ascend, nominated for Best Institutional Program, took significant steps forward in year two of the NIL era, hosting the first annual Jayhawks Ascend NIL forum featuring major brands including Adidas, Meta, Instagram and Wendy’s, among others. &nbsp; Kansas student athletes have benefitted from Jayhawks Ascend by working with national brands such as Pepsi, Adidas, Continental Tire, Wendy’s, Raising Cane’s, and more. KU student athletes have used their NIL for community impact through partnerships with the American Cancer Society, Lawrence Humane Society, Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among others. &nbsp; In addition, student athletes gain support with one-on-one and team NIL education and guidance sessions, licensing opportunities through Rally House&nbsp;and Mass St. Collective and more. &nbsp; Kansas was represented at the INFLCR NIL Summit by Moira Kelley (soccer), Daniels (football), Camryn Turner (volleyball), Holly Kersgieter (women’s basketball), Devin Neal (football) and Hanna Hawks (women’s golf). &nbsp; Now in its second year, the INFLCR NIL Summit is an immersive multi-day professional development experience and gathering place for student-athletes to share cutting-edge ideas, discover new interests, and learn how to maximize NIL opportunities to build their brands and amplify their voices.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664050379881.jpeg" alt="KU Jalon Daniels vs Duke (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>KU Jalon Daniels vs Duke (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>ATLANTA –&nbsp;Kansas Football’s Jalon Daniels was named the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year at the 2023 INFLCR NIL Summit in Atlanta this past weekend. The national award recognizes a student-athlete that achieved exceptional results in the classroom and in their respective sport, while maximizing their NIL for the greater good. &nbsp; Daniels was alongside Stanford’s Caitie Baird, who was named the female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Oklahoma’s Tanner Groves, Baylor’s Jaden Owens and Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez were among the nominees. &nbsp; Kansas’ NIL platform, Jayhawks Ascend, was also nominated for Best Institutional Program, awarded to a college or institution that has shown exceptional commitment to supporting its student-athletes in maximizing their NIL opportunities through a combination of education, resources, and industry-leading innovation. &nbsp; Daniels, a junior from Lawndale, California, had a breakout 2022-23 year across the board, leading Kansas to its first Bowl Game since 2008 and being named a CSC Scholar-Athlete All-American, all while maximizing his impact in NIL. &nbsp; Daniels has utilized the Jayhawks Ascend program to maximize his earning potential through branding and social media efforts, community engagement, licensing opportunities, and working with corporate partners. &nbsp; On the field, Daniels led a breakout season by completing 152 passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. In the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, Daniels passed for a KU football record 544 yards on 37-of-55 passing, while combining for six total touchdowns, which was a Liberty Bowl record. &nbsp; Daniels was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team following the 2022 season, as voted on by the league’s coaches. He earned recognition as the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week following his performance at Houston, while he was a four-time Manning Award Star of the Week and three-time Davey O’Brien Great 8 List honoree this season. Daniels also rushed for 404 yards and six touchdowns on 63 rushes in 2022. &nbsp; In the classroom, Daniels earned Academic All-America honors with a 3.51 cumulative GPA in Sport Management. Daniels has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in each of the last two seasons and was a member of the All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2020. &nbsp; Jayhawks Ascend, nominated for Best Institutional Program, took significant steps forward in year two of the NIL era, hosting the first annual Jayhawks Ascend NIL forum featuring major brands including Adidas, Meta, Instagram and Wendy’s, among others. &nbsp; Kansas student athletes have benefitted from Jayhawks Ascend by working with national brands such as Pepsi, Adidas, Continental Tire, Wendy’s, Raising Cane’s, and more. KU student athletes have used their NIL for community impact through partnerships with the American Cancer Society, Lawrence Humane Society, Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among others. &nbsp; In addition, student athletes gain support with one-on-one and team NIL education and guidance sessions, licensing opportunities through Rally House&nbsp;and Mass St. Collective and more. &nbsp; Kansas was represented at the INFLCR NIL Summit by Moira Kelley (soccer), Daniels (football), Camryn Turner (volleyball), Holly Kersgieter (women’s basketball), Devin Neal (football) and Hanna Hawks (women’s golf). &nbsp; Now in its second year, the INFLCR NIL Summit is an immersive multi-day professional development experience and gathering place for student-athletes to share cutting-edge ideas, discover new interests, and learn how to maximize NIL opportunities to build their brands and amplify their voices.

Kansas Football: Jalon Daniels named Scholar Athlete of the Year

TUSCON, Ariz. –&nbsp;True freshman second baseman Kodey Shojinaga was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the publication announced on Wednesday.

Shojinaga, who has already been named as the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year, an All-Big 12 Second Team infielder and an unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, receives the accolade following his rookie campaign in which he set a Kansas freshman record with a .378 batting average.

“If you look at what Kodey has done as a freshman and compare it to freshman around the country, he’s clearly one of the top guys,” Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “I think that he’s a guy that you can build around. He’s a middle of the order bat as a true freshman. There is no question in my mind that he is one of the top freshman players in the country. He’s one of the top players in the country, and the fact that he happens to be a freshman is pretty special.”

The Honolulu, Hawaii, native led the team in batting average (.378), hits (74), multi-hit games (20), on-base percentage (.421) and OPS (.947). He also posted a .418 batting average and 41 hits in conference games, which were both a league best.

Shojinaga is the eighth Kansas player in program history to receive freshman All-American honors and the first since 2017. He joins James Cosentino (2017), Devin Foyle (2016), Stephen Villines (2014), Wally Marciel (2007), John Nelson (1998 honorable mention), Clint Wyrick (1998 honorable mention) and Jamie Splittorf (1993).

Originally recruited as a catcher and converted to an infielder, Shojinaga had the seventh-highest batting average in the nation amongst true freshman and the second highest in the Big 12 at the conclusion of the regular season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686164177771.png" alt=" Kodey Shojinaga Photo Courtesy Kansas University Athletics" />
 <figcaption> Kodey Shojinaga Photo Courtesy Kansas University Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>TUSCON, Ariz. –&nbsp;True freshman second baseman Kodey Shojinaga was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the publication announced on Wednesday.Shojinaga, who has already been named as the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year, an All-Big 12 Second Team infielder and an unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, receives the accolade following his rookie campaign in which he set a Kansas freshman record with a .378 batting average.“If you look at what Kodey has done as a freshman and compare it to freshman around the country, he’s clearly one of the top guys,” Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “I think that he’s a guy that you can build around. He’s a middle of the order bat as a true freshman. There is no question in my mind that he is one of the top freshman players in the country. He’s one of the top players in the country, and the fact that he happens to be a freshman is pretty special.”The Honolulu, Hawaii, native led the team in batting average (.378), hits (74), multi-hit games (20), on-base percentage (.421) and OPS (.947). He also posted a .418 batting average and 41 hits in conference games, which were both a league best.Shojinaga is the eighth Kansas player in program history to receive freshman All-American honors and the first since 2017. He joins James Cosentino (2017), Devin Foyle (2016), Stephen Villines (2014), Wally Marciel (2007), John Nelson (1998 honorable mention), Clint Wyrick (1998 honorable mention) and Jamie Splittorf (1993).Originally recruited as a catcher and converted to an infielder, Shojinaga had the seventh-highest batting average in the nation amongst true freshman and the second highest in the Big 12 at the conclusion of the regular season.

⚾Shojinaga named a 2023 Freshman All-American

LAWRENCE, Kan. —Former Kansas forward Dedric Lawson is the most recent addition to the Mass Street roster for the upcoming&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cbd8c31d-0875-46b7-8e72-d934f707e864">TBT regional next month in Wichita</a>.

The 6-foot-9 native of Memphis, Tennessee played for Bill Self and the Jayhawks during the 2018-19 season after transferring from Memphis. While at Kansas, Lawson played and started 36 games, averaging 19.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He was a 1st Team All-Big 12 team following the season and was also selected as a 1st Team All-Big 12 Tournament selection.

Lawson opted to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. He was not selected in the draft and played in the NBA G League. After playing one season in the G League, Lawson played overseas in Turkey.

The 25-year-old is now added to a roster that already has Tyshawn Taylor, Thomas Robinson, Keith Langford and Marcus Garrett onboard. You can find more information about the Mass Street team&nbsp;<a href="https://thetournament.com/tbt/teams/mass-st-collective/">here</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686160591412.jpeg" alt="Kansas forward Dedric Lawson reacts after scoring a basket during overtime of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, in New York. Kansas defeated Tennessee 87-81. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas forward Dedric Lawson reacts after scoring a basket during overtime of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, in New York. Kansas defeated Tennessee 87-81. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. —Former Kansas forward Dedric Lawson is the most recent addition to the Mass Street roster for the upcoming&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cbd8c31d-0875-46b7-8e72-d934f707e864">TBT regional next month in Wichita</a>.The 6-foot-9 native of Memphis, Tennessee played for Bill Self and the Jayhawks during the 2018-19 season after transferring from Memphis. While at Kansas, Lawson played and started 36 games, averaging 19.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He was a 1st Team All-Big 12 team following the season and was also selected as a 1st Team All-Big 12 Tournament selection.Lawson opted to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. He was not selected in the draft and played in the NBA G League. After playing one season in the G League, Lawson played overseas in Turkey.The 25-year-old is now added to a roster that already has Tyshawn Taylor, Thomas Robinson, Keith Langford and Marcus Garrett onboard. You can find more information about the Mass Street team&nbsp;<a href="https://thetournament.com/tbt/teams/mass-st-collective/">here</a>.

🏀 MBB: Lawson added to KU alumni team roster

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State fans wanting to see the reigning Big 12 Champions in action this fall in Manhattan can begin purchasing single-game football tickets next week, K-State Athletics announced today. A pre-sale for Ahearn Fund members will begin on Monday, June 12, while the general public can begin purchasing tickets on Thursday, June 15.

Tickets to the season opener against SEMO on September 2 – which serves as the annual Golden Cats reunion and the 20-year anniversary of the 2003 Big 12 Championship team – start at less than $30. The game will kick off at 6 p.m., and will include a stripe out of the stadium to celebrate the 2022 Big 12 Championship.

University Family Day is scheduled for September 9 when the Wildcats host Troy at 11 a.m. Tickets for the second home game also start at less than $30. Following a game at Missouri, the Wildcats will welcome new Big 12 foe UCF on September 23. The game is Celebrate Ag, and tickets are currently less than $40.

A rematch of the 2022 Big 12 Championship game is set for October 21 when the TCU Horned Frogs return to Manhattan. Fans can see this highly anticipated match-up, which is also Harley Day, for less than $45.

Tickets start at less than $40 for the three final conference home games, which includes Homecoming against new Big 12 opponent Houston on October 28, Fort Riley Day against Baylor on November 11, and Senior Day against Iowa State on November 25.

Fans are encouraged to act fast and purchase their tickets as K-State Athletics utilizes dynamic pricing; single-game prices may change based on demand. Demand for tickets is also high with season tickets currently pacing nearly 4,000 above this time last year. New this year, fans will no longer pay additional handling fees when checking out. All single-game ticket prices include all fees, including sales tax, credit card fees, and ticket software fees.

Tickets can be purchased online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State fans wanting to see the reigning Big 12 Champions in action this fall in Manhattan can begin purchasing single-game football tickets next week, K-State Athletics announced today. A pre-sale for Ahearn Fund members will begin on Monday, June 12, while the general public can begin purchasing tickets on Thursday, June 15.Tickets to the season opener against SEMO on September 2 – which serves as the annual Golden Cats reunion and the 20-year anniversary of the 2003 Big 12 Championship team – start at less than $30. The game will kick off at 6 p.m., and will include a stripe out of the stadium to celebrate the 2022 Big 12 Championship.University Family Day is scheduled for September 9 when the Wildcats host Troy at 11 a.m. Tickets for the second home game also start at less than $30. Following a game at Missouri, the Wildcats will welcome new Big 12 foe UCF on September 23. The game is Celebrate Ag, and tickets are currently less than $40.A rematch of the 2022 Big 12 Championship game is set for October 21 when the TCU Horned Frogs return to Manhattan. Fans can see this highly anticipated match-up, which is also Harley Day, for less than $45.Tickets start at less than $40 for the three final conference home games, which includes Homecoming against new Big 12 opponent Houston on October 28, Fort Riley Day against Baylor on November 11, and Senior Day against Iowa State on November 25.Fans are encouraged to act fast and purchase their tickets as K-State Athletics utilizes dynamic pricing; single-game prices may change based on demand. Demand for tickets is also high with season tickets currently pacing nearly 4,000 above this time last year. New this year, fans will no longer pay additional handling fees when checking out. All single-game ticket prices include all fees, including sales tax, credit card fees, and ticket software fees.Tickets can be purchased online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.

K-State football single-game tickets on sale next week

New York (AP) —The PGA Tour abruptly dropped its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf venture on Tuesday and instead announced a stunning merger that creates a global operation featuring the world’s top players backed by the Saudis’ massive wealth.

As part of the deal merging the PGA Tour and European tour with Saudi Arabia’s golf interests, the sides immediately are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf.

From the golf side, still to be determined is how players like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-the-masters-golf-rory-mcilroy-brooks-koepka-bbd749c85f449b5e07dbcb66f6b0ad73">Brooks Koepka</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-golf-sergio-phil-mickelson-dustin-johnson-21f4722d284a2b9ed0c95652de809522">Dustin Johnson</a>&nbsp;can rejoin the PGA Tour after defecting last year for signing bonuses reported to be in the $150 million range.

From the commercial side, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund joins the PGA Tour board of directors and leads the new business venture as chairman, though the PGA Tour will have a majority stake.

News of the deal came as a surprise to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-golf-pga-liv-trump-lawsuit-edcd86df5ff12fa067505afd98b18a84">many watchers of the lawsuits and Saudi Arabia’s inroads</a>&nbsp;into U.S. politics, sports and culture.

“This is a huge development and obviously upends a world of golf, which has been perhaps more tradition-bound in the past,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at Houston’s Baker Institute.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has made a point of seeking out investments, like LIV, where it could shake up existing industries, Ulrichsen said.

“That’s sort of one of their mantras, is to try to be disruptive and to take on the status quo,” he said. “And in this case, they seem to have succeeded.”

The announcement comes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-charl-schwartzel-phil-mickelson-louis-oosthuizen-branden-grace-78d7e81d0b9937eba4132bde75e107bc">a year after LIV Golf began</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-greg-norman-bryson-dechambeau-dustin-johnson-england-956515e3a79f59d620a39a52708eed67">PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was at the Canadian Open</a>&nbsp;that week and said pointedly about any player who joined LIV or was thinking about it: “Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

Now they are partners, giving Saudi Arabia a commercial voice in golf’s premier organization.

“I recognize everything I’ve said in the past. I recognize people will call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said in a conference call Tuesday evening. “Any time I’ve said anything, I’ve said it with the information I had, and I said it with someone trying to compete with our tour and our players.”

Most PGA Tour players were bewildered by the shocking turnaround. It didn’t help that a news outlet broke the embargoed announcement before Monahan could send a memo to the players. Most learned of the development on social media.

“I love finding out about morning news on Twitter,” two-time major champion Collin Morikawa&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/collin_morikawa/status/1666085967105773574?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.

Many were not happy. Wesley Bryan&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wesleybryangolf/status/1666086991476424706" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, “I feel betrayed, and will not ... be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time.”

Byeong Hun An added on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ByeongHunAn/status/1666090106447593474" target="_blank">Twitter</a>: “I’m guessing the liv teams were struggling to get sponsors and pga tour couldn’t turn down the money. Win-win for both tours but it’s a big lose for who defended the tour for last two years.”

“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” Monahan said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

“We have a responsibility to our tour and to the game, and we felt like the time was right to have that conversation.”

Monahan held a player meeting at the Canadian Open, though most top players are not there. He described the meeting as “intense, certainly heated.”

And while this likely will only lead to greater riches in golf, there still was explaining to do on why the tour would merge with a group that tried to take away some of the PGA Tour’s best players and was seen as the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/liv-pga-sportswashing-saudi-golf-5614114833688edfe58c4ff6dd47ac75">example of “sportswashing.”</a>

The deal was in the works for the last seven weeks, when Monahan first met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund. Players typically approve changes to the schedule and other competition matters. On this one, they were left out.

“No one had word of this,” Monahan said. “Our players expect us to operate in the best interests of the tour.”

Instead, he cited guidance from corporate members of the PGA Tour board.

Still, Monahan has his toughest work ahead of him.

He sought loyalty from his players against a league accused of taking part in sportswashing, an attempt by Saudi Arabia to shift focus away from its human rights abuses, such as the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Now the very group that posed such a threat is the commercial partner of the PGA Tour and European tour.

“The divisiveness is now over, and two years of disruption and distractions ... is over and now we can concentrate on building our respective tours,” said Keith Pelley, CEO of the European tour. “And we are building it with PIF, who is clearly committed to the game.”

Along the way, PGA Tour players also got rich. The tour raised prize money at elite events to $20 million, the same purse for LIV’s individual competition. The 2024 schedule has been reshaped for roughly 16 tournaments like that.

“In the short term, I expect a lot of questions and criticism,” Monahan said. “In the long run, players who stayed with the PGA Tour will see they benefited in many ways.”

The agreement combines the Public Investment Fund’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights — including LIV Golf — with those of the PGA and European tours. The new entity has not been named.

Al-Rumayyan will join the board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operates its tournaments. The PIF will invest in the commercial venture.

“From the very beginning, the whole initiative was how to grow the game of golf,” Al-Rumayyan said. “And I think what was achieved today was exactly that.”

Augusta National and the Royal &amp; Ancient welcomed the news because it ends a bitter feud. Augusta National said the deal “represents a positive development in bringing harmony to men’s professional golf.” R&amp;A CEO Martin Slumbers said it would help golf “move forward in a collaborative, constructive and innovative fashion.”

As for the new role of Greg Norman, Al-Rumayyan said only that Norman is LIV Golf’s commissioner and details of his future role would be announced in the coming weeks.

Monahan’s memo to players indicated a strong Saudi Arabian presence. He said PIF would make a financial investment to become a “premier corporate sponsor” of the PGA Tour, the European tour and other international tours.

The PIF initially will be the exclusive investor in the new entity and will have the exclusive right to further invest, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested.

Al-Rumayyan has been spotted wearing a “MAGA” hat during LIV events at courses owned by former President Donald Trump.

Trump predicted last July that a merger was inevitable and said anyone not signing with the Saudi league would be losing out. He&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110497654627066909" target="_blank">weighed in</a>&nbsp;Tuesday and called it a “glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf.”

Monahan said the merger came together the last seven weeks, with PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne responsible for bringing together Monahan and Al-Rumayyan. Dunne and Ed Herlihy, chairman of the PGA Tour’s board, will serve on the board of the commercial venture.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau were among 11 players who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-lawsuits-golf-phil-mickelson-d17cc25c582c2ec2dd4dce318c288bb1">filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour</a>&nbsp;last August.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-lawsuits-golf-e85dce12007d5a34bbaa0085741c5a7e">LIV joined as plaintiffs</a>, and the PGA Tour countersued.

The concern for PIF was whether its leaders could be deposed, which Saudi Arabia wanted to avoid. Being open to depositions would leave the kingdom’s leaders more vulnerable to legal action, including lawsuits demanding they reveal business deals in the United States.

A federal judge had ruled the PIF could not claim immunity from the Foreign Service Immunity Act because of its commercial work with LIV Golf in the U.S.

The PIF appealed the ruling to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which was likely to extend the lawsuit deep into 2024 if not longer.

Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Stockholm contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686106188400.png" alt="-FILE - Team champions David Puig, Sebastián Muñoz, Mito Pereira, Captain Joaquín Niemann of Torque GC and their caddies celebrate on stage with the team trophy during LIV Golf DC at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Sterling, Virginia. The most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday, June 6, 2023, when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.(Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP, File" />
 <figcaption>-FILE - Team champions David Puig, Sebastián Muñoz, Mito Pereira, Captain Joaquín Niemann of Torque GC and their caddies celebrate on stage with the team trophy during LIV Golf DC at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Sterling, Virginia. The most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday, June 6, 2023, when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.(Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP, File</figcaption>
 </figure>New York (AP) —The PGA Tour abruptly dropped its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf venture on Tuesday and instead announced a stunning merger that creates a global operation featuring the world’s top players backed by the Saudis’ massive wealth.As part of the deal merging the PGA Tour and European tour with Saudi Arabia’s golf interests, the sides immediately are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf.From the golf side, still to be determined is how players like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-the-masters-golf-rory-mcilroy-brooks-koepka-bbd749c85f449b5e07dbcb66f6b0ad73">Brooks Koepka</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-golf-sergio-phil-mickelson-dustin-johnson-21f4722d284a2b9ed0c95652de809522">Dustin Johnson</a>&nbsp;can rejoin the PGA Tour after defecting last year for signing bonuses reported to be in the $150 million range.From the commercial side, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund joins the PGA Tour board of directors and leads the new business venture as chairman, though the PGA Tour will have a majority stake.News of the deal came as a surprise to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-golf-pga-liv-trump-lawsuit-edcd86df5ff12fa067505afd98b18a84">many watchers of the lawsuits and Saudi Arabia’s inroads</a>&nbsp;into U.S. politics, sports and culture.“This is a huge development and obviously upends a world of golf, which has been perhaps more tradition-bound in the past,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at Houston’s Baker Institute.Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has made a point of seeking out investments, like LIV, where it could shake up existing industries, Ulrichsen said.“That’s sort of one of their mantras, is to try to be disruptive and to take on the status quo,” he said. “And in this case, they seem to have succeeded.”The announcement comes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-charl-schwartzel-phil-mickelson-louis-oosthuizen-branden-grace-78d7e81d0b9937eba4132bde75e107bc">a year after LIV Golf began</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-greg-norman-bryson-dechambeau-dustin-johnson-england-956515e3a79f59d620a39a52708eed67">PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was at the Canadian Open</a>&nbsp;that week and said pointedly about any player who joined LIV or was thinking about it: “Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”Now they are partners, giving Saudi Arabia a commercial voice in golf’s premier organization.“I recognize everything I’ve said in the past. I recognize people will call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said in a conference call Tuesday evening. “Any time I’ve said anything, I’ve said it with the information I had, and I said it with someone trying to compete with our tour and our players.”Most PGA Tour players were bewildered by the shocking turnaround. It didn’t help that a news outlet broke the embargoed announcement before Monahan could send a memo to the players. Most learned of the development on social media.“I love finding out about morning news on Twitter,” two-time major champion Collin Morikawa&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/collin_morikawa/status/1666085967105773574?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.Many were not happy. Wesley Bryan&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wesleybryangolf/status/1666086991476424706" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, “I feel betrayed, and will not ... be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time.”Byeong Hun An added on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ByeongHunAn/status/1666090106447593474" target="_blank">Twitter</a>: “I’m guessing the liv teams were struggling to get sponsors and pga tour couldn’t turn down the money. Win-win for both tours but it’s a big lose for who defended the tour for last two years.”“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” Monahan said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.“We have a responsibility to our tour and to the game, and we felt like the time was right to have that conversation.”Monahan held a player meeting at the Canadian Open, though most top players are not there. He described the meeting as “intense, certainly heated.”And while this likely will only lead to greater riches in golf, there still was explaining to do on why the tour would merge with a group that tried to take away some of the PGA Tour’s best players and was seen as the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/liv-pga-sportswashing-saudi-golf-5614114833688edfe58c4ff6dd47ac75">example of “sportswashing.”</a>The deal was in the works for the last seven weeks, when Monahan first met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund. Players typically approve changes to the schedule and other competition matters. On this one, they were left out.“No one had word of this,” Monahan said. “Our players expect us to operate in the best interests of the tour.”Instead, he cited guidance from corporate members of the PGA Tour board.Still, Monahan has his toughest work ahead of him.He sought loyalty from his players against a league accused of taking part in sportswashing, an attempt by Saudi Arabia to shift focus away from its human rights abuses, such as the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Now the very group that posed such a threat is the commercial partner of the PGA Tour and European tour.“The divisiveness is now over, and two years of disruption and distractions ... is over and now we can concentrate on building our respective tours,” said Keith Pelley, CEO of the European tour. “And we are building it with PIF, who is clearly committed to the game.”Along the way, PGA Tour players also got rich. The tour raised prize money at elite events to $20 million, the same purse for LIV’s individual competition. The 2024 schedule has been reshaped for roughly 16 tournaments like that.“In the short term, I expect a lot of questions and criticism,” Monahan said. “In the long run, players who stayed with the PGA Tour will see they benefited in many ways.”The agreement combines the Public Investment Fund’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights — including LIV Golf — with those of the PGA and European tours. The new entity has not been named.Al-Rumayyan will join the board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operates its tournaments. The PIF will invest in the commercial venture.“From the very beginning, the whole initiative was how to grow the game of golf,” Al-Rumayyan said. “And I think what was achieved today was exactly that.”Augusta National and the Royal &amp; Ancient welcomed the news because it ends a bitter feud. Augusta National said the deal “represents a positive development in bringing harmony to men’s professional golf.” R&amp;A CEO Martin Slumbers said it would help golf “move forward in a collaborative, constructive and innovative fashion.”As for the new role of Greg Norman, Al-Rumayyan said only that Norman is LIV Golf’s commissioner and details of his future role would be announced in the coming weeks.Monahan’s memo to players indicated a strong Saudi Arabian presence. He said PIF would make a financial investment to become a “premier corporate sponsor” of the PGA Tour, the European tour and other international tours.The PIF initially will be the exclusive investor in the new entity and will have the exclusive right to further invest, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested.Al-Rumayyan has been spotted wearing a “MAGA” hat during LIV events at courses owned by former President Donald Trump.Trump predicted last July that a merger was inevitable and said anyone not signing with the Saudi league would be losing out. He&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110497654627066909" target="_blank">weighed in</a>&nbsp;Tuesday and called it a “glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf.”Monahan said the merger came together the last seven weeks, with PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne responsible for bringing together Monahan and Al-Rumayyan. Dunne and Ed Herlihy, chairman of the PGA Tour’s board, will serve on the board of the commercial venture.Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau were among 11 players who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-lawsuits-golf-phil-mickelson-d17cc25c582c2ec2dd4dce318c288bb1">filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour</a>&nbsp;last August.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-lawsuits-golf-e85dce12007d5a34bbaa0085741c5a7e">LIV joined as plaintiffs</a>, and the PGA Tour countersued.The concern for PIF was whether its leaders could be deposed, which Saudi Arabia wanted to avoid. Being open to depositions would leave the kingdom’s leaders more vulnerable to legal action, including lawsuits demanding they reveal business deals in the United States.A federal judge had ruled the PIF could not claim immunity from the Foreign Service Immunity Act because of its commercial work with LIV Golf in the U.S.The PIF appealed the ruling to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which was likely to extend the lawsuit deep into 2024 if not longer.___Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Stockholm contributed to this report.

⛳ PGA Tour and European tour agree to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf feud

MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez had two hits to raise his major league-leading batting average to .401 and help the Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Second in the NL East, the Marlins have won five straight to improve to 34-28 — the first time they’ve been six games over .500 since August 2016.

After Arraez flew out to left in his first two at-bats, he hit consecutive singles to finish 2 for 4 with an RBI. Jesús Sánchez homered and Bryan De La Cruz drove in three runs.

“It is an honor when I see that number on the scoreboard but as I’ve said before it is not impossible,” Arraez said in Spanish. “Things are going well for me and we are also winning, which is what is most important.”

Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo threw seven innings of one-run ball. Luzardo (5-4) scattered two hits and struck out eight, matching his longest outing of the season. Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing followed Luzardo, each throwing an inning to complete the five-hitter.

“Today was a step in the right direction for something me and (catcher) Nick (Fortes) have been working on, which is just mixing it up with everything I’ve got,” Luzardo said. “Hopefully, we keep doing that and taking steps forward.”

Luzardo was pulled after 86 pitches and a perfected seventh.

“We have an idea of the amount of innings Jesús has thrown in his career,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s going to be on pace for a career high and we want to monitor it, throwing the extra inning when it’s needed. We felt we had really good matchups at the end with the bullpen to give guys an inning.”

Miami broke open a scoreless game with a five-run fifth against Zack Greinke (1-6).

The former Cy Young Award winner kept Miami hitless until Sánchez’s leadoff blast. Sánchez drove the first pitch breaking ball from Greinke over the wall in left for his fifth homer.

“All of his pitches move,” Sánchez said about facing Greinke. “Although he doesn’t have the stuff, I always look for the fastball. He threw me the curveball and I adjusted because I have the ability to hit the curveball, too.”

Arraez’s one-out single with the bases loaded made it 2-0 and ended Greinke’s outing. Reliever Jackson Kowar retired Jorge Soler on a pop out to second before De La Cruz cleared the bases with a double to right.

The 39-year-old Greinke gave up five runs, four hits and struck out three. He was unbeaten in seven career decisions against Miami.

“Really, he didn’t throw the ball any differently that inning,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Maybe one of those pitches may have been left over the middle of the plate. They got a little more aggressive that inning and put a couple of good swings on it.”

Nick Pratto doubled off Luzardo in the seventh, advanced on a ground out and raced home after a wild pitch for Kansas City’s run.

The Marlins are 12-2 against the American League this season. They began the season with a major league-worst 103-148 record in interleague play.

The Marlins activated LHP A.J. Puk from the injured list and optioned RHP George Soriano to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Marlins: RHP Johnny Cueto (right biceps tightness) threw a batting practice session Tuesday at the club’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida.

Royals RHP Jordan Lyles (0-9, 6.89) will start the final game of the series Wednesday against RHP Edward Cabrera (4-4, 4.05).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680115673148.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez had two hits to raise his major league-leading batting average to .401 and help the Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Tuesday night.Second in the NL East, the Marlins have won five straight to improve to 34-28 — the first time they’ve been six games over .500 since August 2016.After Arraez flew out to left in his first two at-bats, he hit consecutive singles to finish 2 for 4 with an RBI. Jesús Sánchez homered and Bryan De La Cruz drove in three runs.“It is an honor when I see that number on the scoreboard but as I’ve said before it is not impossible,” Arraez said in Spanish. “Things are going well for me and we are also winning, which is what is most important.”Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo threw seven innings of one-run ball. Luzardo (5-4) scattered two hits and struck out eight, matching his longest outing of the season. Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing followed Luzardo, each throwing an inning to complete the five-hitter.“Today was a step in the right direction for something me and (catcher) Nick (Fortes) have been working on, which is just mixing it up with everything I’ve got,” Luzardo said. “Hopefully, we keep doing that and taking steps forward.”Luzardo was pulled after 86 pitches and a perfected seventh.“We have an idea of the amount of innings Jesús has thrown in his career,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s going to be on pace for a career high and we want to monitor it, throwing the extra inning when it’s needed. We felt we had really good matchups at the end with the bullpen to give guys an inning.”Miami broke open a scoreless game with a five-run fifth against Zack Greinke (1-6).The former Cy Young Award winner kept Miami hitless until Sánchez’s leadoff blast. Sánchez drove the first pitch breaking ball from Greinke over the wall in left for his fifth homer.“All of his pitches move,” Sánchez said about facing Greinke. “Although he doesn’t have the stuff, I always look for the fastball. He threw me the curveball and I adjusted because I have the ability to hit the curveball, too.”Arraez’s one-out single with the bases loaded made it 2-0 and ended Greinke’s outing. Reliever Jackson Kowar retired Jorge Soler on a pop out to second before De La Cruz cleared the bases with a double to right.The 39-year-old Greinke gave up five runs, four hits and struck out three. He was unbeaten in seven career decisions against Miami.“Really, he didn’t throw the ball any differently that inning,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Maybe one of those pitches may have been left over the middle of the plate. They got a little more aggressive that inning and put a couple of good swings on it.”Nick Pratto doubled off Luzardo in the seventh, advanced on a ground out and raced home after a wild pitch for Kansas City’s run.INTERLEAGUE SUCCESSThe Marlins are 12-2 against the American League this season. They began the season with a major league-worst 103-148 record in interleague play.ROSTER MOVEThe Marlins activated LHP A.J. Puk from the injured list and optioned RHP George Soriano to Triple-A Jacksonville.TRAINER’S ROOMMarlins: RHP Johnny Cueto (right biceps tightness) threw a batting practice session Tuesday at the club’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida.UP NEXTRoyals RHP Jordan Lyles (0-9, 6.89) will start the final game of the series Wednesday against RHP Edward Cabrera (4-4, 4.05).