This past week showed that&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/72f46d34-e096-41cc-8d20-c1a567fdba17?elinkdata=8546" target="_blank">Adrian Villalobos</a>&nbsp;is good at baseball. Kansas Wesleyan's junior third baseman put together an impressive week in five games for the Coyotes, and his efforts led him to being named the KCAC Baseball Player of the Week, the NAIA Ball Player of the Week, and the NAIA Baseball National Player of the Week.

Villalobos had quite the week for the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. He helped KWU extend its winning streak to 18 games after a sweep of the Saint Mary Spires in the weekend series.

As the week went on, Villalobos got better and better. He went 2 for 4 with two runs against Sterling in a 10-1 win.

Against Central Christian, he went 3-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBI.

In the first Saint Mary game, he had two hits, both homers, driving in five runs to help KWU get the win. In the second USM game, he went 3 of 4, scoring four times while adding two more homers and driving in two runs. In the series finale, Villalobos again went 3 for 3, with a homer and a double and drove in six runs. His homer and double both came in the 10-run second inning for the Coyotes that turned a 5-0 deficit into a 10-5 lead. He drove in two more runs with a single during KWU's 7-run fourth inning.

For the week his numbers were quite impressive, hitting .765 for the week (.714 in conference games) with a 1.929 conference SLG and a 1.941 overall SLG.

This past week showed that&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/72f46d34-e096-41cc-8d20-c1a567fdba17?elinkdata=8546" target="_blank">Adrian Villalobos</a>&nbsp;is good at baseball. Kansas Wesleyan's junior third baseman put together an impressive week in five games for the Coyotes, and his efforts led him to being named the KCAC Baseball Player of the Week, the NAIA Ball Player of the Week, and the NAIA Baseball National Player of the Week.Villalobos had quite the week for the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. He helped KWU extend its winning streak to 18 games after a sweep of the Saint Mary Spires in the weekend series.As the week went on, Villalobos got better and better. He went 2 for 4 with two runs against Sterling in a 10-1 win.Against Central Christian, he went 3-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBI.In the first Saint Mary game, he had two hits, both homers, driving in five runs to help KWU get the win. In the second USM game, he went 3 of 4, scoring four times while adding two more homers and driving in two runs. In the series finale, Villalobos again went 3 for 3, with a homer and a double and drove in six runs. His homer and double both came in the 10-run second inning for the Coyotes that turned a 5-0 deficit into a 10-5 lead. He drove in two more runs with a single during KWU's 7-run fourth inning.For the week his numbers were quite impressive, hitting .765 for the week (.714 in conference games) with a 1.929 conference SLG and a 1.941 overall SLG.

Villalobos earns conference and national player of the week honors

By TYLER HENRY Lead sports writer for Salina Post

Hello and Happy Wednesday everybody it's Tyler Henry back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports M edicine. 

On Tuesday it was announced that after a monster performance Kansas Wesleyan slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/baseball/roster/adrian-villalobos/8188">Adrian Villalobos</a>&nbsp;has been selected not just as KCAC Player of the Week but as NAIA National Player of the Week as well. And with good reason.

&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/baseball/roster/adrian-villalobos/8188">Villalobos</a>&nbsp;helped KWU extend their winning streak to 18 games finishing his five in a week with video game type numbers. The Jr ended of the five games set 13 for 17 at the plate with six homeruns- 15 driven in and a batting average of .785 to go with a slugging percentage of 1.94.

Speaking of baseball after a bit of a slow start, the Kansas City Royals have rallied and thanks to a Salvador Perez game-winning single last night defeated the Astros to win their fifth straight game. The run began with a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox and could continue tonight as the Royals host the Houston Astros for game two of the series at 6:40 p.m.&nbsp;

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/284fceb5-e11c-4e34-a985-18f4d55c78a8">⚾ Salvador Perez leads Royals past Astros for 5th straight win</a>

And finally, more locally last night the Southeast of Saline and Sacred Heart tangled on the both diamonds in a pair of doubleheader sets splitting the two right down the middle.

 SES softball rolled their rival with wins of 12-2 and 16-0. While the second-ranked nights of Sacred Heart remained undefeated with victories of 7-0 and 7-4.&nbsp;

All four games were broadcast on this a lot of posts and are now available to watch on demand. That's all for your sports update for today. But for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post Sports</a> and stay tuned to <a href="https://910kina.com/">910 KINA</a>.&nbsp;

<div><div style="position:relative;overflow:hidden;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/tqmp2bSi-ATjzBQNW.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Kinasu 4-10-24" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div>By TYLER HENRY Lead sports writer for Salina PostTranscript from featured audioHello and Happy Wednesday everybody it's Tyler Henry back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports M edicine. On Tuesday it was announced that after a monster performance Kansas Wesleyan slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/baseball/roster/adrian-villalobos/8188">Adrian Villalobos</a>&nbsp;has been selected not just as KCAC Player of the Week but as NAIA National Player of the Week as well. And with good reason. &nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/baseball/roster/adrian-villalobos/8188">Villalobos</a>&nbsp;helped KWU extend their winning streak to 18 games finishing his five in a week with video game type numbers. The Jr ended of the five games set 13 for 17 at the plate with six homeruns- 15 driven in and a batting average of .785 to go with a slugging percentage of 1.94. Speaking of baseball after a bit of a slow start, the Kansas City Royals have rallied and thanks to a Salvador Perez game-winning single last night defeated the Astros to win their fifth straight game. The run began with a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox and could continue tonight as the Royals host the Houston Astros for game two of the series at 6:40 p.m.&nbsp;READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/284fceb5-e11c-4e34-a985-18f4d55c78a8">⚾ Salvador Perez leads Royals past Astros for 5th straight win</a>And finally, more locally last night the Southeast of Saline and Sacred Heart tangled on the both diamonds in a pair of doubleheader sets splitting the two right down the middle. SES softball rolled their rival with wins of 12-2 and 16-0. While the second-ranked nights of Sacred Heart remained undefeated with victories of 7-0 and 7-4.&nbsp;All four games were broadcast on this a lot of posts and are now available to watch on demand. That's all for your sports update for today. But for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post Sports</a> and stay tuned to <a href="https://910kina.com/">910 KINA</a>.&nbsp;

910 KINA Sports Headlines — April 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a game-ending single in the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

Garrett Hampson began the Kansas City 10th on second as the automatic runner, replacing Vinnie Pasquantino. Hampson raced home when Perez led off the inning with a single to center against Wander Suero (0-1).

“We’re gonna play hard,” Perez said. “We’re gonna do our best, especially right now. We've got new comfort.”

James McArthur (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

Perez and Nelson Velázquez each had two hits for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia each drove in a run.

Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber and McArthur combined for five scoreless innings of four-hit ball in relief of Royals starter Cole Ragans.

“These guys are incredible,” Ragans said of the bullpen. “They pitched incredible. They kept us right there. That’s really, really big.”

Witt's biggest contribution may have been a diving stop on a two-out single by Jeremy Peña in the top of the 10th. Had the ball gotten past the young shortstop, the Astros likely would have taken the lead.

“I thought it did have a chance of going through,” Peña said. “I’ll shout out to Bobby Witt. (He) made a nice play.”

Yordan Alvarez had four hits and two RBIs for Houston, which had won two in a row. Peña had two hits and scored a run.

The Astros loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the first inning, but Ragans limited the damage to a run-scoring fielder’s choice for Yainer Diaz.

“I don’t think (Ragans) had his best stuff,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s a good lineup, and they made him work. (But) if we turn that double play in the first or he’s able to get Alvarez out one of those times with two strikes, he’s coming out of there with one or maybe no runs. Credit to him really."

Alvarez singled in Peña with two out in the second, and then doubled home Mauricio Dubón in the fourth.

Ragans surrendered 10 hits in five innings for Kansas City. He struck out five and walked one.

Houston went 5 for 18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.

“We had some opportunities to get some guys in (with) less than two outs," Houston manager Joe Espada said. "We just couldn’t capitalize.”

Houston right-hander Cristian Javier was charged with three runs, two earned, and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

Maikel Garcia’s sacrifice fly in the fifth stopped Javier’s scoreless streak at 15 innings to start the season. Witt drove in Hunter Renfroe with a two-out triple, and then scored on an error on third baseman Alex Bregman.

Astros: Placed LHP Framber Valdez on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. They selected the contract of Suero from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place. The Astros also recalled LHP Parker Mushinski from Sugar Land and optioned RHP Blair Henley to the minors. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred RHP Oliver Ortega to the 60-day IL.

Royals: Acquired RHP Colin Selby from Pittsburgh for minor league pitcher Connor Oliver. To make room on the 40-man roster for Selby, LHP Josh Taylor was moved to the 60-day IL. The Royals also signed RHP Zach Davies to a minor league deal.

The Astros and Royals continue their three-game series Wednesday. RHP Spencer Arrighetti will make his major league debut for Houston against Seth Lugo (1-0, 0.71 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712718313385.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez slides into third safely as he advances on a Nelson Velázquez double during a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez slides into third safely as he advances on a Nelson Velázquez double during a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a game-ending single in the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night for their fifth consecutive victory.Garrett Hampson began the Kansas City 10th on second as the automatic runner, replacing Vinnie Pasquantino. Hampson raced home when Perez led off the inning with a single to center against Wander Suero (0-1).“We’re gonna play hard,” Perez said. “We’re gonna do our best, especially right now. We've got new comfort.”James McArthur (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.Perez and Nelson Velázquez each had two hits for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia each drove in a run.Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber and McArthur combined for five scoreless innings of four-hit ball in relief of Royals starter Cole Ragans.“These guys are incredible,” Ragans said of the bullpen. “They pitched incredible. They kept us right there. That’s really, really big.”Witt's biggest contribution may have been a diving stop on a two-out single by Jeremy Peña in the top of the 10th. Had the ball gotten past the young shortstop, the Astros likely would have taken the lead.“I thought it did have a chance of going through,” Peña said. “I’ll shout out to Bobby Witt. (He) made a nice play.”Yordan Alvarez had four hits and two RBIs for Houston, which had won two in a row. Peña had two hits and scored a run.The Astros loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the first inning, but Ragans limited the damage to a run-scoring fielder’s choice for Yainer Diaz.“I don’t think (Ragans) had his best stuff,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s a good lineup, and they made him work. (But) if we turn that double play in the first or he’s able to get Alvarez out one of those times with two strikes, he’s coming out of there with one or maybe no runs. Credit to him really."Alvarez singled in Peña with two out in the second, and then doubled home Mauricio Dubón in the fourth.Ragans surrendered 10 hits in five innings for Kansas City. He struck out five and walked one.Houston went 5 for 18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.“We had some opportunities to get some guys in (with) less than two outs," Houston manager Joe Espada said. "We just couldn’t capitalize.”Houston right-hander Cristian Javier was charged with three runs, two earned, and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.Maikel Garcia’s sacrifice fly in the fifth stopped Javier’s scoreless streak at 15 innings to start the season. Witt drove in Hunter Renfroe with a two-out triple, and then scored on an error on third baseman Alex Bregman.TRANSACTIONSAstros: Placed LHP Framber Valdez on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. They selected the contract of Suero from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place. The Astros also recalled LHP Parker Mushinski from Sugar Land and optioned RHP Blair Henley to the minors. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred RHP Oliver Ortega to the 60-day IL.Royals: Acquired RHP Colin Selby from Pittsburgh for minor league pitcher Connor Oliver. To make room on the 40-man roster for Selby, LHP Josh Taylor was moved to the 60-day IL. The Royals also signed RHP Zach Davies to a minor league deal.UP NEXTThe Astros and Royals continue their three-game series Wednesday. RHP Spencer Arrighetti will make his major league debut for Houston against Seth Lugo (1-0, 0.71 ERA).

⚾ Salvador Perez leads Royals past Astros for 5th straight win

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

A pair of area foes will collide in Gypsum this afternoon as the Southeast of Saline baseball and softball teams prepare to welcome in the Knights and Lady Knights of Sacred Heart.

With NCAA play just starting to heat up, it’s all to play for in Central Kansas today, with all four squads looking to gain a foothold in the league standings.

On the baseball diamond, the Knights come in ranked as the #2 team in Class 1-2A, and will be looking to keep their resume unblemished at a perfect 6-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Sacred Heart has already dispatched Republic County in a doubleheader sweep last week, a team the Trojans also handled their business with to open league action.

Despite a brief stumble at the hands of #8 Abilene from Class 4A last week, Southeast of Saline still looks strong at 6-4 overall and 2-0 in league play, boasting a run differential of +72 ahead of this doubleheader.

On the softball diamond, the Lady Trojans will also continue their search for perfection at 6-0 (2-0 in league play) after dispatching a 4A foe in a doubleheader sweep at Abilene last week.

With a veteran-heavy squad, Southeast has been rolling since opening day, having outscored their first six opponents by a mighty 57 runs.

On the other side of this doubleheader duel, the Lady Knights come in at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play after splitting their doubleheader with Republic County last week.

Sacred Heart is one of the youngest teams in the state of Kansas, sporting a roster with just one senior newcomer, and just three junior returners from a season ago.

Salina Post will broadcast all four games with live audio and video as Games of the Week. While these games will not be streamed live they will be made available on-demand from Wednesday on.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>A pair of area foes will collide in Gypsum this afternoon as the Southeast of Saline baseball and softball teams prepare to welcome in the Knights and Lady Knights of Sacred Heart.With NCAA play just starting to heat up, it’s all to play for in Central Kansas today, with all four squads looking to gain a foothold in the league standings.On the baseball diamond, the Knights come in ranked as the #2 team in Class 1-2A, and will be looking to keep their resume unblemished at a perfect 6-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.Sacred Heart has already dispatched Republic County in a doubleheader sweep last week, a team the Trojans also handled their business with to open league action.Despite a brief stumble at the hands of #8 Abilene from Class 4A last week, Southeast of Saline still looks strong at 6-4 overall and 2-0 in league play, boasting a run differential of +72 ahead of this doubleheader.On the softball diamond, the Lady Trojans will also continue their search for perfection at 6-0 (2-0 in league play) after dispatching a 4A foe in a doubleheader sweep at Abilene last week.With a veteran-heavy squad, Southeast has been rolling since opening day, having outscored their first six opponents by a mighty 57 runs.On the other side of this doubleheader duel, the Lady Knights come in at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play after splitting their doubleheader with Republic County last week.Sacred Heart is one of the youngest teams in the state of Kansas, sporting a roster with just one senior newcomer, and just three junior returners from a season ago.Salina Post will broadcast all four games with live audio and video as Games of the Week. While these games will not be streamed live they will be made available on-demand from Wednesday on.

SES Welcomes Sacred Heart for Baseball and Softball Doubleheaders in Gypsum

Hello and Happy Tuesday everybody it's Tyler Henry back with another&nbsp; KINA&nbsp; Sports Update presented by Salina regional orthopedic and sports medicine. 

Last night saw the official end of this year's NCAA March Madness tournament from the men's side and for a second year running the UConn Huskies are the kings of March.

Dan Hurley's squad claimed a national title with a 75 to 60 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers becoming the first repeat champs since Florida back in 2006 and 2007 and the first win back to back title games by double digits since the UCLA teams of old. The Huskies made everything look easy from the beginning posting a new NCAA record plus 140 point differential for the entire tournament.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/4bd43c0c-19d1-4965-9e1d-dac300f032a1">Lady Trojans Outlast Abilene to Remain Undefeated</a>

On the diamond, the Kansas City Royals announced on Monday that they had acquired right-handed pitcher Colin Selby from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league left-handed pitcher Connor Oliver. Selby was designated for assignment last Tuesday and has now been assigned to triple A Omaha.&nbsp;

Finally speaking of diamond sports tonight one of the best rivalries in class 3A will find its way to Gypsum as Sacred Hearts baseball and softball teams travel to take on Southeast of Saline.&nbsp;

Sacred Heart baseball comes in ranked as the number two team in class two 1A while Southeast of Saline Softball has yet to drop a game at 6-0 we will be providing full broadcasts of both games which will be available on demand tomorrow both on our YouTube page and on the post site. 

Coverage of the baseball doubleheader is brought to you by Juanelle Garretson at Salinahomes.com

That's all for your sports update for today. But for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post&nbsp;Sports </a>and stay tuned to 910 KINA Radio.&nbsp;

<div><div style="position:relative;overflow:hidden;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/C3x2pZO1-ATjzBQNW.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Kinasu 4-9-24" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div>By TYLER HENRY Lead sports writer for Salina PostTranscript from featured audioHello and Happy Tuesday everybody it's Tyler Henry back with another&nbsp; KINA&nbsp; Sports Update presented by Salina regional orthopedic and sports medicine. Last night saw the official end of this year's NCAA March Madness tournament from the men's side and for a second year running the UConn Huskies are the kings of March.Dan Hurley's squad claimed a national title with a 75 to 60 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers becoming the first repeat champs since Florida back in 2006 and 2007 and the first win back to back title games by double digits since the UCLA teams of old. The Huskies made everything look easy from the beginning posting a new NCAA record plus 140 point differential for the entire tournament.READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/4bd43c0c-19d1-4965-9e1d-dac300f032a1">Lady Trojans Outlast Abilene to Remain Undefeated</a>On the diamond, the Kansas City Royals announced on Monday that they had acquired right-handed pitcher Colin Selby from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league left-handed pitcher Connor Oliver. Selby was designated for assignment last Tuesday and has now been assigned to triple A Omaha.&nbsp;Finally speaking of diamond sports tonight one of the best rivalries in class 3A will find its way to Gypsum as Sacred Hearts baseball and softball teams travel to take on Southeast of Saline.&nbsp;Sacred Heart baseball comes in ranked as the number two team in class two 1A while Southeast of Saline Softball has yet to drop a game at 6-0 we will be providing full broadcasts of both games which will be available on demand tomorrow both on our YouTube page and on the post site. Coverage of the baseball doubleheader is brought to you by Juanelle Garretson at Salinahomes.com That's all for your sports update for today. But for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post&nbsp;Sports </a>and stay tuned to 910 KINA Radio.&nbsp;

910 KINA Sports Headlines — April 9

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A basketball beatdown. A coaching clinic. A double-digit domination.

Take one guess who finished off a romp through college basketball again. You bet, it’s UConn — a team built to win now, and often, and by a lot every time it takes the court.

Coach Dan Hurley's Huskies delivered the latest of their suffocating hoops performances Monday night, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to become the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships.

Tristen Newton&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1777529515146727550">scored 20 points</a>&nbsp;for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — not a single one of them decided by fewer than 13 points.

UConn was efficient on offense but won this with defense. The Huskies (37-3) limited the country’s second-best 3-point shooting team to a mere seven shots behind the arc and only a single make, while happily allowing 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year Zach Edey to go for 37 points on 25 shot attempts.

<a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1777541833658187900">UConn won its sixth overall title</a>&nbsp;and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s.

“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time, just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” said Hurley, whose top two scorers from last year now play in the NBA. “To lose that much and do it again, it’s got to be as impressive a two-year run since at least prior to Duke.”

The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins. They won those games by a grand total of 140 points, blowing past the 1996 Kentucky team, which won its six by 129.

In a matchup of two top seeds, they wore down the Boilermakers (34-5), who made it this far a year after becoming just the second No. 1 in the history of March Madness to fall in the first round. But Purdue left the same way it came — still looking for the program’s first NCAA title.

So much for the free-for-all this new age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals was supposed to become. UConn has figured out how to dominate and replenish its roster with players who understand their roles.

Cam Spencer, a transfer from Rutgers, Stephon Castle, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from last year’s team, spent the night guarding the 3-point line and making life miserable for Purdue’s guards.

“They just made a decision — we can defend the perimeter, and we can take this away from you, you’re going to get the ball to your best player, he’ll be 1-on-1, and that’s that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.

This was only the second time this season Purdue didn’t put up 10 3-point attempts, and how ’bout this final score: Edey 37, the rest of the Boilermakers 23.

How serious was Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith wiggled loose for a semi-open look to make Purdue’s first 3 of the game with 2:17 left in the first half, the coach bolted onto the floor and called timeout.

“Coaches made a point that we’d be really locked in if we controlled their 3-point attempts,” Spencer said. “Holding them to seven shows we were locked in on making sure their guards didn’t get involved in the game.”

With his Xs-and-Os masterpiece, Hurley joins former Florida coach Billy Donovan in the back-to-back club, and is in company with Bill Self and Rick Pitino as only the third active coach with two championships. News broke over the weekend that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-calipari-arkansas-570669b80b59b362ab2d75d83246f36b">it appears there's a job opening at Kentucky</a>, and the UConn coach's name has come up there.

“I don't think that's a concern,” Hurley said. “My wife, you should have her answer that.”

No way the Huskies would want to lose him.

Hurley earned every penny in this one. In the first half, he begged with, swore at and generally berated the refs about over-the-backs, elbows and hip checks that weren’t called.

Once, when that didn’t work after Edey set a hard (and probably legal) pick against Castle, Hurley started in on Edey himself as the center walked toward the Purdue bench for a timeout.

But the coach’s best work came in whatever hotel room he used to draw up the game plan.

“The whole game plan was no Smith, no Loyer, no Jones, no Gillis,” Hurley said, as he ticked off the last names of the Purdue guards. “We knew if we keep them below 18, 20 points as a group, and they had no chance to win, no matter how well Zach played.”

It's no slight on Edey, who battled gamely, finishing with 10 rebounds to record his 30th double-double of the season. But this game proved the number crunchers and analytics experts right. UConn let Edey back in and back down all night on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up difficult 2s in the post in exchange for any 3s.

“They only doubled late in the second half, but by that point we had dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Fletcher Loyer said.

The defensive dominance put the finishing touch on a tournament in which UConn's average margin of victory was 23.3 points. Sure, Hurley might have to replace two or three of these players, but the coach said he'll worry about that in a week or two.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A basketball beatdown. A coaching clinic. A double-digit domination.Take one guess who finished off a romp through college basketball again. You bet, it’s UConn — a team built to win now, and often, and by a lot every time it takes the court.Coach Dan Hurley's Huskies delivered the latest of their suffocating hoops performances Monday night, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to become the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships.Tristen Newton&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1777529515146727550">scored 20 points</a>&nbsp;for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — not a single one of them decided by fewer than 13 points.UConn was efficient on offense but won this with defense. The Huskies (37-3) limited the country’s second-best 3-point shooting team to a mere seven shots behind the arc and only a single make, while happily allowing 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year Zach Edey to go for 37 points on 25 shot attempts.<a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1777541833658187900">UConn won its sixth overall title</a>&nbsp;and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s.“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time, just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” said Hurley, whose top two scorers from last year now play in the NBA. “To lose that much and do it again, it’s got to be as impressive a two-year run since at least prior to Duke.”The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins. They won those games by a grand total of 140 points, blowing past the 1996 Kentucky team, which won its six by 129.In a matchup of two top seeds, they wore down the Boilermakers (34-5), who made it this far a year after becoming just the second No. 1 in the history of March Madness to fall in the first round. But Purdue left the same way it came — still looking for the program’s first NCAA title.So much for the free-for-all this new age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals was supposed to become. UConn has figured out how to dominate and replenish its roster with players who understand their roles.Cam Spencer, a transfer from Rutgers, Stephon Castle, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from last year’s team, spent the night guarding the 3-point line and making life miserable for Purdue’s guards.“They just made a decision — we can defend the perimeter, and we can take this away from you, you’re going to get the ball to your best player, he’ll be 1-on-1, and that’s that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.This was only the second time this season Purdue didn’t put up 10 3-point attempts, and how ’bout this final score: Edey 37, the rest of the Boilermakers 23.How serious was Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith wiggled loose for a semi-open look to make Purdue’s first 3 of the game with 2:17 left in the first half, the coach bolted onto the floor and called timeout.And that was that from behind the arc.“Coaches made a point that we’d be really locked in if we controlled their 3-point attempts,” Spencer said. “Holding them to seven shows we were locked in on making sure their guards didn’t get involved in the game.”With his Xs-and-Os masterpiece, Hurley joins former Florida coach Billy Donovan in the back-to-back club, and is in company with Bill Self and Rick Pitino as only the third active coach with two championships. News broke over the weekend that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-calipari-arkansas-570669b80b59b362ab2d75d83246f36b">it appears there's a job opening at Kentucky</a>, and the UConn coach's name has come up there.“I don't think that's a concern,” Hurley said. “My wife, you should have her answer that.”No way the Huskies would want to lose him.Hurley earned every penny in this one. In the first half, he begged with, swore at and generally berated the refs about over-the-backs, elbows and hip checks that weren’t called.Once, when that didn’t work after Edey set a hard (and probably legal) pick against Castle, Hurley started in on Edey himself as the center walked toward the Purdue bench for a timeout.But the coach’s best work came in whatever hotel room he used to draw up the game plan.“The whole game plan was no Smith, no Loyer, no Jones, no Gillis,” Hurley said, as he ticked off the last names of the Purdue guards. “We knew if we keep them below 18, 20 points as a group, and they had no chance to win, no matter how well Zach played.”It's no slight on Edey, who battled gamely, finishing with 10 rebounds to record his 30th double-double of the season. But this game proved the number crunchers and analytics experts right. UConn let Edey back in and back down all night on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up difficult 2s in the post in exchange for any 3s.“They only doubled late in the second half, but by that point we had dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Fletcher Loyer said.The defensive dominance put the finishing touch on a tournament in which UConn's average margin of victory was 23.3 points. Sure, Hurley might have to replace two or three of these players, but the coach said he'll worry about that in a week or two.

🏀 UConn runs to its 2nd straight NCAA title, beating Zach Edey and Purdue

Q: What has this offseason been like and why did you decide to rejoin the Chiefs?

EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“Honestly this offseason has been nice. I’ve been kind of finishing some stuff with wedding planning and my fiancée, been able to do some stuff around my yard, a lot of fishing, tree cutting, stuff like that, a lot of maintenance. Really just being able to look back at a lot of things, have conversations just (about) actually becoming a free agent, it was a different experience at first and then just being able to hear, ping pong some things off different people, ping pong different situations, think about what possibly could be your future and then you make the best decision for you. Obviously, that decision was to come back home to the Chiefs and keep things going in a direction that was trending in a positive direction.”

Q: What was it like going through the free agency process and what made you want to stay in Kansas City?

EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“The free agency process at first – initially – I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s slow, but it’s different. It’s something like – I never have experienced that, it’s not like high school recruitment, it’s not like college, it’s a completely different outtake on things. You’re able to reach out if you want to, they’re able to reach out but I really just took the time to enjoy winning the Super Bowl and then you start getting little hits here and there from my agent obviously, who’s showing interest, the amount of teams, you start getting little details on things that could have possibly happened during the season or who was possibly looking at you, so you start looking at different situations. As a football player and a guy of the game, you start to look at things, you look at the draft, you look at how can I be used in this offense or the same offense or being an addition to guys in the room or guys who I would complement. In addition, like I said, that’s just one of those things that I felt like this was the best place to kind of continue my – the roll that I was going, like I said, at the point last year which was trending in an upwards direction, showing the things that I needed to showcase in order to be the player that I felt like I was when I got drafted so it's just one of those growing pains of the league, going on year five, still 24 years old. To answer your second question, KC literally is home. I left Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where I was born and raised and (was) drafted to the middle of the country where everybody was telling me it’s the best place on earth. The only thing I could do was embrace it. I was doing the thing I loved, playing football and grew the most in these last five years. (I) got engaged, actually figured out what life is, buying homes, helping my mom with things, helping my parents, it’s just somewhere that I feel like I became a man. I was 20 years old leaving college not really knowing what was going on and prior to that, I was still just a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, kid at LSU just doing the thing I wanted to do which was play football. Before you know it, (with) the snap of a finger I was moving 12 hours away from home, so this is literally my next spot and it’s home and I want to continue that. (I) still can do the things that I love – ride four wheelers, hunt, fish, it’s kind of like that second sportsman paradise for me and it’s even better that I’m here doing the thing that I love and just playing ball.”

Q: In the New England game, specifically the 48-yard screen play, how big was that game and play to reinstall confidence in your role on the team?

EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“The big thing about that game and the big thing about, I’ll say, that play is just going into it I would say our offense was kind of in a stuttering position and I felt like even during the game everything was just kind of like that stagnant like, ‘Man the Chiefs really need to figure out who the hell they want to be and who they are.’ I feel like a test of myself, I’ve been in those hard games, I’ve been in situations and I’m not the type to bat an eye, some people – I’m emotional about a lot of things but when I get in those situations I’m just so blank face and it’s straightforward in knowing that the things that I want to do are things that I want to get done, I visualize it and I know, ‘Okay these are things we need to do in order to get my team up and rolling and get my guys there.’ If I had to be that spark in that situation, I knew if it wasn’t one play, it had to be multiple and that’s when I felt like I needed – I had that game in order to start stacking those things and from that point on, it was a cycle, it was like an avalanche and we just kept rolling with those things. Everybody saw that we could catch the ball, everybody saw that we could run the screen, everybody saw that we could do those things in order to win the game in pressured moments and pressured situations no matter the team, no matter the arena, the area. I felt like that was one of those things that we needed and yeah, I’ll say it was a semi-spark for me and those things of knowing – just get back to who you are and always just be yourself. I wasn’t just on my high horse, knowing like okay you’ll finally get your opportunity to start, just go out there and be Clyde.”

RB CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIREQ: What has this offseason been like and why did you decide to rejoin the Chiefs?EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“Honestly this offseason has been nice. I’ve been kind of finishing some stuff with wedding planning and my fiancée, been able to do some stuff around my yard, a lot of fishing, tree cutting, stuff like that, a lot of maintenance. Really just being able to look back at a lot of things, have conversations just (about) actually becoming a free agent, it was a different experience at first and then just being able to hear, ping pong some things off different people, ping pong different situations, think about what possibly could be your future and then you make the best decision for you. Obviously, that decision was to come back home to the Chiefs and keep things going in a direction that was trending in a positive direction.”Q: What was it like going through the free agency process and what made you want to stay in Kansas City?EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“The free agency process at first – initially – I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s slow, but it’s different. It’s something like – I never have experienced that, it’s not like high school recruitment, it’s not like college, it’s a completely different outtake on things. You’re able to reach out if you want to, they’re able to reach out but I really just took the time to enjoy winning the Super Bowl and then you start getting little hits here and there from my agent obviously, who’s showing interest, the amount of teams, you start getting little details on things that could have possibly happened during the season or who was possibly looking at you, so you start looking at different situations. As a football player and a guy of the game, you start to look at things, you look at the draft, you look at how can I be used in this offense or the same offense or being an addition to guys in the room or guys who I would complement. In addition, like I said, that’s just one of those things that I felt like this was the best place to kind of continue my – the roll that I was going, like I said, at the point last year which was trending in an upwards direction, showing the things that I needed to showcase in order to be the player that I felt like I was when I got drafted so it's just one of those growing pains of the league, going on year five, still 24 years old. To answer your second question, KC literally is home. I left Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where I was born and raised and (was) drafted to the middle of the country where everybody was telling me it’s the best place on earth. The only thing I could do was embrace it. I was doing the thing I loved, playing football and grew the most in these last five years. (I) got engaged, actually figured out what life is, buying homes, helping my mom with things, helping my parents, it’s just somewhere that I feel like I became a man. I was 20 years old leaving college not really knowing what was going on and prior to that, I was still just a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, kid at LSU just doing the thing I wanted to do which was play football. Before you know it, (with) the snap of a finger I was moving 12 hours away from home, so this is literally my next spot and it’s home and I want to continue that. (I) still can do the things that I love – ride four wheelers, hunt, fish, it’s kind of like that second sportsman paradise for me and it’s even better that I’m here doing the thing that I love and just playing ball.”Q: In the New England game, specifically the 48-yard screen play, how big was that game and play to reinstall confidence in your role on the team?EDWARDS-HELAIRE:&nbsp;“The big thing about that game and the big thing about, I’ll say, that play is just going into it I would say our offense was kind of in a stuttering position and I felt like even during the game everything was just kind of like that stagnant like, ‘Man the Chiefs really need to figure out who the hell they want to be and who they are.’ I feel like a test of myself, I’ve been in those hard games, I’ve been in situations and I’m not the type to bat an eye, some people – I’m emotional about a lot of things but when I get in those situations I’m just so blank face and it’s straightforward in knowing that the things that I want to do are things that I want to get done, I visualize it and I know, ‘Okay these are things we need to do in order to get my team up and rolling and get my guys there.’ If I had to be that spark in that situation, I knew if it wasn’t one play, it had to be multiple and that’s when I felt like I needed – I had that game in order to start stacking those things and from that point on, it was a cycle, it was like an avalanche and we just kept rolling with those things. Everybody saw that we could catch the ball, everybody saw that we could run the screen, everybody saw that we could do those things in order to win the game in pressured moments and pressured situations no matter the team, no matter the arena, the area. I felt like that was one of those things that we needed and yeah, I’ll say it was a semi-spark for me and those things of knowing – just get back to who you are and always just be yourself. I wasn’t just on my high horse, knowing like okay you’ll finally get your opportunity to start, just go out there and be Clyde.”

Chiefs Quotes: Clyde Edwards-Helaire 4-8-24

Kansas Wesleyan Baseball continued its winning ways on Sunday in a doubleheader with the Saint Mary Spires. The Coyotes took both ends of the twinbill in dominating fashion, 18-7 and 19-6, at Dean Evans Stadium.

After spotting Saint Mary a 3-0 lead to open the first game, the Coyotes scored fast and furious over the next four innings, to take control.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6468b096-6134-4609-83db-df503b7f53be?elinkdata=8458">Jacob Williamson</a> led off Wesleyan's first inning with a double and then scored on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1ec157d7-8c8a-4652-9520-f21981bb31c8?elinkdata=8458">Jarrett Gable's</a> ground out. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/68b241f2-597e-4799-bc76-a2717e2d429d?elinkdata=8458">Cruz Oxford</a> then reached on an error and scored on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/beaa3538-949e-4659-b720-b4a296fba3a4?elinkdata=8458">Tyler Favretto's</a> double.

The Coyotes kept the line moving in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs to take the lead. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/9f2de0cf-0349-432a-af55-fd3095ad87e0?elinkdata=8458">Alex Garcia</a> doubled and then scored when <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/117f810a-4751-409e-8965-eb8ff8866d39?elinkdata=8458">Kendall Foster</a> reached on an error. Gable followed with a RBI single and Oxford added a triple. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/7980d5b5-63c7-4b68-bcd3-5d7b21e7c2b7?elinkdata=8458">Zack Beatty</a> brought in the final run of the frame reaching on an error that allowed Oxford to score.

The Spires got a run back in the third, but five came across in the bottom of the frame, three of them on Gable's bases loaded triple. Oxford followed with a sacrifice fly and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/279c7dcb-c3d9-4925-ad52-833efff7eeb6?elinkdata=8458">Tyler Favretto</a> homered.

The teams traded homers in the fourth, the Coyote long shot coming from red-hot <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6f272fdd-ffc8-4b82-82ba-8f5ff54faa56?elinkdata=8458">Adrian Villalobos</a>.

Villalobos homered again in the sixth, and Foster added a RBI double and Oxford an RBI single as the Coyotes extended the lead to 15-6.

Foster ended it in the bottom of the seventh with a 3-run homer after Villalobos doubled and Williamson was hit by a pitch.

Foster and Gable drove in five runs each, while Oxford brought in three. Foster, Oxford and Villalobos had three hits each in the game. And three others had two apiece. KWU had 12 extra-base hits in the game.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/04cc62f8-a23d-4ceb-92bf-c7698588fc2c?elinkdata=8458">Brett Maddock</a> was again stellar on the bump, holding Saint Mary to six runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts on a very windy day with the wind blowing straight out at The Dean.

It was rally caps for the Coyotes in the second game as KWU completed the sweep.

Saint Mary took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but after that it was all Coyotes.

Wesleyan put up 10 runs in the second inning to grab the lead and never looked in the rear view mirror for the 19-6 win.

Beatty led off the big second inning with a single and Romero followed with a base knock ahead of a double by Villalobos to bring in both runners. Garcia singled, Williamson walked, Foster doubled in a run. Gable then hit a 3-run homer, and Oxford made it back-to-back jacks. Two batters later Beatty homered in his second at bat of the inning, Romero tripled and Villalobos hit a 2-run homer.

Wesleyan hit four homers, two doubles and a triple in the inning.

Wesleyan added seven more in the fourth. Oxford led off with a single and Favretto followed with a double. Romero walked to load the bases and Villalobos singled to bring in two runs. Garcia followed with a 2-run single, Williamson doubled in a run, Foster doubled, Gable brought in a run with a ground out, and Oxford doubled home a run.

The Coyotes added two more in the sixth on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6ff991e3-9337-4b52-818e-a0c2df38a63f?elinkdata=8458">Reece Bishop's</a> 2-run homer.

Villalobos added three more hits and six RBI to his impressive totals for the week in the game. Oxford had three hits as well and Gable drove in four runs. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/81e13b2f-7af2-4c01-9671-c124f1f81a8e?elinkdata=8458">Nathan Galusha</a> got the win in relief for the Coyotes.

Wesleyan is back in action on Tuesday, heading to Sterling for a midweek tilt with the Warriors, before a doubleheader at Hastings on Wednesday. The Coyotes are back at home next weekend for a pivotal series with Tabor on Saturday and Sunday at The Dean.

Kansas Wesleyan Baseball continued its winning ways on Sunday in a doubleheader with the Saint Mary Spires. The Coyotes took both ends of the twinbill in dominating fashion, 18-7 and 19-6, at Dean Evans Stadium.After spotting Saint Mary a 3-0 lead to open the first game, the Coyotes scored fast and furious over the next four innings, to take control.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6468b096-6134-4609-83db-df503b7f53be?elinkdata=8458">Jacob Williamson</a> led off Wesleyan's first inning with a double and then scored on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1ec157d7-8c8a-4652-9520-f21981bb31c8?elinkdata=8458">Jarrett Gable's</a> ground out. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/68b241f2-597e-4799-bc76-a2717e2d429d?elinkdata=8458">Cruz Oxford</a> then reached on an error and scored on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/beaa3538-949e-4659-b720-b4a296fba3a4?elinkdata=8458">Tyler Favretto's</a> double.The Coyotes kept the line moving in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs to take the lead. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/9f2de0cf-0349-432a-af55-fd3095ad87e0?elinkdata=8458">Alex Garcia</a> doubled and then scored when <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/117f810a-4751-409e-8965-eb8ff8866d39?elinkdata=8458">Kendall Foster</a> reached on an error. Gable followed with a RBI single and Oxford added a triple. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/7980d5b5-63c7-4b68-bcd3-5d7b21e7c2b7?elinkdata=8458">Zack Beatty</a> brought in the final run of the frame reaching on an error that allowed Oxford to score.The Spires got a run back in the third, but five came across in the bottom of the frame, three of them on Gable's bases loaded triple. Oxford followed with a sacrifice fly and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/279c7dcb-c3d9-4925-ad52-833efff7eeb6?elinkdata=8458">Tyler Favretto</a> homered.The teams traded homers in the fourth, the Coyote long shot coming from red-hot <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6f272fdd-ffc8-4b82-82ba-8f5ff54faa56?elinkdata=8458">Adrian Villalobos</a>.Villalobos homered again in the sixth, and Foster added a RBI double and Oxford an RBI single as the Coyotes extended the lead to 15-6.Foster ended it in the bottom of the seventh with a 3-run homer after Villalobos doubled and Williamson was hit by a pitch.Foster and Gable drove in five runs each, while Oxford brought in three. Foster, Oxford and Villalobos had three hits each in the game. And three others had two apiece. KWU had 12 extra-base hits in the game.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/04cc62f8-a23d-4ceb-92bf-c7698588fc2c?elinkdata=8458">Brett Maddock</a> was again stellar on the bump, holding Saint Mary to six runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts on a very windy day with the wind blowing straight out at The Dean.It was rally caps for the Coyotes in the second game as KWU completed the sweep.Saint Mary took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but after that it was all Coyotes.Wesleyan put up 10 runs in the second inning to grab the lead and never looked in the rear view mirror for the 19-6 win.Beatty led off the big second inning with a single and Romero followed with a base knock ahead of a double by Villalobos to bring in both runners. Garcia singled, Williamson walked, Foster doubled in a run. Gable then hit a 3-run homer, and Oxford made it back-to-back jacks. Two batters later Beatty homered in his second at bat of the inning, Romero tripled and Villalobos hit a 2-run homer.Wesleyan hit four homers, two doubles and a triple in the inning.Wesleyan added seven more in the fourth. Oxford led off with a single and Favretto followed with a double. Romero walked to load the bases and Villalobos singled to bring in two runs. Garcia followed with a 2-run single, Williamson doubled in a run, Foster doubled, Gable brought in a run with a ground out, and Oxford doubled home a run.The Coyotes added two more in the sixth on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6ff991e3-9337-4b52-818e-a0c2df38a63f?elinkdata=8458">Reece Bishop's</a> 2-run homer.Villalobos added three more hits and six RBI to his impressive totals for the week in the game. Oxford had three hits as well and Gable drove in four runs. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/81e13b2f-7af2-4c01-9671-c124f1f81a8e?elinkdata=8458">Nathan Galusha</a> got the win in relief for the Coyotes.Wesleyan is back in action on Tuesday, heading to Sterling for a midweek tilt with the Warriors, before a doubleheader at Hastings on Wednesday. The Coyotes are back at home next weekend for a pivotal series with Tabor on Saturday and Sunday at The Dean.

KWU Baseball continues hot streak topping Spires twice in Sunday twinbill

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State center Ayoka Lee will use her final season of eligibility and return to the Wildcat women’s basketball roster for the 2024-25 season.

Lee was a Second Team All-America selection by The Athletic, a Third Team All-America honoree by The Sporting News, a 2024 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot top-15 candidate, an All-Big 12 First Team selection, a Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and Big 12 All-Tournament Team.

In the 2023-24 season, Lee averaged 19.7 points on a .619 field goal percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 2.78 blocked shots. She is the first player in program history with two or more seasons of 500 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 75 or more blocks. Her 75 blocks were the sixth-most in program history and was her third career season with 75 or more blocked shots.

She ranked sixth in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is third in the Big 12 in scoring average, second in the league and ninth in the nation for blocks per game and third in the Big 12 for rebounding average.

In her seven games this season against Associated Press top-25 opponents, Lee averaged 20.6 points on a .637 field goal percentage, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Lee has recorded 14 games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.

This season, Lee led the Big 12’s top defense with 21 games of two or more blocked shots including a season-high seven at UCF on Jan. 6 and at Iowa State on Feb. 14.

In her career, Lee ranks third in school history for points scored with 2,194, holds the school record for career scoring average at 19.2, holds the school record for career rebounds with 1,118, holds the school record for career rebounding average at 9.8, the school record holder for career blocks with 310 and blocks per game at 2.72 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 60. She is the first player in program history with 300 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals.

K-State (26-8) completed the 56th season in program history, as the Wildcats achieved its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and collected 26 wins for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Wildcats were ranked among the Associated Press top-25 for 18 consecutive weeks, including a high of number two in the nation on January 29.

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State center Ayoka Lee will use her final season of eligibility and return to the Wildcat women’s basketball roster for the 2024-25 season.Lee was a Second Team All-America selection by The Athletic, a Third Team All-America honoree by The Sporting News, a 2024 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot top-15 candidate, an All-Big 12 First Team selection, a Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and Big 12 All-Tournament Team.In the 2023-24 season, Lee averaged 19.7 points on a .619 field goal percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 2.78 blocked shots. She is the first player in program history with two or more seasons of 500 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 75 or more blocks. Her 75 blocks were the sixth-most in program history and was her third career season with 75 or more blocked shots.She ranked sixth in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is third in the Big 12 in scoring average, second in the league and ninth in the nation for blocks per game and third in the Big 12 for rebounding average.In her seven games this season against Associated Press top-25 opponents, Lee averaged 20.6 points on a .637 field goal percentage, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.Lee has recorded 14 games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.This season, Lee led the Big 12’s top defense with 21 games of two or more blocked shots including a season-high seven at UCF on Jan. 6 and at Iowa State on Feb. 14.In her career, Lee ranks third in school history for points scored with 2,194, holds the school record for career scoring average at 19.2, holds the school record for career rebounds with 1,118, holds the school record for career rebounding average at 9.8, the school record holder for career blocks with 310 and blocks per game at 2.72 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 60. She is the first player in program history with 300 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals.K-State (26-8) completed the 56th season in program history, as the Wildcats achieved its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and collected 26 wins for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Wildcats were ranked among the Associated Press top-25 for 18 consecutive weeks, including a high of number two in the nation on January 29.

K-State’s Lee to Return for 2024-25 Season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MJ Melendez hit his third home run of the series, a two-run drive in a three-run seventh inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Sunday for a four-game sweep.

“The way these all four of these games transpired — they were all close in the middle to late part of the game,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “To stick with it is really cool to see."

Chicago started 1-9 for just the second time in the 124-year history of the franchise after going 0-10 in 1968.

“We had a lot of opportunities to score,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol aid, “and we didn’t capitalize with the big hit. We should have brought that game home.”

Chicago ended a 19-inning scoreless streak in the fourth and led 3-0 in the fifth before Hunter Renroe's two-run homer off starter Garrett Crochet.

Melendez hit a two-run homer in the sixth off Deivi García (0-2) for a 4-3 lead, his third go-ahead hit of the series. Melendez flipped his bat in triumph.

He had a go-ahead, eight-inning single on Friday and a tiebreaking, seventh-inning homer on Saturday.

“Obviously, a little bit of luck right there," Melendez said. "I’m just thankful that I’m able to help do something to help the team win. It’s just pretty crazy.”

Kansas City added a run when Kyle Isbel reached on what was scored on an infield hit when reliever Dominic Leone failed to catch the throw to first from second baseman Lenyn Sosa.

John Schreiber (1-0) pitched a one-hit seventh and James McArthur got three outs for his second save as Kansas City completed its first four-game sweep since 2021.

Dominic Fletcher hit an RBI double in the fourth off Alec Marsh and scored on Braden Shewmake’s sacrifice fly, just the third multi-run inning of the season for the White Sox.

White Sox: RHP Triston McKenzie (0-1, 10.80 ERA) starts for Cleveland in Monday's series opener against visiting Chicago.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MJ Melendez hit his third home run of the series, a two-run drive in a three-run seventh inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Sunday for a four-game sweep.“The way these all four of these games transpired — they were all close in the middle to late part of the game,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “To stick with it is really cool to see."Chicago started 1-9 for just the second time in the 124-year history of the franchise after going 0-10 in 1968.“We had a lot of opportunities to score,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol aid, “and we didn’t capitalize with the big hit. We should have brought that game home.”Chicago ended a 19-inning scoreless streak in the fourth and led 3-0 in the fifth before Hunter Renroe's two-run homer off starter Garrett Crochet.Melendez hit a two-run homer in the sixth off Deivi García (0-2) for a 4-3 lead, his third go-ahead hit of the series. Melendez flipped his bat in triumph.He had a go-ahead, eight-inning single on Friday and a tiebreaking, seventh-inning homer on Saturday.“Obviously, a little bit of luck right there," Melendez said. "I’m just thankful that I’m able to help do something to help the team win. It’s just pretty crazy.”Kansas City added a run when Kyle Isbel reached on what was scored on an infield hit when reliever Dominic Leone failed to catch the throw to first from second baseman Lenyn Sosa.John Schreiber (1-0) pitched a one-hit seventh and James McArthur got three outs for his second save as Kansas City completed its first four-game sweep since 2021.Dominic Fletcher hit an RBI double in the fourth off Alec Marsh and scored on Braden Shewmake’s sacrifice fly, just the third multi-run inning of the season for the White Sox.UP NEXTWhite Sox: RHP Triston McKenzie (0-1, 10.80 ERA) starts for Cleveland in Monday's series opener against visiting Chicago.

⚾ Royals complete 4-game sweep of White Sox 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Wacha threw seven innings of two-hit ball and MJ Melendez launched a two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals beat the slumping Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Saturday night.

Wacha (1-0) struck out eight, walked one and allowed just one runner past first base. Royals pitchers have eight quality starts, most in the majors.

Melendez drove Chris Flexen’s first-pitch fastball to straightaway center field to snap a scoreless tie in the seventh. Maikel Garcia knocked in another run with an infield single as Kansas City batted around in the inning.

Flexen (0-2) permitted a pair of singles to start the first, then retired 12 straight. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing since July 4, 2022.

Both starters worked quickly; the first five innings were played in 57 minutes.

Nick Anderson allowed one hit in the eighth and Chris Stratton completed the three-hitter for his first save since July 19 last year with St. Louis.

Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. each had a pair of singles for Kansas City (5-4), which climbed above .500 for the first time since April 9, 2022.

Chicago (1-7) was shut out for the third time already this season. The White Sox have 13 runs, their fewest through eight games since scoring only eight in 1968.

White Sox OF Luis Robert Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain.

Chicago recalled INF Lenyn Sosa from Triple-A Charlotte and traded RHP Alex Speas to Oakland for cash.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Wacha threw seven innings of two-hit ball and MJ Melendez launched a two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals beat the slumping Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Saturday night.Wacha (1-0) struck out eight, walked one and allowed just one runner past first base. Royals pitchers have eight quality starts, most in the majors.Melendez drove Chris Flexen’s first-pitch fastball to straightaway center field to snap a scoreless tie in the seventh. Maikel Garcia knocked in another run with an infield single as Kansas City batted around in the inning.Flexen (0-2) permitted a pair of singles to start the first, then retired 12 straight. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing since July 4, 2022.Both starters worked quickly; the first five innings were played in 57 minutes.Nick Anderson allowed one hit in the eighth and Chris Stratton completed the three-hitter for his first save since July 19 last year with St. Louis.Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. each had a pair of singles for Kansas City (5-4), which climbed above .500 for the first time since April 9, 2022.Chicago (1-7) was shut out for the third time already this season. The White Sox have 13 runs, their fewest through eight games since scoring only eight in 1968.TRAINER’S ROOMWhite Sox OF Luis Robert Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 right hip flexor strain.TRANSACTIONSChicago recalled INF Lenyn Sosa from Triple-A Charlotte and traded RHP Alex Speas to Oakland for cash.UP NEXT

⚾ Melendez’s 2-run homer backs Wacha in Royals shutout of White Sox

The Southeast of Saline softball team faced a true road test on Friday night, traveling to Cowgirl country to take on a 4A foe in Abilene, and emerged victorious with their third doubleheader sweep of the season.

With wins of 3-2 and 9-4, the Lady Trojans remain perfect on the year at 6-0 while the Cowgirls fall to 2-4.

Game one of this doubleheader was a true pitcher's duel to the very end, as Lexi Jacobson and Hallie Johnson matched wits in the circle, each carrying a shutout into the fifth inning.

SES was finally able to get on the board scratching across two runs in the fifth, and adding an insurance run in the seventh, eeking out a 3-2 win with the Cowgirls tallying a run in both the sixth and seventh inning.

Once again it was the top of the Lady Trojan lineup that came through at the plate, with Lexi Jacobson, Maddie Harris and Brielle Ptacek driving in one run each to secure the win.

For Jacobson’s part in the circle the senior tossed seven complete innings and surrendered just two runs on five hits, striking out five and walking four.

Johnson finished her outing with an almost identical result, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks.

Both offenses found their rhythm early in a higher-scoring game two with Abilene leading 3-2 after one, and the game tied 4-4 after 3.

In the fifth, SES would finally break the game open striking for four more runs, and putting the cherry on top in the seventh to take the win 9-4.

Of the 13 Southeast hits in this game, 12 would come from the top six spots in the Lady Trojan lineup, with Brielle Ptacek and her 3 RBI leading the charge.

In the circle Bryna Baird allowed just two earned runs in another complete game, striking out six and walking just three.

The Lady Trojans will return to Gypsum next Tuesday for a doubleheader with rival Sacred Heart while the Cowgirls do the same in Abilene against Marysville.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Southeast of Saline softball team faced a true road test on Friday night, traveling to Cowgirl country to take on a 4A foe in Abilene, and emerged victorious with their third doubleheader sweep of the season.With wins of 3-2 and 9-4, the Lady Trojans remain perfect on the year at 6-0 while the Cowgirls fall to 2-4.Game one of this doubleheader was a true pitcher's duel to the very end, as Lexi Jacobson and Hallie Johnson matched wits in the circle, each carrying a shutout into the fifth inning.SES was finally able to get on the board scratching across two runs in the fifth, and adding an insurance run in the seventh, eeking out a 3-2 win with the Cowgirls tallying a run in both the sixth and seventh inning.Once again it was the top of the Lady Trojan lineup that came through at the plate, with Lexi Jacobson, Maddie Harris and Brielle Ptacek driving in one run each to secure the win.For Jacobson’s part in the circle the senior tossed seven complete innings and surrendered just two runs on five hits, striking out five and walking four.Johnson finished her outing with an almost identical result, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks.Both offenses found their rhythm early in a higher-scoring game two with Abilene leading 3-2 after one, and the game tied 4-4 after 3.In the fifth, SES would finally break the game open striking for four more runs, and putting the cherry on top in the seventh to take the win 9-4.Of the 13 Southeast hits in this game, 12 would come from the top six spots in the Lady Trojan lineup, with Brielle Ptacek and her 3 RBI leading the charge.In the circle Bryna Baird allowed just two earned runs in another complete game, striking out six and walking just three.The Lady Trojans will return to Gypsum next Tuesday for a doubleheader with rival Sacred Heart while the Cowgirls do the same in Abilene against Marysville.

Lady Trojans Outlast Abilene to Remain Undefeated

The 8th-ranked Abilene Cowboys continued their impressive start to the 2024 baseball season, stopping the white-hot Southeast of Saline Trojans dead in their tracks in a Friday doubleheader sweep.

With a run-rule-shortened win of 11-1 and a comeback victory of 7-6 the Cowboys move to 5-1 while Southeast snaps their six-game win streak at 6-4.

Abilene wasted no time jumping out to a big lead in game one, batting around the order in each of the first two innings to take a 10-0 advantage into the third.

From there, Southeast’s Treytan Olson was able to stem the tide, but the Trojan bats were silenced in a dominant showing from future Cloud Community College pitcher Stocton Timbrook.

The Cowboy senior struck out the first six batters of the game and completed 4.2 innings of work without surrendering a single hit, allowing just one run to come home on a walk in the final inning of an 11-1 Abilene victory.

Game two looked like it would be the Trojan’s revenge, as SES struck for one run in each of the first three innings and three more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead into the sixth.

Down to their final six outs, Abilene rattled off six unanswered runs in the sixth to turn the table, capped off by a 2 RBI single for Drew Hansen to take their first and only lead of the game.

From there, Zach Miller was able to slam the door shut, as the senior struck out the side after allowing a leadoff single, concluding his five innings of work with nine Ks.

Both teams will be back in action next Tuesday as the Cowboys play host to Marysville and the Trojans welcome in their rival in Sacred Heart.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>The 8th-ranked Abilene Cowboys continued their impressive start to the 2024 baseball season, stopping the white-hot Southeast of Saline Trojans dead in their tracks in a Friday doubleheader sweep.With a run-rule-shortened win of 11-1 and a comeback victory of 7-6 the Cowboys move to 5-1 while Southeast snaps their six-game win streak at 6-4.Abilene wasted no time jumping out to a big lead in game one, batting around the order in each of the first two innings to take a 10-0 advantage into the third.From there, Southeast’s Treytan Olson was able to stem the tide, but the Trojan bats were silenced in a dominant showing from future Cloud Community College pitcher Stocton Timbrook.The Cowboy senior struck out the first six batters of the game and completed 4.2 innings of work without surrendering a single hit, allowing just one run to come home on a walk in the final inning of an 11-1 Abilene victory.Game two looked like it would be the Trojan’s revenge, as SES struck for one run in each of the first three innings and three more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead into the sixth.Down to their final six outs, Abilene rattled off six unanswered runs in the sixth to turn the table, capped off by a 2 RBI single for Drew Hansen to take their first and only lead of the game.From there, Zach Miller was able to slam the door shut, as the senior struck out the side after allowing a leadoff single, concluding his five innings of work with nine Ks.Both teams will be back in action next Tuesday as the Cowboys play host to Marysville and the Trojans welcome in their rival in Sacred Heart.

Abilene Baseball Halts Trojan Advance, Sweeps Doubleheader 11-1, 7-6

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a92b69de-9cf1-4e38-adae-d441170c6459?elinkdata=8370" target="_blank">Jun Murdock</a>&nbsp;entered Kansas Wesleyan's 2023-24 basketball season determined to be better than he was a year earlier.

Murdock, the Coyotes' uber-talented point guard, averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds during the 2022-23 season. Decent numbers but down from what he had accomplished his sophomore season when he averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and was named an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.

"Being left off (the All-America list) last year put some fuel into my fire," Murdock said. "I just wanted to be better especially for my teammates and going into my senior year."

Murdock averaged 18.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals while helping the Coyotes advance to the NAIA national tournament for a third consecutive season. He scored in double figures 29 times and surpassed the 30-point plateau four times including a career-best 35 against Southwestern on February 17 inside Mabee Arena.

His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was named a Third Team All-American last week.

"I think it's pretty amazing, it's a blessing," Murdock said. "Everybody doesn't get that opportunity to be on that team and it's just amazing to me."

Almost as amazing as his production during three fabulous years at KWU. He started all 96 games he played and was the catalyst in helping the Coyotes win 72 of them - 23 during the just-completed season.

A former standout at Wichita Southeast High School and transfer from Friends after his freshman year he averaged 14.5 during his time in Salina.

"I feel like once I got to college, I started really being confident in my game, how I play and who I am," Murdock said. "That's what I feel like I was missing from high school. But once I got to college and I put in the work then I was going to be confident no matter what."

He also was able to have the college experience he sought. The arrival of his older brother Jordan on coach&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6646c402-d1e2-4eb3-9493-2ccee0e05eb3?elinkdata=8370" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>'s staff was a bonus. Jordan was twice an NAIA All-American while playing at Friends.

"When I was at Friends I didn't really get to build relationships with my teammates or coaches," Jun said. "And then my brother came to coach I able to share that experience with him."

"We always talked outside of practice about things I could work on and be better on," Jun said. "A lot of times I know what he's going to say to me just because we have that same basketball knowledge and IQ, which I think comes from my dad (Johnny). I feel like we do share a lot of those things but he also gives me a different perspective to look at things."

"He had to sit out a year after he transferred from Friends because of our conference rule," Monson said. "He was our hardest worker in practice almost every single day and didn't play a game the entire year. The kid showed up every day and worked his tail off. He battles, he competes."

Murdock is majoring in sports management but isn't sure what is next.

"I have no idea, I'm still trying to figure it out myself," he said with a laugh.

"Maybe, I've been thinking about it a little bit but that may be later down the road," he said.

Murdock doesn't hesitate when asked what he will miss most after graduation.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a92b69de-9cf1-4e38-adae-d441170c6459?elinkdata=8370" target="_blank">Jun Murdock</a>&nbsp;entered Kansas Wesleyan's 2023-24 basketball season determined to be better than he was a year earlier.Murdock, the Coyotes' uber-talented point guard, averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds during the 2022-23 season. Decent numbers but down from what he had accomplished his sophomore season when he averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and was named an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American."Being left off (the All-America list) last year put some fuel into my fire," Murdock said. "I just wanted to be better especially for my teammates and going into my senior year."And better he was. Much better.Murdock averaged 18.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals while helping the Coyotes advance to the NAIA national tournament for a third consecutive season. He scored in double figures 29 times and surpassed the 30-point plateau four times including a career-best 35 against Southwestern on February 17 inside Mabee Arena.His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was named a Third Team All-American last week."I think it's pretty amazing, it's a blessing," Murdock said. "Everybody doesn't get that opportunity to be on that team and it's just amazing to me."Almost as amazing as his production during three fabulous years at KWU. He started all 96 games he played and was the catalyst in helping the Coyotes win 72 of them - 23 during the just-completed season.A former standout at Wichita Southeast High School and transfer from Friends after his freshman year he averaged 14.5 during his time in Salina.Leaving Wichita was the key, he said."I feel like once I got to college, I started really being confident in my game, how I play and who I am," Murdock said. "That's what I feel like I was missing from high school. But once I got to college and I put in the work then I was going to be confident no matter what."He also was able to have the college experience he sought. The arrival of his older brother Jordan on coach&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6646c402-d1e2-4eb3-9493-2ccee0e05eb3?elinkdata=8370" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>'s staff was a bonus. Jordan was twice an NAIA All-American while playing at Friends."When I was at Friends I didn't really get to build relationships with my teammates or coaches," Jun said. "And then my brother came to coach I able to share that experience with him."The Murdocks were a perfect fit."We always talked outside of practice about things I could work on and be better on," Jun said. "A lot of times I know what he's going to say to me just because we have that same basketball knowledge and IQ, which I think comes from my dad (Johnny). I feel like we do share a lot of those things but he also gives me a different perspective to look at things.""He had to sit out a year after he transferred from Friends because of our conference rule," Monson said. "He was our hardest worker in practice almost every single day and didn't play a game the entire year. The kid showed up every day and worked his tail off. He battles, he competes."Murdock is majoring in sports management but isn't sure what is next."I have no idea, I'm still trying to figure it out myself," he said with a laugh.A career in coaching, perhaps?"Maybe, I've been thinking about it a little bit but that may be later down the road," he said.Murdock doesn't hesitate when asked what he will miss most after graduation."It's definitely got to be my teammates," he said. "Going to practice with them every day and then going into games with them - you just don't build relationships like that every day. I've been around some of these guys for three and four years."No one is more appreciative of what Murdock achieved at KWU than Monson."If you could draw up what a perfect player would look like - work ethic, teammate, coachable - you'd get Jun," he said. "When you combine a guy who understands the game like he does with the work ethic he has you get really special players and that's why he's great.""It's just crazy that all of this is coming to an end soon," Murdock said, "but I appreciate everyone that's helped me here."