Night of memories

The Alpine Bank Junior College World Series banquet keynote speaker took a different approach Friday night at Two Rivers Convention Center. Rob Miech, author of “The Last Natural,” turned his speech into a question and answer opportunity about his book and the subject of it — Bryce Harper and his one season at the College of Southern Nevada three years ago. Harper, who was the National League Rookie of the Year last season, is playing with the Washington Nationals ...

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Mesa’s Box makes All-America team for second straight year

Braden Box wasn’t a highly recruited player, but he proved he could play. The Colorado Mesa University senior made the Daktronics All-America team for the second consecutive year, but at a different position. Box made the third team as a second baseman after making the second team in 2012 at shortstop. The 2013 team was announced Friday. “That’s a pretty good player,” CMU coach Chris Hanks said of Box. “He’s a team guy. He even played a little third. ...

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Dream comes true: Father-son combo key for Connors State

The last time Connors State (Okla.) College was in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series, coach Perry Keith was inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. This year, his son, Korey, is on the team that qualified for the World Series. “This year is special,” Coach Keith said. “It’s been his goal his whole life. It’s a fairy tale dream come true. “It’s a proud moment. Our alumni that have seen him grow up went crazy. He rode the ...

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Walters State returns to Junction with solid pitching, defense

Ken Campbell used to recruit the big, burly players who could hit a home run at any time. His 2006 Walters State (Tenn.) Community College baseball team hit more than 140 home runs en route to the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series title. In 2008, the Senators set a school record with 161 home runs and qualified for the World Series. The Senators are back in the World Series this year, but don’t have near the amount of home runs. “This is a totally different team,” ...

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Never-say-die Neosho: Panthers battled adversity it run to World Series

Most of the players on last year’s Neosho County (Kan.) Community College team are gone. Their sophomore captain, and possibly best player, broke his hand 31 games into this season. It seemed all was lost. “We have very few (back from last year),” Neosho County coach Steve Murry said. “This was a team nobody expected this from. In fact, at the beginning of the year, we were left for dead. One of our best players broke his hand and was out for the ...

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No Rally, no problem: Navarro ready for JUCO World Series without Texas pond turtle

There was no turtle in the dugout this year, but the Navarro (Texas) College baseball team did have a duck at one time. “It didn’t work,” Navarro coach Whoa Dill said. “It’s off in a pond somewhere.” “Rally T. Turtle,” who was with the Bulldogs in the dugout most of their 2011 national championship season, is retired and living in an aquarium, Dill said. All the players from that team, except Clint Wilson, are gone, but Navarro is back in ...

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Rob Miech, keynote speaker for JUCO banquet, spent plenty of time connecting with Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper’s story has been well-chronicled through recent years, but no writer has been closer to that story than Rob Miech. The Las Vegas sports writer’s book, “The Last Natural,” chronicles the everyday life of Harper and the 2010 College of Southern Nevada team and its run to the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series. Miech will be the keynote speaker at the JUCO World Series pre-tournament banquet this year. Miech’s book was published in May ...

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‘Skip’ Walker among this year’s inductees

Jim “Skip” Walker is retired, but he still likes to spend time on the baseball field. The former College of Southern Idaho baseball coach, who retired after 31 years, is still involved with the program as an assistant for his son, Justin. “It certainly is as comfortable as home,” Jim Walker said. “I love to teach. I’m still at it. My wife’s scared to death I’m going to retire. I’ve always been that way. We have a cabin we hardly go to. ...

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Connors State playing for tornado-damaged Moore, Okla., during JUCO World Series

Connors State (Okla.) College’s baseball team hopes to represent more than its school and community in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series. The Cowboys are playing for Moore, Okla., which was hit by an EF-5 tornado on Monday, killing at least 24 people. An EF-5 is the most powerful type of twister, according to the National Weather Service. Connors State, which is in Warner, Okla., wasn’t hit, but the Cowboys have inscribed “Moore” on the side of their ball ...

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A historic season

They intended to play for a national baseball title. Although the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks fell short of advancing to the NCAA Division II World Series, they still had one of their best seasons. Colorado Mesa (45-11) finished with only 11 losses, a season-low since becoming a four-year program, and ended up four wins shy of tying a single-season win record. The Mavericks reached a No. 2 national ranking, the highest the program’s been ranked in school history. Mesa was ...

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Kingsville ends Colorado Mesa’s season

Colorado Mesa failed to come up with a timely hit and was eliminated in a 3-0 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville in the NCAA Division II South Central Region baseball tournament in Kingsville, Texas. The Mavericks (45-11) left seven runners on base and were shutout for 16 consecutive innings, including Friday night’s extra-inning loss to St. Edward’s (Texas). Kyle Davis (8-1) took his first loss of his career with Mesa (16-1), despite limiting the Javelinas to three runs on five ...

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Mavericks defeat St. Mary’s in first round of regional

Colorado Mesa hit two home runs and Matt Williams pitched a complete game to lead the Mavericks to a 6-2 victory over St. Mary’s (Texas) University in the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional in Kingsville, Texas. Justin Rosales hit a three-run home run and Nate Robertson hit a solo shot in the fourth inning off St. Mary’s starter Rene Solis. Williams overcame a rough start, giving up two runs in the first inning to pitch a complete game. He limited the Rattlers to ...

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Tough new challenge

Participating in the NCAA Division II regional baseball tournament is expected for Colorado Mesa University. The sixth-ranked Mavericks (44-9) are in their fifth consecutive regional, 11th in the past 15 years and 13th in school history. Mesa, though, is in a new region, the South Central, this year with schools from the Heartland Conference, Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Mavericks were in the West Region for several years, then the NCAA moved the ...

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Mavs third in RMAC All-Sports Cup

Colorado Mesa University finished third in the 2012-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Sports Competition Cup final standings, released Wednesday. Adams State earned 885 points to win its fourth Cup. Colorado School of Mines, which won its first cup last year, took second with 835 points. Mesa was third with 792. The Mavericks had two RMAC regular season champions (baseball, women’s basketball) and one tournament champion (women’s basketball). The RMAC All-Sports ...

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Mesa’s wild thing

When he was in high school, Nolan Snell could rear back and throw a fastball by nearly any batter he faced. He didn’t need to throw much else. “That’s how I’ve always been,” Snell said. “I have a little bit of velocity and can use that effectively wild, quick tempo and get guys out on my fastball. A lot of times, they don’t know where it’s going, and neither do I. That’s a benefit for me. It’s worked out so far.” Sometimes ...

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Mavs bound for Texas

A Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament title might not have been enough for the Colorado Mesa University baseball team to host a third NCAA regional, and the Mavericks will never know. Colorado Mesa (44-9) received the No. 2 seed in the region and plays St. Mary’s University of San Antonio in the first round in Kingsville, Texas, at a time to be announced Thursday. “We’re where I thought we’d be regardless if we won or lost (the RMAC championship),” ...

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Mavs’ title bid derailed

Colorado Mesa University dominated the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference during the regular season, but it couldn’t top it with a conference tournament title. The second-ranked Mavericks (44-9) forced a second game with CSU-Pueblo on Sunday at Suplizio Field, but they lost the momentum. The ThunderWolves (32-20) defeated Colorado Mesa 7-5 in the championship game to receive the NCAA Division II automatic qualifier. Mesa defeated CSU-Pueblo 6-1 earlier Sunday. It is the first time ...

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Mavericks going to Texas for baseball regional

Colorado Mesa received the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II South Central Region, which will be played in Kingsville, Texas. The Mavericks (44-9) will play No. 5 seed St. Mary’s (Texas) University (37-15) in the first round of the double-elimination tournament at a time to be announced Thursday. St. Mary’s is a defending region champion and World Series qualifier. Texas A&M-Kingsville (39-16) is the No. 1 seed and regional host. The Javelinas play No. 6 seed CSU-Pueblo ...

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CSU-Pueblo wins RMAC tournament title

CSU-Pueblo held off a Colorado Mesa rally to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament title with a 7-5 victory at Suplizio Field. The ThunderWolves (32-20) clinch the RMAC automatic qualifier berth for the NCAA Division II Tournament in the South Central Region. Colorado Mesa (44-9), ranked second in the last regional poll, will have to get in with one of three at-large bids. CSU-Pueblo pitcher Jeremiah Struble limited the Mavericks to five runs (three earned) on five hits in ...

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Davis pitches Mavs past Highlands

Kyle Davis gave the Colorado Mesa University baseball team another stellar pitching performance. The junior had a personal-best 13 strikeouts and tied a career high with eight innings pitched Saturday to lead Mesa to an 11-2 victory over New Mexico Highlands in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament at Suplizio Field. The second-ranked Mavericks (43-8) play CSU-Pueblo (31-19) at noon today, but Mesa will have to beat the ThunderWolves twice to win the RMAC tournament ...

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Mavericks roll to another victory in RMAC

Colorado Mesa had 18 hits to roll to an 11-2 victory over New Mexico Highlands in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament at Suplizio Field. The Mavericks (43-8) scored at least one run in the first five innings and in all but three innings. All nine starters in the lineup had at least one hit. Braden Box and Colton Schoelkopf each had three hits. Kyle Davis (8-0) remained undefeated in his career at Mesa. The junior limited Highlands to two runs on three hits and struck out ...

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Complete control

Matt Williams was furious and ready to do something about it, but he had to wait for his turn. The Colorado Mesa University senior gave the Mavericks what they needed, pitching a complete-game shutout in Mesa’s 8-0 victory over Metro State on Friday afternoon at Suplizio Field. The second-ranked Mavericks (42-8) remain alive in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament after losing to Colorado School of Mines on Thursday night. “Matty was really frustrated in the ...

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CMU softball player selected to All-Region team

Colorado Mesa junior Jessica Severinsen was selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II All-South Central Region team. The pitcher/designated player made the second team as a utility player. Severinsen led the Mavericks with a .388 batting average and 14 home runs. She had 41 RBI. In the pitching circle, Severinsen was 19-6 with a 2.29 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings pitched. The All-Region teams are selected by NFCA member coaches. All honorees are ...

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UDPATE: RMAC pitcher of the year leads Mavs to victory

Colorado Mesa senior pitcher Matt Williams threw a complete-game shutout to lead the Mavericks to an 8-0 victory over Metro State in the RMAC baseball tournament at Suplizio Field. Williams (8-1), the RMAC pitcher of the year, limited the Roadrunners to six hits, one walk and struck out six in nine innings. Garrett Carpenter was 3 for 5 with a double, home run and three RBI in his first game back in the lineup since April 20, one game after he was hit in the hand by a pitch. Carpenter ...

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Digging a hole

Colorado Mesa University’s baseball team made conference history during the regular season, but it didn’t matter in the conference tournament opener. NCAA Division II’s second-ranked Mavericks, who set a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record for highest winning percentage, were stymied by Colorado School of Mines freshman Christian Rooney again. The right-hander, who no-hit Mesa for 5 1/3 innings last weekend, shut out the Mavericks for 7 2/3 innings Thursday night ...

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Mines upsets Mavericks in RMAC tournament

Behind another solid pitching performance by freshman Christian Rooney, the Colorado School of Mines upset Colorado Mesa 6-4 in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament at Suplizio Field. Rooney shutout Mesa for 7 2/3 innings as the Orediggers rallied from an early 4-1 hole for the victory. Rooney limited Mesa to four hits, two walks and struck out seven. Mines (22-25) scored two runs in the eighth inning to take a 6-4 lead. Colorado Mesa coach Chris Hanks was ...

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Mavs’ majority

Colorado Mesa baseball coach Chris Hanks eased Nate Robertson into the college level last year, but Hanks couldn’t hold him back this season. Robertson blossomed into the Mavericks’ everyday shortstop, and everyone noticed. The sophomore from Montrose was chosen the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the year Wednesday. Senior pitcher Matt Williams is the RMAC pitcher of the year, and Hanks is the RMAC coach of the year. “Without this team, there’s no ...

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Mavs place 8 on All-WILA team

Women’s Lacrosse 8 Mavs on All-WILA team Eight Colorado Mesa women’s lacrosse players were selected to the All-Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association team, which was announced Wednesday. Junior midfielder Allie Henderson and freshman midfielder Ashley Eickhoff made the first team. Henderson is a two-time first team selection. Sophomore midfielder Lexie Chavez and sophomore defender Lauren Elliott made the second team. Kelsey Krebs (fr., attacker), Maddie Spor ...

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Tallahassee (Fla.) remains No. 1 in JUCO poll

Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College remains the top-ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I baseball poll, released today. The Eagles (45-8) received nine of the 10 first-place votes. They begin play in the Gulf District tournament Friday. The Gulf District champion qualifies for the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series, May 25-June 1 at Suplizio Field. Cowley County (Kan.) Community College (44-9) received one first-place vote and is ranked second. ...

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RMAC baseball rescheduled; Mavs remain No. 2 in region

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference baseball tournament is postponed until Thursday because of the heavy rainfall in Grand Junction this morning. The double-elimination tournament, which was scheduled to begin with CSU-Pueblo against Metro State at noon Wednesday at Suplizio Field, will begin at noon Thursday at Suplizio Field. Colorado Mesa (41-7), who is ranked No. 2 in the nation, remains second in the NCAA South Central Region poll released today. The final poll is scheduled to be ...

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Breaking the mold

Most baseball teams lead off with an outfielder or middle infielder. Colorado Mesa isn’t most teams this year. The Mavericks (41-7), who moved up to No. 2 in this week’s NCAA Division II coaches poll, usually lead off with a catcher. “I equate the catching position to the fullback or linebacker position in football,” CMU coach Chris Hanks said. “I think generally speaking, it’s the build of the position. When you have a catcher that can run, that allows ...

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Lofty honor for longtime wrestling coach, official

Wrestling was the perfect fit. Even when Jon Thompson tried playing football at Kansas State, that was obvious. He could no longer break big runs, but he still had it on the wrestling mat, winning a Big 8 wrestling title in 1963. After that, Thompson went into coaching. He coached for 15 years, including eight at Montrose High School, and officiated for 25 years until 2009. On May 11 in Colorado Springs, Thompson, 71, will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Colorado ...

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Clutch Kozel

Erik Kozel has had other walk-off hits in his baseball career, but never a walk-off home run — until now. The Colorado Mesa senior delivered a walk-off home run over the left field wall Saturday at Suplizio Field to lift the fourth-ranked Mavericks to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Colorado School of Mines. Mesa (41-7, 35-3 RMAC) won the first game of the doubleheader 12-0. “I was stunned,” Kozel said. “I was surprised, excited and everything in ...

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Determined Mavs sweep Mines

The performance was nearly flawless. The fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa University baseball team, playing with a chip on its shoulder, swept the Colorado School of Mines 16-3 and 7-0 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday at Suplizio Field. The Mavericks (39-7, 33-3 RMAC) were eager to prove themselves after dropping to No. 2 in the NCAA Division II South Central Region poll earlier this week. The top team in the region hosts the regional tournament May ...

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Back on track

It’s been a long journey back from injuries for Alexis Skarda. The Colorado Mesa All-American returned this spring and will compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. The RMAC Championships begin Sunday and continue through Tuesday, barring another snowstorm on the Front Range. The senior is ranked 13th in the RMAC in the 5,000-meter run (17 minutes, 41.82 seconds). The provisional time to ...

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Mavericks puzzled by drop 
in regional baseball rankings

Colorado Mesa’s baseball team stayed put in the national rankings, but dropped one spot in the NCAA regional rankings this week. The fourth-ranked Mavericks (37-7) are now second in the NCAA South Central Region despite winning three of four games against Regis last weekend. Texas A&M-Kingsville (35-15), ranked 29th in the nation, overtook Mesa for the top spot in the region poll, which determines NCAA qualifiers. The top-ranked team in the region can host the tournament if it ...

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Mavericks clean up their game

Colorado Mesa’s baseball team washed more than its uniforms Saturday night. The Mavericks washed away the feeling of their first loss in three weeks, bouncing back Sunday to defeat Regis 9-1 at Suplizio Field. It was their 11th consecutive series win of the season. “I think (the team) responded pretty good,” CMU coach Chris Hanks said. “They came to the park ready to go. They cleaned their unis up, which we asked them to do.” At times this season, the ...

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It’s all about the kids

For Bernie Goss, it was always about the kids. After more than 40 years of serving as an athletic trainer, game official, rules interpreter and public address announcer at countless high school events, Goss, 66, will receive the 2013 Distinguished Community Service Award today from the Colorado Athletic Directors Association. “It shows the appreciation ADs have for people that help get things going for them and make jobs easier for them,” Goss said. “I’ve been a ...

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Mavericks split pair with Regis

One Colorado Mesa pitcher worked through some early command issues; the other didn’t. Matt Williams overcame a rough start to pitch a complete game Saturday in the Mavericks’ 6-2 victory over Regis in the first game of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader at Suplizio Field. Joey Danner, though, had the shortest outing of the season in an 8-4 loss in the nightcap. The fourth-ranked Mavericks (36-7, 30-3 RMAC) and Williams overcame a 2-0 hole with the help of a ...

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Home run derby

Colorado Mesa University has made the transition from home-run hitters to base stealers. The fourth-ranked Mavericks, though, proved they still have some pop Friday night, hitting five home runs to defeat Regis 15-5 in front of 2,873 fans on Little League Family Night at Suplizio Field. Mesa set the NCAA Division II attendance record last year with 4,122 fans on the Little League night. The five long balls were the most home runs the Mavericks have hit since the NCAA required programs to ...

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Collegiate career continues for Bingaman

Brandon Bingaman’s professional golf dreams will have to wait. The Colorado Mesa University senior’s collegiate career will continue at least for one more tournament. Bingaman was selected to participate in the NCAA Division II South Central/West Regional tournament May 6-8 at the Home Course in DuPont, Wash. “I’m really proud of Brandon and the team and how they handled adversity and grew from it,” CMU coach Paul Brown said. “Now, we’ve got to ...

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Mesa golfer selected to play in NCAA Regional

Colorado Mesa senior golfer Brandon Bingaman was officially selected to the NCAA Super Regional golf tournament. Bingaman, a Fruita Monument High School graduate, was one of four individuals in the South Central Region selected along with 10 teams. The regional tournament is May 6-8 in DuPont, Wash. For more on Bingaman’s selection, read Saturday’s Daily Sentinel.  ...

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Broncos draft

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A tough test

They won their second consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference baseball title last weekend and were ranked No. 1 in the NCAA South Central Region on Wednesday. Now, the fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa Mavericks will play RMAC rival Regis in possibly their toughest homestand yet. Colorado Mesa (34-6, 28-2 RMAC) hosts the Rangers (22-12, 17-11 RMAC) in a four-game series this weekend at Suplizio Field. The series begins with tonight’s annual Little League Family Night at 6:05 p.m. ...

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What a steal

Braden Box wasn’t the only one to break a Mesa school record last weekend when he set the career stolen bases mark. The fourth-ranked Mavericks baseball team set a single-season stolen bases record as well. Their 18 stolen bases last weekend give them 120 for the season. The previous record was 113, set in the 2009 World Series year. “I told Coach (Sean) McKinney if we don’t get the record this year, he’s out of a job,” CMU coach Chris Hanks said with a ...

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The hit machine

Colorado Mesa baseball coach Chris Hanks was asked why he hadn’t played Garrett Carpenter in the field and let him bat prior to this season. It was a fair question. Carpenter is on a 21-game hit streak and leads the team in batting with a .441 average, which is seventh best in the nation for NCAA Division II. “I’m just trying to help my team win ball games,” Carpenter said of the hit streak. “If the hit streak continues, then that’s fine, but if it ...

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Florida school tops latest JUCO baseball poll

Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College’s baseball team has reached the top of the National Junior College Athletics Association Division I baseball poll, released Wednesday. The Eagles (42-8) received eight of the 10 first-place votes. Cowley County (Kan.) Community College (37-8) is ranked second with two first-place votes. Delgado (La.) Community College (40-8) is third and defending national champion Iowa Western Community College (40-8) is fourth. Lamar Community College (40-11) ...

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Tigers’ growth spurt

Kiana Ziola was so happy, she started to cry. The Grand Junction High School junior and her doubles partner, Aspen Coleman, rallied from a set down Tuesday to defeat Fruita Monument’s Sarah Cesark and Lyndsey Dempsey 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the Tigers’ 5-2 victory at Fruita Monument. “It feels really good,” Ziola said, tears running down her cheek. “We’ve known each other since we were in sixth grade.” That chemistry makes all the difference, ...

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Tate promoted to be wrestling coach for ‘Dogs

Palisade High School didn’t go far to find a wrestling coach. Athletic Director Mike Krueger promoted longtime assistant Lonnie Tate to head coach Tuesday. Tate, 49, replaces Brian Rush, who resigned in March so he can watch his son participate in sports. Tate was a Palisade assistant coach for 19 years, including the past nine under Rush. Tate took five years off to watch his son wrestle in middle school and high school. “When Brian started, I was missing it,” Tate ...

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Best foot forward

The big toe on her left foot hurt so bad, Kristyn Wykert wanted to cry. Finally, after a three-hour match Saturday afternoon that clinched the Colorado Mesa University women’s tennis team’s 5-3 victory over Metro State in the RMAC semifinals, she did cry — in pain and in relief. The Mavericks’ No. 3 singles player defeated Metro State’s Marianne Evangelista 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 despite playing with a torn toenail. Her victory kept the Mavericks’ hopes of ...

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