TOPEKA -&nbsp; The Kansas Volleyball Association announced their 2023 All-Star squads on Monday. The annual All-Star match will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Lee Arena on the Washburn University campus.

The players selected are first nominated by their high school coaches (who must be KVA members), and then recommended by committee to fill the squads. Based on achievements, positions, classifications, collegiate plans and availability, the squads are determined and divided into two teams which should provide for a very competitive match.

BLUE TEAM Kori Arnold – Hillsboro HS Keala Wilson – Ell-Saline HS Brailee Bogle – Wichita NW HS Shelbi Wilson – Labette County HS Lindsay Cure – Goodland HS Bella Hedke – Marysville HS McKenzie Fairchild – Andale HS Campbell Hague – Cheney HS Addyson Holthaus – Nemaha Central HS Skylar Weaver – Lansing HS Sydney Swingle – Attica HS Emery May – Andale HS Josie McLean – Hutchinson HS BLUE COACHES Sandy Arnold – Hillsboro HS Sarah Johnson – Silver Lake HS Kayla Weidert – Andover Central

RED TEAM Payton Benoit – Wichita NW HS Ryleigh Stuhlsatz – Garden Plain HS Kyra Johnson – Doniphan West HS Heather Schemper – Phillipsburg HS Allie Paulsen – Andover Central HS Massey Holle – Hanover HS Brooklyn Deleye – Washburn Rural HS Maliyah Johnson – Hutchinson HS Maddie Schrandt – Andale HS Megan Wright – Clay Center HS Liana McGonigle – Sedgwick HS

RED COACHES Kaylie Bergkamp – Andale HS Amy Hoffsommer – Olathe West Gina Peek – Lebo

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<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684765193638.jpeg" alt="Kansas Volleyball Association" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Volleyball Association</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA -&nbsp; The Kansas Volleyball Association announced their 2023 All-Star squads on Monday. The annual All-Star match will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Lee Arena on the Washburn University campus.Match time will be 4:30 p.m.The players selected are first nominated by their high school coaches (who must be KVA members), and then recommended by committee to fill the squads. Based on achievements, positions, classifications, collegiate plans and availability, the squads are determined and divided into two teams which should provide for a very competitive match.This year’s participants are:BLUE TEAM Kori Arnold – Hillsboro HS Keala Wilson – Ell-Saline HS Brailee Bogle – Wichita NW HS Shelbi Wilson – Labette County HS Lindsay Cure – Goodland HS Bella Hedke – Marysville HS McKenzie Fairchild – Andale HS Campbell Hague – Cheney HS Addyson Holthaus – Nemaha Central HS Skylar Weaver – Lansing HS Sydney Swingle – Attica HS Emery May – Andale HS Josie McLean – Hutchinson HS BLUE COACHES Sandy Arnold – Hillsboro HS Sarah Johnson – Silver Lake HS Kayla Weidert – Andover CentralRED TEAM Payton Benoit – Wichita NW HS Ryleigh Stuhlsatz – Garden Plain HS Kyra Johnson – Doniphan West HS Heather Schemper – Phillipsburg HS Allie Paulsen – Andover Central HS Massey Holle – Hanover HS Brooklyn Deleye – Washburn Rural HS Maliyah Johnson – Hutchinson HS Maddie Schrandt – Andale HS Megan Wright – Clay Center HS Liana McGonigle – Sedgwick HSRED COACHES Kaylie Bergkamp – Andale HS Amy Hoffsommer – Olathe West Gina Peek – Lebo<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;

🏐 KVA announces All-Star squads; McLean and Johnson named to teams

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Javier Báez hit a bases-clearing double in the 10th inning for his third hit of the night to lift the Detroit Tigers to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game series. Matt Vierling had three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs for the Tigers. Alex Lange (2-0) earned the victory with two hitless innings of relief. Jose Cisnero picked up his first save. Scott Barlow (1-3) allowed Báez’s winning hit and took the loss.

DENVER (AP) — Elías Díaz homered and doubled to drive in two runs and Jurickson Profar doubled twice to extend his on-base streak to 30 games and drive in another pair as the Colorado Rockies beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Monday night. Bryan De La Cruz had four hits for the Marlins, scoring twice and Jacob Stallings had two RBIs on an infield force play and a single. With the score tied 2-all going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Díaz connected for his fourth home run, driving an offering from Edward Cabrera (3-4) into the left field bleachers. Profar, whose on-base streak is the longest active streak in the majors, added a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Senzel hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the Cincinnati Reds snapped a four-game losing streak, cooling off the St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-5 victory. Spencer Steer launched an early two-run homer and scored the winning run for the Reds. Ian Gibaut struck out two in a hitless 10th to keep it tied. Paul DeJong homered and drove in four runs for the Cardinals, who had won 11 of 14 since a 10-24 start. St. Louis had the bases loaded in the ninth and two runners aboard in the 10th, but failed to score.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4. Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James’ 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit to earn their first conference title in 47 seasons in the NBA. James finished with 40 points after the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless career.

MIAMI (AP) — Blown out in Game 3, facing elimination in Game 4, tasked with engineering the sort of comeback that no team in their league has ever pulled off before. This may sound familiar to Boston fans. Yes, what the Red Sox did to the New York Yankees in 2004 was discussed around the Boston Celtics on Monday. A day after a debacle in Miami to fall into a 3-0 deficit in these Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics will try to extend the series and at least delay a Heat celebration in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his first career playoff shutout, Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal midway through the second period and the Florida Panthers moved one win away from a most improbable trip to the Stanley Cup Final by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on Reinhart's goal for Florida, which now leads the Eastern Conference final 3-0. The Panthers haven’t played for the Stanley Cup since 1996, but can clinch a trip to the title round with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — NFL owners have approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video. The rule covers Weeks 13-17, and teams would have their games moved only with at least 28 days’ notice. The league could push a Thursday night matchup in that range to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game. The mechanism is currently in place for Sunday night and Monday night games. The flexible scheduling for Thursday night games was approved on a trial basis for 2023 only. Owners also approved at their spring meetings a rule allowing teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Super Bowl will return to the Bay Area in 2026 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers. NFL owners approved the site at their spring meetings. This will be the third time for the big game in the Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara when Denver beat Carolina. The 49ers won Super Bowl 19 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto when they beat Miami after the 1984 season. The 2026 game will be Super Bowl 60. The next Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683366121627.jpeg" alt="Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 23rd, 2023" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 23rd, 2023</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Javier Báez hit a bases-clearing double in the 10th inning for his third hit of the night to lift the Detroit Tigers to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game series. Matt Vierling had three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs for the Tigers. Alex Lange (2-0) earned the victory with two hitless innings of relief. Jose Cisnero picked up his first save. Scott Barlow (1-3) allowed Báez’s winning hit and took the loss.DENVER (AP) — Elías Díaz homered and doubled to drive in two runs and Jurickson Profar doubled twice to extend his on-base streak to 30 games and drive in another pair as the Colorado Rockies beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Monday night. Bryan De La Cruz had four hits for the Marlins, scoring twice and Jacob Stallings had two RBIs on an infield force play and a single. With the score tied 2-all going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Díaz connected for his fourth home run, driving an offering from Edward Cabrera (3-4) into the left field bleachers. Profar, whose on-base streak is the longest active streak in the majors, added a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh.CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Senzel hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the Cincinnati Reds snapped a four-game losing streak, cooling off the St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-5 victory. Spencer Steer launched an early two-run homer and scored the winning run for the Reds. Ian Gibaut struck out two in a hitless 10th to keep it tied. Paul DeJong homered and drove in four runs for the Cardinals, who had won 11 of 14 since a 10-24 start. St. Louis had the bases loaded in the ninth and two runners aboard in the 10th, but failed to score.LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4. Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James’ 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit to earn their first conference title in 47 seasons in the NBA. James finished with 40 points after the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless career.MIAMI (AP) — Blown out in Game 3, facing elimination in Game 4, tasked with engineering the sort of comeback that no team in their league has ever pulled off before. This may sound familiar to Boston fans. Yes, what the Red Sox did to the New York Yankees in 2004 was discussed around the Boston Celtics on Monday. A day after a debacle in Miami to fall into a 3-0 deficit in these Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics will try to extend the series and at least delay a Heat celebration in Game 4 on Tuesday night.SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his first career playoff shutout, Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal midway through the second period and the Florida Panthers moved one win away from a most improbable trip to the Stanley Cup Final by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on Reinhart's goal for Florida, which now leads the Eastern Conference final 3-0. The Panthers haven’t played for the Stanley Cup since 1996, but can clinch a trip to the title round with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — NFL owners have approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video. The rule covers Weeks 13-17, and teams would have their games moved only with at least 28 days’ notice. The league could push a Thursday night matchup in that range to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game. The mechanism is currently in place for Sunday night and Monday night games. The flexible scheduling for Thursday night games was approved on a trial basis for 2023 only. Owners also approved at their spring meetings a rule allowing teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game.SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Super Bowl will return to the Bay Area in 2026 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers. NFL owners approved the site at their spring meetings. This will be the third time for the big game in the Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara when Denver beat Carolina. The 49ers won Super Bowl 19 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto when they beat Miami after the 1984 season. The 2026 game will be Super Bowl 60. The next Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.MONDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEFinal Pittsburgh 6 Texas 4Final San Francisco 4 Minnesota 1Final Houston 12 Milwaukee 2AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal Cleveland 3 Chicago White Sox 0Final Tampa Bay 6 Toronto 4Final Detroit 8 Kansas City 5Final L.A. Angels 2 Boston 1Final Seattle 11 Oakland 2NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal Arizona 6 Philadelphia 3Final Cincinnati 6 St. Louis 5Final L.A. Dodgers 8 Atlanta 6Final Colorado 5 Miami 3NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal Denver 113 L.A. Lakers 111NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal Florida 1 Carolina 0<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;

📢📰  Sports Headlines for Tuesday

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;

WICHITA, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brock-rodden/7450">Brock Rodden</a>&nbsp;has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/loren-hibbs/1122">Loren Hibbs</a>&nbsp;has been named Coach of the Year, highlighting the conference's 2023 year-end honors announced Monday. All told, nine Wichita State players were honored, including league-best five on the First Team All-Conference (RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/grant-adler/7467">Grant Adler</a>, RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/clark-candiotti/7475">Clark Candiotti</a>, 2B&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brock-rodden/7450">Brock Rodden</a>, OF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/7448">Chuck Ingram</a>&nbsp;and UTL&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/payton-tolle/7456">Payton Tolle</a>). Two Shockers made Second Team (LHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jace-miner/7449">Jace Miner</a>&nbsp;and OF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyte-mcdonald/7459">Kyte McDonald</a>), and two others were tabbed to the All-Freshman Team (INF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jack-little/7464">Jack Little</a>&nbsp;and RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/nate-snead/7469">Nate Snead</a>). <a href="https://theamerican.org/news/2023/5/22/wichita-states-rodden-memphis-fowler-earn-baseball-top-honors.aspx">FULL ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS</a> "I'm so proud of all our players recognized by the conference," Hibbs said. "This group has shown up every single day willing to learn and compete, these awards are a testament to their outstanding work ethic. I also want to acknowledge the role of the entire staff in our success this season, their efforts are every bit as deserving of this award as my own. Our program continues to make significant progress and I am happy for all our players. We are excited for the opportunity to compete this week in the AAC tournament." Hibbs led the Shockers to a 30-win season and third place in the American Athletic Conference standings, matching the program's best finish since joining the conference in 2018. Under Hibbs' direction, Wichita State has claimed five AAC series, the most in school history, including WSU's first series wins at Cincinnati and Tulane. The Shockers bested Oklahoma twice for the first time since 2006 and swept the season series from Kansas State for the first time since 2012. WSU also swept #7-ranked East Carolina, the program's first sweep over a top-10 team in more than 30 years. Hibbs is the first Wichita State coach to be named conference Coach of the Year since the legendary Gene Stephenson won the award in 1998. Wichita State leads the American in batting average (.304), hits (560), and doubles (118), while ranking second in ERA (4.39), walks-per-nine innings (3.31), and WHIP (1.33). Rodden was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year and delivered a season worthy of the hype. Starting in all 53 games, the junior infielder slashed .360/.463/.682, good for a 1.145 OPS that led the league. He banged out 17 doubles and 16 home runs, both tied for second-most in the conference, and paced the circuit with 61 RBI. Rodden is the first Shocker with 60 or more RBI in a season since Johnny Coy knocked in 63 runs in 2012. Rodden's 146 total bases were tied for the most in the conference, and he worked 37 walks while striking out just 26 times in 214 at-bats. He tied for the team lead with 24 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI games, including a career-high five runs batted in against Oklahoma on March 28. The native of Oktaha, Oklahoma produced a pair of two-homer games (UMass on 3/25, Kansas State on 4/18) and compiled Wichita State's longest hitting streak of the season at 18 games. He also added 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. Rodden becomes the first Shocker to claim conference Player of the Year honors since Casey Gillaspie won the award in 2014 while Wichita State was still a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/grant-adler/7467">Grant Adler</a>&nbsp;was named the conference's Newcomer Pitcher of the Year in addition to his spot on the First Team All-Conference. The junior from nearby Derby, Kansas has been a rock at the back end of the Wichita State weekend rotation, leading the conference in ERA by more than half a run (2.41, next-closest is 2.95). Adler has allowed more than four runs in just one of his 13 starts, going 5-3 with six quality starts. He held the opposition to two or fewer earned runs 10 times this season and has turned in seven starts of at least 6.0 innings. Adler's finest moment came in the final game of the series against #7-ranked East Carolina, as he blanked the Pirates on just three hits while striking out five. He struck out a season-best 11 while allowing just one hit against Utah Tech on February 25 to earn conference Pitcher of the Week honors and whiffed eight over 6.0 strong innings in his most recent start against South Florida. The right-hander has allowed 71 hits in 74.2 innings, ranking third in the conference with a 1.22 WHIP to go along with 72 strikeouts. Fellow rotation-mate&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/clark-candiotti/7475">Clark Candiotti</a>&nbsp;joined Adler on the First Team after going 7-4 with a 4.87 ERA in 14 starts, good for the second-most wins in the league. The junior ranks fifth in the conference with 82 strikeouts, highlighted by a run of five straight starts with seven or more punchouts. He fanned a season-best 11 batters in a win over Houston on April 7, and set a season best with 7.0 innings pitched against the Cougars on May 5 without allowing an earned run. Candiotti possesses some of the nation's best strikeout-to-walk numbers, allowing just 2.32 walks-per-nine innings. His 4.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio trails only Tolle and East Carolina's Trey Yesavage in the conference. The righty walked one or less in half of his 14 starts. After a breakout 2022 season, Ingram continued his development into one of the nation's most dynamic players. He leads the conference with a .366 batting average and 19 doubles, tying for the top spot with 78 hits. The right-handed hitter has taken his game to another level since the start of conference play, hitting a ridiculous .416 in 23 AAC games with eight doubles and five home runs. He and Rodden are tied with 24 multi-hit games on the season, including a team-best three four-hit games. In addition to the doubles, Ingram has launched nine home runs and driven in 41 runs despite batting out of the leadoff spot for much of the season. He grabbed national attention against Tulane by starting the game with a 501-foot home run as part of a two-homer day, then followed that up in the final game of the series with three doubles. Those games were part of a mind-boggling stretch in which Ingram went 17-for-28 (.607) with five doubles and four home runs. Ingram has also turned himself into an excellent baserunner, swiping 16 bases in 19 tries after stealing seven in his first two years combined. Tolle exploded onto the national scene as a sophomore, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with as a two-way player. On the mound, the 6'6 lefty has gone 9-2 with a 4.57 ERA, leading the conference in wins and becoming the first Shocker to win nine games in a season since Charlie Lowell in 2011. His 82.2 innings tops the conference, and his 95 strikeouts rank second. Tolle is 20th&nbsp;in the country with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.59:1, and 40th&nbsp;with 1.85 walks per nine innings. He is the only pitcher in the conference with multiple complete games, including a shutout of #7-ranked East Carolina that featured 10 strikeouts. Offensively, Tolle is hitting .319 with 13 homers and 48 RBI, highlighted by an incredible game against Oakland on March 4 in which he went 5-for-5 with six RBI and struck out 10 as the starting pitcher. The left-handed slugger homered in all three games of last weekend's series against South Florida, and left the yard against Big 12 opponents Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Last week, Tolle was named one of 12 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. Miner snagged a spot on the Second Team with a brilliant season out of the Shocker bullpen, going 2-0 with two saves and a 2.03 ERA in 23 relief appearances, totaling 40.0 innings of work. He is holding opponents to a .156 batting average and has allowed just six extra-base hits. In the second half of the season the southpaw has become virtually untouchable, including a stretch of 11 outings in which he did not allow a run for 20.2 consecutive innings. Miner has struck out 35 batters this season, establishing a new career high by fanning seven in his last appearance against UCF. He earned his first collegiate save with 3.1 hitless, scoreless innings against Oklahoma on March 14, then equaled that performance by blanking #7-ranked East Carolina for 3.1 innings on April 22. His best outing of the year came on the road at Kansas State, when he held the Wildcats without a hit over a season-long 4.1 innings to earn the win. McDonald has keyed Wichita State's second half surge with a red-hot offensive stretch. In the last 15 games, the junior centerfielder is hitting .386 (22-for-57) with eight doubles, raising his season batting average to .322. McDonald's electrifying speed has wreaked havoc on the base paths all season to the tune of 20 stolen bases, becoming the first Shocker since Daniel Kihle in 2015 to swipe 20 bags in a season. In addition to his offensive exploits, McDonald has been a solid defensive centerfielder who has committed just a single error all season. This past week against UCF he turned in one of the highlight-reel plays of the season with a home run-robbing catch as part of a Wichita State comeback victory. Little has stepped in as the everyday third baseman for Wichita State and authored some of the season's most memorable moments. The freshman delivered a game-tying single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against Kansas on April 26 and a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning against UCF on May 19. Later that day, he smacked a clutch two-run single in the ninth inning of Wichita State's comeback victory that secured third place in the conference standings. Known for his hard-nosed play and irrepressible hustle, Little is hitting .253 with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBI. He has stolen 10 bases in 13 attempts. Snead debuted as a key piece of the Wichita State bullpen puzzle in his first season with the Shockers, compiling a 3.10 ERA in 23 appearances. The right-hander's overpowering fastball has repeatedly reached triple digits, helping Snead strike out 52 batters in 40.2 innings while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. He has three saves on the season, including a season-long 3.2 inning effort at Tulane on April 14 and 2.0 scoreless to nail down a 1-0 win over Kansas State on May 2. The Shockers open the American Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday night against Memphis. First pitch will take place 47 minutes after the completion of the 3:00 pm CT game between Houston and Tulane.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684783751471.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;WICHITA, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brock-rodden/7450">Brock Rodden</a>&nbsp;has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/loren-hibbs/1122">Loren Hibbs</a>&nbsp;has been named Coach of the Year, highlighting the conference's 2023 year-end honors announced Monday. All told, nine Wichita State players were honored, including league-best five on the First Team All-Conference (RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/grant-adler/7467">Grant Adler</a>, RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/clark-candiotti/7475">Clark Candiotti</a>, 2B&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brock-rodden/7450">Brock Rodden</a>, OF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/7448">Chuck Ingram</a>&nbsp;and UTL&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/payton-tolle/7456">Payton Tolle</a>). Two Shockers made Second Team (LHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jace-miner/7449">Jace Miner</a>&nbsp;and OF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyte-mcdonald/7459">Kyte McDonald</a>), and two others were tabbed to the All-Freshman Team (INF&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jack-little/7464">Jack Little</a>&nbsp;and RHP&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/nate-snead/7469">Nate Snead</a>). <a href="https://theamerican.org/news/2023/5/22/wichita-states-rodden-memphis-fowler-earn-baseball-top-honors.aspx">FULL ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS</a> "I'm so proud of all our players recognized by the conference," Hibbs said. "This group has shown up every single day willing to learn and compete, these awards are a testament to their outstanding work ethic. I also want to acknowledge the role of the entire staff in our success this season, their efforts are every bit as deserving of this award as my own. Our program continues to make significant progress and I am happy for all our players. We are excited for the opportunity to compete this week in the AAC tournament." Hibbs led the Shockers to a 30-win season and third place in the American Athletic Conference standings, matching the program's best finish since joining the conference in 2018. Under Hibbs' direction, Wichita State has claimed five AAC series, the most in school history, including WSU's first series wins at Cincinnati and Tulane. The Shockers bested Oklahoma twice for the first time since 2006 and swept the season series from Kansas State for the first time since 2012. WSU also swept #7-ranked East Carolina, the program's first sweep over a top-10 team in more than 30 years. Hibbs is the first Wichita State coach to be named conference Coach of the Year since the legendary Gene Stephenson won the award in 1998. Wichita State leads the American in batting average (.304), hits (560), and doubles (118), while ranking second in ERA (4.39), walks-per-nine innings (3.31), and WHIP (1.33). Rodden was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year and delivered a season worthy of the hype. Starting in all 53 games, the junior infielder slashed .360/.463/.682, good for a 1.145 OPS that led the league. He banged out 17 doubles and 16 home runs, both tied for second-most in the conference, and paced the circuit with 61 RBI. Rodden is the first Shocker with 60 or more RBI in a season since Johnny Coy knocked in 63 runs in 2012. Rodden's 146 total bases were tied for the most in the conference, and he worked 37 walks while striking out just 26 times in 214 at-bats. He tied for the team lead with 24 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI games, including a career-high five runs batted in against Oklahoma on March 28. The native of Oktaha, Oklahoma produced a pair of two-homer games (UMass on 3/25, Kansas State on 4/18) and compiled Wichita State's longest hitting streak of the season at 18 games. He also added 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. Rodden becomes the first Shocker to claim conference Player of the Year honors since Casey Gillaspie won the award in 2014 while Wichita State was still a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/grant-adler/7467">Grant Adler</a>&nbsp;was named the conference's Newcomer Pitcher of the Year in addition to his spot on the First Team All-Conference. The junior from nearby Derby, Kansas has been a rock at the back end of the Wichita State weekend rotation, leading the conference in ERA by more than half a run (2.41, next-closest is 2.95). Adler has allowed more than four runs in just one of his 13 starts, going 5-3 with six quality starts. He held the opposition to two or fewer earned runs 10 times this season and has turned in seven starts of at least 6.0 innings. Adler's finest moment came in the final game of the series against #7-ranked East Carolina, as he blanked the Pirates on just three hits while striking out five. He struck out a season-best 11 while allowing just one hit against Utah Tech on February 25 to earn conference Pitcher of the Week honors and whiffed eight over 6.0 strong innings in his most recent start against South Florida. The right-hander has allowed 71 hits in 74.2 innings, ranking third in the conference with a 1.22 WHIP to go along with 72 strikeouts. Fellow rotation-mate&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/clark-candiotti/7475">Clark Candiotti</a>&nbsp;joined Adler on the First Team after going 7-4 with a 4.87 ERA in 14 starts, good for the second-most wins in the league. The junior ranks fifth in the conference with 82 strikeouts, highlighted by a run of five straight starts with seven or more punchouts. He fanned a season-best 11 batters in a win over Houston on April 7, and set a season best with 7.0 innings pitched against the Cougars on May 5 without allowing an earned run. Candiotti possesses some of the nation's best strikeout-to-walk numbers, allowing just 2.32 walks-per-nine innings. His 4.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio trails only Tolle and East Carolina's Trey Yesavage in the conference. The righty walked one or less in half of his 14 starts. After a breakout 2022 season, Ingram continued his development into one of the nation's most dynamic players. He leads the conference with a .366 batting average and 19 doubles, tying for the top spot with 78 hits. The right-handed hitter has taken his game to another level since the start of conference play, hitting a ridiculous .416 in 23 AAC games with eight doubles and five home runs. He and Rodden are tied with 24 multi-hit games on the season, including a team-best three four-hit games. In addition to the doubles, Ingram has launched nine home runs and driven in 41 runs despite batting out of the leadoff spot for much of the season. He grabbed national attention against Tulane by starting the game with a 501-foot home run as part of a two-homer day, then followed that up in the final game of the series with three doubles. Those games were part of a mind-boggling stretch in which Ingram went 17-for-28 (.607) with five doubles and four home runs. Ingram has also turned himself into an excellent baserunner, swiping 16 bases in 19 tries after stealing seven in his first two years combined. Tolle exploded onto the national scene as a sophomore, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with as a two-way player. On the mound, the 6'6 lefty has gone 9-2 with a 4.57 ERA, leading the conference in wins and becoming the first Shocker to win nine games in a season since Charlie Lowell in 2011. His 82.2 innings tops the conference, and his 95 strikeouts rank second. Tolle is 20th&nbsp;in the country with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.59:1, and 40th&nbsp;with 1.85 walks per nine innings. He is the only pitcher in the conference with multiple complete games, including a shutout of #7-ranked East Carolina that featured 10 strikeouts. Offensively, Tolle is hitting .319 with 13 homers and 48 RBI, highlighted by an incredible game against Oakland on March 4 in which he went 5-for-5 with six RBI and struck out 10 as the starting pitcher. The left-handed slugger homered in all three games of last weekend's series against South Florida, and left the yard against Big 12 opponents Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Last week, Tolle was named one of 12 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. Miner snagged a spot on the Second Team with a brilliant season out of the Shocker bullpen, going 2-0 with two saves and a 2.03 ERA in 23 relief appearances, totaling 40.0 innings of work. He is holding opponents to a .156 batting average and has allowed just six extra-base hits. In the second half of the season the southpaw has become virtually untouchable, including a stretch of 11 outings in which he did not allow a run for 20.2 consecutive innings. Miner has struck out 35 batters this season, establishing a new career high by fanning seven in his last appearance against UCF. He earned his first collegiate save with 3.1 hitless, scoreless innings against Oklahoma on March 14, then equaled that performance by blanking #7-ranked East Carolina for 3.1 innings on April 22. His best outing of the year came on the road at Kansas State, when he held the Wildcats without a hit over a season-long 4.1 innings to earn the win. McDonald has keyed Wichita State's second half surge with a red-hot offensive stretch. In the last 15 games, the junior centerfielder is hitting .386 (22-for-57) with eight doubles, raising his season batting average to .322. McDonald's electrifying speed has wreaked havoc on the base paths all season to the tune of 20 stolen bases, becoming the first Shocker since Daniel Kihle in 2015 to swipe 20 bags in a season. In addition to his offensive exploits, McDonald has been a solid defensive centerfielder who has committed just a single error all season. This past week against UCF he turned in one of the highlight-reel plays of the season with a home run-robbing catch as part of a Wichita State comeback victory. Little has stepped in as the everyday third baseman for Wichita State and authored some of the season's most memorable moments. The freshman delivered a game-tying single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against Kansas on April 26 and a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning against UCF on May 19. Later that day, he smacked a clutch two-run single in the ninth inning of Wichita State's comeback victory that secured third place in the conference standings. Known for his hard-nosed play and irrepressible hustle, Little is hitting .253 with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBI. He has stolen 10 bases in 13 attempts. Snead debuted as a key piece of the Wichita State bullpen puzzle in his first season with the Shockers, compiling a 3.10 ERA in 23 appearances. The right-hander's overpowering fastball has repeatedly reached triple digits, helping Snead strike out 52 batters in 40.2 innings while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. He has three saves on the season, including a season-long 3.2 inning effort at Tulane on April 14 and 2.0 scoreless to nail down a 1-0 win over Kansas State on May 2. The Shockers open the American Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday night against Memphis. First pitch will take place 47 minutes after the completion of the 3:00 pm CT game between Houston and Tulane.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚾ Rodden named AAC Player of the Year, Hibbs Coach of the Year

<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=063bc8a99a&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Bracket</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=efe470f9b6&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Tournament Central</a>

IRVING, Texas –&nbsp;Kansas will begin the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship with a matchup against Texas at 12:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Kansas (24-30, 8-16 Big 12) received the No. 8 seed in the field, while Texas (38-18, 15-9 Big 12) was awarded the No. 1 seed. Texas won two out of three games against Kansas earlier this month, despite Kansas nearly staging a late comeback in both defeats.

The winner of the contest moves on to play the winner of No. 4 TCU and No. 5 Kansas State on Thursday, May 25, at 4 p.m. CT, while the two losing teams will meet in an elimination game on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT.

The opposite side of the bracket consists of No. 2 Oklahoma State facing No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 3 West Virginia playing No. 6 Texas Tech.

Kansas has seen improvement under first-year head coach Dan Fitzgerald by increasing the team’s win total by four games overall and doubling the team’s win total in conference play. The trip to the tournament is the program’s first since 2021 and will be seeking its first win in the tournament since 2019.

The Big 12 Championship features seven squads with a top-50 RPI, and all nine Big 12 members have a strength of schedule in the top-75.

Tickets for the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship are on sale at&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=515e71a54a&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">GlobeLifeField.com/Big12</a>.

2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Schedule Wednesday, May 24 Game 1 – No. 4 TCU vs. No. 5 Kansas State – 9 a.m. – ESPNU Game 2 – No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Kansas – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 3 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Oklahoma – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 4 – No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Thursday, May 25 Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 6 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 7 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 4 p.m. – ESPNU Game 8 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner – 7:30 p.m. – ESPNU

Friday, May 26 Game 9 – Game 7 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner – 3 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 10 – Game 8 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner – 6:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Saturday, May 27 Game 11 – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 13 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 14 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Sunday, May 28 Game 15 – Championship Game – 5 p.m. – ESPNU

<figure>
 <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1/images/ff915cab-b735-fefc-00ef-4c60bbe152c1.jpeg" alt="Via KU Sports" />
 <figcaption>Via KU Sports</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=063bc8a99a&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Bracket</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=efe470f9b6&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Tournament Central</a>IRVING, Texas –&nbsp;Kansas will begin the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship with a matchup against Texas at 12:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.Kansas (24-30, 8-16 Big 12) received the No. 8 seed in the field, while Texas (38-18, 15-9 Big 12) was awarded the No. 1 seed. Texas won two out of three games against Kansas earlier this month, despite Kansas nearly staging a late comeback in both defeats.The winner of the contest moves on to play the winner of No. 4 TCU and No. 5 Kansas State on Thursday, May 25, at 4 p.m. CT, while the two losing teams will meet in an elimination game on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT.The opposite side of the bracket consists of No. 2 Oklahoma State facing No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 3 West Virginia playing No. 6 Texas Tech.Kansas has seen improvement under first-year head coach Dan Fitzgerald by increasing the team’s win total by four games overall and doubling the team’s win total in conference play. The trip to the tournament is the program’s first since 2021 and will be seeking its first win in the tournament since 2019.The Big 12 Championship features seven squads with a top-50 RPI, and all nine Big 12 members have a strength of schedule in the top-75.Tickets for the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship are on sale at&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=515e71a54a&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">GlobeLifeField.com/Big12</a>.2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Schedule Wednesday, May 24 Game 1 – No. 4 TCU vs. No. 5 Kansas State – 9 a.m. – ESPNU Game 2 – No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Kansas – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 3 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Oklahoma – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 4 – No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+Thursday, May 25 Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 6 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 7 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 4 p.m. – ESPNU Game 8 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner – 7:30 p.m. – ESPNUFriday, May 26 Game 9 – Game 7 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner – 3 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 10 – Game 8 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner – 6:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+Saturday, May 27 Game 11 – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 13 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Game 14 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+Sunday, May 28 Game 15 – Championship Game – 5 p.m. – ESPNU

⚾ Kansas to Face Texas in Opening Game of Big 12 Championship

HUTCHINSON, Kan.&nbsp;— The annual Kansas Strong Catbacker Tour will make a stop in the Salt City on Tuesday, when K-State football coach Chris Klieman and other guests visit AJ's at The Alley from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The auction viewing starts at 11 a.m. and the program itself begins at 12 p.m. and will be moderated by the voice of the Wildcats, Wyatt Thompson.&nbsp;

Klieman will be joined by&nbsp;associate head men's basketball coach Ulric Maligi, as well as other student-athletes from the university.&nbsp;

Willie the Wildcat will be making an appearance as well, and will be available for photo opportunities throughout the program.

The event will feature an all-you-can-eat pizza and salad buffet with a drink for $10 for those who would like to eat lunch.&nbsp;

The event is part of a <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4ea85700-c052-4c6c-a9a4-ecf044395472">16-stop tour</a> among cities throughout the state of Kansas.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664311055278.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan.&nbsp;— The annual Kansas Strong Catbacker Tour will make a stop in the Salt City on Tuesday, when K-State football coach Chris Klieman and other guests visit AJ's at The Alley from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.The auction viewing starts at 11 a.m. and the program itself begins at 12 p.m. and will be moderated by the voice of the Wildcats, Wyatt Thompson.&nbsp;Klieman will be joined by&nbsp;associate head men's basketball coach Ulric Maligi, as well as other student-athletes from the university.&nbsp;Willie the Wildcat will be making an appearance as well, and will be available for photo opportunities throughout the program.The event will feature an all-you-can-eat pizza and salad buffet with a drink for $10 for those who would like to eat lunch.&nbsp;The event is part of a <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4ea85700-c052-4c6c-a9a4-ecf044395472">16-stop tour</a> among cities throughout the state of Kansas.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈 Catbacker Tour stops in Hutchinson on Tuesday

SHREVEPORT, La.—The Wichita Sky Kings got back in the winning state of mind and snapped their late season losing streak with a 128-124 win over division leading and defending TBL National Champion Shreveport on Sunday afternoon in Shreveport.

Wichita overcame a four point deficient at half time, but hit key free throws down the stretch to earn the win.

Terrell Brown score 35 to lead the Sky Kings in scoring. Newcomer Dion Wright added 22 points. Derrick Colter contributed with seven assists to add to the win.

Patrick Meyers led Shreveport with 29 points and 10 assists.

The Sky Kings will wrap up their mid-May four game road trip on Thursday in Shawnee, Oklahoma as they take on the Potawatomi Fire at 7pm on the TBLTV.tv network.

The last home game of the regular season is next Sunday, May 28th vs the Little Rock Lightning.&nbsp; Admission is free to the public for the first annual Fan Fest including former Wichita State, KU and NBA Stars.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684757829045.png" alt="Sky King Tip In.png" />
 <figcaption>Sky King Tip In.png</figcaption>
 </figure>SHREVEPORT, La.—The Wichita Sky Kings got back in the winning state of mind and snapped their late season losing streak with a 128-124 win over division leading and defending TBL National Champion Shreveport on Sunday afternoon in Shreveport.Wichita overcame a four point deficient at half time, but hit key free throws down the stretch to earn the win.Terrell Brown score 35 to lead the Sky Kings in scoring. Newcomer Dion Wright added 22 points. Derrick Colter contributed with seven assists to add to the win.Patrick Meyers led Shreveport with 29 points and 10 assists.The Sky Kings will wrap up their mid-May four game road trip on Thursday in Shawnee, Oklahoma as they take on the Potawatomi Fire at 7pm on the TBLTV.tv network.The last home game of the regular season is next Sunday, May 28th vs the Little Rock Lightning.&nbsp; Admission is free to the public for the first annual Fan Fest including former Wichita State, KU and NBA Stars.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684758056389.jpeg" alt="Fan Fest May 28th @ 3pm. FREE!!!!!" />
 <figcaption>Fan Fest May 28th @ 3pm. FREE!!!!!</figcaption>
 </figure>

🏀 Wichita Sky Kings knock off division leader Shreveport

Wednesday First Round Games Butler 3, Fort Scott 2 Johnson County 7, Seward County 3 Barton 14, Kansas City, KS 5 Cowley 3, Cloud County 1

Thursday May 18 Fort Scott 10, Seward County 2 (Seward eliminated) KCK 11, Cloud County 3 (Cloud eliminated) Johnson County 12, Butler 10 Cowley 9, Barton 6

Friday May 19 KCK 8, Butler 0 (Butler eliminated) Barton 8, Fort Scott 5 (Fort Scott eliminated) Saturday May 20 Johnson County 2, Cowley 0 KCK 8, Barton 2 (Barton eliminated) Cowley 4, KCK 1 (KCK eliminated) Sunday May 21 Cowley 7, Johnson County 2 Johnson County 11, Cowley 2

**Johnson County advances to the 2023 NJCAA JUCO World Series in Grand Junction CO

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683619819953.jpeg" alt="Double elimination @ Eck Stadium in Wichita May 17-May 21" />
 <figcaption>Double elimination @ Eck Stadium in Wichita May 17-May 21</figcaption>
 </figure>Wednesday First Round Games Butler 3, Fort Scott 2 Johnson County 7, Seward County 3 Barton 14, Kansas City, KS 5 Cowley 3, Cloud County 1Thursday May 18 Fort Scott 10, Seward County 2 (Seward eliminated) KCK 11, Cloud County 3 (Cloud eliminated) Johnson County 12, Butler 10 Cowley 9, Barton 6Friday May 19 KCK 8, Butler 0 (Butler eliminated) Barton 8, Fort Scott 5 (Fort Scott eliminated) Saturday May 20 Johnson County 2, Cowley 0 KCK 8, Barton 2 (Barton eliminated) Cowley 4, KCK 1 (KCK eliminated) Sunday May 21 Cowley 7, Johnson County 2 Johnson County 11, Cowley 2**Johnson County advances to the 2023 NJCAA JUCO World Series in Grand Junction CO

⚾ Plains District/Region 6 Baseball Tourney - Johnson County wins title

CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered, Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 for a three-game series sweep. Romy González went 3 for 3 with two RBIs as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. The White Sox also improved to 12-8 since an ugly 10-game slide. Lynn allowed two runs and four hits in his second straight win. Michael Massey hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which finished with four hits. The last-place Royals have dropped seven of nine.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in a five-run second inning and an RBI double in a six-run fifth, helping the Texas Rangers rout the Colorado Rockies 13-3 on Sunday for a three-game sweep. Seager had a two-run homer for the second straight day, scoring three times and also singling. He returned Wednesday after missing 31 games with a strained hamstring. Texas scored 31 runs in the sweep, its most in a three-game series since 2018 against Minnesota. At 29-17 the Rangers are 12 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 2016 at 95-67. They have outscored opponents 297-189, the largest run difference through 46 games in franchise history, topping 90 in 2012.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oscar Mercado drove in five runs and Paul DeJong added a three-run homer to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. St. Louis has won 11 of 14 after a 10-24 start to the season. Nolan Arenado extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a three-hit effort. Los Angeles lost three of four in the series and dropped a set for the first time since losing two of three to Pittsburgh on April 24-26. Clayton Kershaw allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings, the shortest start of the season for the three-time Cy Young award winner.

MIAMI (AP) — Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22 and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat are now just one win from the NBA Finals after rolling past the Boston Celtics 128-102 on Sunday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference title series. Caleb Martin scored 18, Jimmy Butler finished with 16, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Max Strus added 10 for Miami, which leads the series 3-0. Jayson Tatum scored 14 and Jaylen Brown added 12 for the Celtics, who won three times on Miami’s floor on the way to winning last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of the first NBA Finals trip in franchise history after winning the first three games of the Western Conference finals over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets can also make another bit of history with a win in Game 4 on Monday night. Although this franchise has won 15 playoff series, Denver has never swept an opponent. It’s increasingly clear that this current version of the Nuggets is the best team in franchise history precisely because these players care only about team success.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Wayne Gretzky says Matthew Tkachuk has become the face of the Florida Panthers. The Great One seems to be right. Tkachuk has scored in overtime in each of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers are now coming home for Game 3 of that series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. Tkachuk is the 12th player in NHL history to have an overtime goal in back-to-back playoff games.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Brooks Koepka is a major champion again. Gone are those injuries that led to doubt whether he was still part of golf's elite. Koepka won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill by closing with a 67 and winning by two shots over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. He now has won the PGA Championship three times. And it was his fifth major title. Only 14 players have won more. It was the first major by a LIV Golf player since the Saudi-funded league began nearly a year ago. California club pro Michael Block made an ace and tied for 15th.

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Larson turned in a dominating effort to win his third All-Star race and earn $1 million in the Cup Series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway following a 27-year absence. Larson became only the fourth driver to win the All-Star race at least three times. Jimmie Johnson has the most with four victories, while Larson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt have three. Larson is the first to win the All-Star race at three different tracks. He has won in Charlotte in 2019 and Texas in 2021. Bubba Wallace finished second in the 200-lap non-points exhibition race, followed by Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Palou will lead the field to green in the Indianapolis 500 after the young Spaniard put together the fastest four-lap pole run in history Sunday. He edged Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist and gave Chip Ganassi Racing its third pole in a row. Palou whipped four laps around the historic 2.5-mile speedway at an average of 234.217 mph. That was a mere 0.007 mph faster than VeeKay, who still gave Ed Carpenter Racing a front-row starting spot for the ninth time in the last 11 years. Palou surpassed the record pole run of 234.046 mph that Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon put up last year. It also was the second-fastest qualifying effort, trailing only Arie Luyendyk’s 236.986, which he set the day after pole qualifying in 1996.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert’s National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer's horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. The sport was already facing questions after a tumultuous leadup to the Kentucky Derby that included seven horses dying of various causes over a 10-day span at Churchill Downs. Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness. His defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year. Blazing Sevens finished second by a head. Baffert won the Preakness for a record eighth time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683366121627.jpeg" alt="Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 22nd, 2023" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 22nd, 2023</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered, Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 for a three-game series sweep. Romy González went 3 for 3 with two RBIs as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. The White Sox also improved to 12-8 since an ugly 10-game slide. Lynn allowed two runs and four hits in his second straight win. Michael Massey hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which finished with four hits. The last-place Royals have dropped seven of nine.ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in a five-run second inning and an RBI double in a six-run fifth, helping the Texas Rangers rout the Colorado Rockies 13-3 on Sunday for a three-game sweep. Seager had a two-run homer for the second straight day, scoring three times and also singling. He returned Wednesday after missing 31 games with a strained hamstring. Texas scored 31 runs in the sweep, its most in a three-game series since 2018 against Minnesota. At 29-17 the Rangers are 12 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 2016 at 95-67. They have outscored opponents 297-189, the largest run difference through 46 games in franchise history, topping 90 in 2012.ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oscar Mercado drove in five runs and Paul DeJong added a three-run homer to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. St. Louis has won 11 of 14 after a 10-24 start to the season. Nolan Arenado extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a three-hit effort. Los Angeles lost three of four in the series and dropped a set for the first time since losing two of three to Pittsburgh on April 24-26. Clayton Kershaw allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings, the shortest start of the season for the three-time Cy Young award winner.MIAMI (AP) — Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22 and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat are now just one win from the NBA Finals after rolling past the Boston Celtics 128-102 on Sunday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference title series. Caleb Martin scored 18, Jimmy Butler finished with 16, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Max Strus added 10 for Miami, which leads the series 3-0. Jayson Tatum scored 14 and Jaylen Brown added 12 for the Celtics, who won three times on Miami’s floor on the way to winning last season’s Eastern Conference finals.EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of the first NBA Finals trip in franchise history after winning the first three games of the Western Conference finals over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets can also make another bit of history with a win in Game 4 on Monday night. Although this franchise has won 15 playoff series, Denver has never swept an opponent. It’s increasingly clear that this current version of the Nuggets is the best team in franchise history precisely because these players care only about team success.SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Wayne Gretzky says Matthew Tkachuk has become the face of the Florida Panthers. The Great One seems to be right. Tkachuk has scored in overtime in each of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers are now coming home for Game 3 of that series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. Tkachuk is the 12th player in NHL history to have an overtime goal in back-to-back playoff games.PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Brooks Koepka is a major champion again. Gone are those injuries that led to doubt whether he was still part of golf's elite. Koepka won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill by closing with a 67 and winning by two shots over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. He now has won the PGA Championship three times. And it was his fifth major title. Only 14 players have won more. It was the first major by a LIV Golf player since the Saudi-funded league began nearly a year ago. California club pro Michael Block made an ace and tied for 15th.NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Larson turned in a dominating effort to win his third All-Star race and earn $1 million in the Cup Series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway following a 27-year absence. Larson became only the fourth driver to win the All-Star race at least three times. Jimmie Johnson has the most with four victories, while Larson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt have three. Larson is the first to win the All-Star race at three different tracks. He has won in Charlotte in 2019 and Texas in 2021. Bubba Wallace finished second in the 200-lap non-points exhibition race, followed by Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott.INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Palou will lead the field to green in the Indianapolis 500 after the young Spaniard put together the fastest four-lap pole run in history Sunday. He edged Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist and gave Chip Ganassi Racing its third pole in a row. Palou whipped four laps around the historic 2.5-mile speedway at an average of 234.217 mph. That was a mere 0.007 mph faster than VeeKay, who still gave Ed Carpenter Racing a front-row starting spot for the ninth time in the last 11 years. Palou surpassed the record pole run of 234.046 mph that Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon put up last year. It also was the second-fastest qualifying effort, trailing only Arie Luyendyk’s 236.986, which he set the day after pole qualifying in 1996.BALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert’s National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer's horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. The sport was already facing questions after a tumultuous leadup to the Kentucky Derby that included seven horses dying of various causes over a 10-day span at Churchill Downs. Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness. His defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year. Blazing Sevens finished second by a head. Baffert won the Preakness for a record eighth time.SUNDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEFinal N.Y. Yankees 4 Cincinnati 1Final Atlanta 3 Seattle 2Final N.Y. Mets 5 Cleveland 4Final Milwaukee 6 Tampa Bay 4Final Washington 6 Detroit 4Final Texas 13 Colorado 3Final San Diego 7 Boston 0Final N.Y. Mets 2 Cleveland 1AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal Chicago White Sox 5 Kansas City 2Final Houston 2 Oakland 0Final Baltimore 8 Toronto 3Final L.A. Angels 4 Minnesota 2NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal Philadelphia 2 Chicago Cubs 1Final Arizona 8 Pittsburgh 3Final St. Louis 10 L.A. Dodgers 5Final San Francisco 7 Miami 5NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal Miami 128 Boston 102NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal OT Vegas 3 Dallas 2

📢📰  Sports Headlines for Monday

CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered, Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Sunday for a three-game series sweep.

Romy González went 3 for 3, including two-run triple that put the White Sox ahead for good as the Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. The White Sox also improved to 12-8 since an ugly 10-game slide.

Lynn (3-5) allowed two runs and four hits in his second straight win. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.

Lynn tossed the sixth straight quality start for the South Siders, whose rotation seems to be coalescing.

“The starters as a whole are doing what we're capable of,” Lynn said. “If we do what we're supposed to, it puts the bullpen in a good spot and you've seen them really take off too.”

Lynn kept dealing after giving up Michael Massey's deep two-run homer in the second that put the Royals ahead 2-0. Massey has three homers this year — all against Chicago.

“He just settled in and does what he does," manager Pedro Grifol said. “He just keeps us in games and knows who to navigate through that lineup three times.”

Kansas City finished with just four hits as three Chicago relievers closed it out, with Joe Kelly pitching a perfect ninth for his first save. The last-place Royals have dropped seven of nine.

Royals right-hander Carlos Hernández pitched the first two innings, retiring his six batters and striking out the first three. Max Castillo (0-1) then allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

“(Hernández) was throwing the ball really well, challenged hitters and has really good stuff,” said Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said, who has no plans to stretch out Hernández beyond being an opener or reliever.

Robert hit a solo drive in the fourth for his 13th homer, and Chicago went ahead to stay with three runs in the fifth.

With one out and runners on second and third, González tripled to the base of the wall in right.

“It was definitely a good day and a huge gift,” Gonzáles said. ”It was just looking for something to drive. I had a good pitch and put a good swing on it."

Andrew Benintendi then made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly on a foul ball to left.

Benintendi added an RBI single in the seventh, driving in Tim Anderson and helping Chicago close out its first winning homestand at 6-3.

González started at shortstop in place of Anderson, appearing in only his second game in May. Anderson entered batting .211 with no homers and two RBIs over 17 games this month.

Grifol said it was a maintenance day for Anderson. The two-time All-Star entered in the sixth after González moved to second base when Hanser Alberto departed with left shoulder soreness.

The White Sox promoted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-sox-frazier-mlb-7d8d0a52507eb609d81a5cdee6dc3df5">Clint Frazier</a>&nbsp;from Triple-A Charlotte and cut fellow outfielder Jake Marisnick. Frazier went 1 for 3 and scored a run in his first big league game in almost a year.

The 24-year-old Massey, from the southwest Chicago suburb of Palos Park, Illinois, was a White Sox fan growing up. The Royals drafted him from the University of Illinois in 2019.

Massey also said he got engaged during the weekend homecoming

White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger was placed on the 15-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Clevinger is 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts. ... OF/DH Eloy Jiménez will need a minor league rehab stint before returning, Grifol said.

Royals: RHP Brady Singer (3-4, 7.09 ERA) faces Detroit RHP Michael Lorenzen. (2-2, 3.44 ERA) on Monday as Kansas City opens a six-game homestand.

White Sox: Neither starter had been named for Chicago’s game at Cleveland on Monday. Clevinger had been scheduled to start for the White Sox.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680115673148.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered, Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Sunday for a three-game series sweep.Romy González went 3 for 3, including two-run triple that put the White Sox ahead for good as the Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. The White Sox also improved to 12-8 since an ugly 10-game slide.Lynn (3-5) allowed two runs and four hits in his second straight win. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.Lynn tossed the sixth straight quality start for the South Siders, whose rotation seems to be coalescing.“The starters as a whole are doing what we're capable of,” Lynn said. “If we do what we're supposed to, it puts the bullpen in a good spot and you've seen them really take off too.”Lynn kept dealing after giving up Michael Massey's deep two-run homer in the second that put the Royals ahead 2-0. Massey has three homers this year — all against Chicago.“He just settled in and does what he does," manager Pedro Grifol said. “He just keeps us in games and knows who to navigate through that lineup three times.”Kansas City finished with just four hits as three Chicago relievers closed it out, with Joe Kelly pitching a perfect ninth for his first save. The last-place Royals have dropped seven of nine.Royals right-hander Carlos Hernández pitched the first two innings, retiring his six batters and striking out the first three. Max Castillo (0-1) then allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.“(Hernández) was throwing the ball really well, challenged hitters and has really good stuff,” said Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said, who has no plans to stretch out Hernández beyond being an opener or reliever.Robert hit a solo drive in the fourth for his 13th homer, and Chicago went ahead to stay with three runs in the fifth.With one out and runners on second and third, González tripled to the base of the wall in right.“It was definitely a good day and a huge gift,” Gonzáles said. ”It was just looking for something to drive. I had a good pitch and put a good swing on it."Andrew Benintendi then made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly on a foul ball to left.Benintendi added an RBI single in the seventh, driving in Tim Anderson and helping Chicago close out its first winning homestand at 6-3.González started at shortstop in place of Anderson, appearing in only his second game in May. Anderson entered batting .211 with no homers and two RBIs over 17 games this month.Grifol said it was a maintenance day for Anderson. The two-time All-Star entered in the sixth after González moved to second base when Hanser Alberto departed with left shoulder soreness.FRAZIER RETURNS TO MAJORSThe White Sox promoted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-sox-frazier-mlb-7d8d0a52507eb609d81a5cdee6dc3df5">Clint Frazier</a>&nbsp;from Triple-A Charlotte and cut fellow outfielder Jake Marisnick. Frazier went 1 for 3 and scored a run in his first big league game in almost a year.HOMETOWN VISITThe 24-year-old Massey, from the southwest Chicago suburb of Palos Park, Illinois, was a White Sox fan growing up. The Royals drafted him from the University of Illinois in 2019.Massey also said he got engaged during the weekend homecomingTRAINER’S ROOMWhite Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger was placed on the 15-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Clevinger is 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts. ... OF/DH Eloy Jiménez will need a minor league rehab stint before returning, Grifol said.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Brady Singer (3-4, 7.09 ERA) faces Detroit RHP Michael Lorenzen. (2-2, 3.44 ERA) on Monday as Kansas City opens a six-game homestand.White Sox: Neither starter had been named for Chicago’s game at Cleveland on Monday. Clevinger had been scheduled to start for the White Sox.

⚾ Robert, Lynn star as White Sox beat Royals 5-2 for series sweep

WICHITA Kan. – Jake Rucker and Yoyner Fajardo teamed up twice on nearly identical plays that scored the Wind Surge’s only two runs. It was not enough to stop the Travelers who won the game in heartbreaking fashion. They scored six runs in the tenth inning and won the game 8-2.

Scoring started early for the Wind Surge as Fajardo reached home from second base by a ball ripped to center field by Jake Rucker. It was not until the ninth inning that the Surge tied the game 2-2. Interestingly it was a nearly identical play as the first inning. Jake Rucker once again hit in Fajardo from second base in a line drive out to left center field. There were ten hits through the game for the Surge but only two runs scored.&nbsp;

The Wichita Wind Surge pitching had a record setting game. They set a new season high for strikeouts in a single game with 17 leveled against Arkansas. The previous high was 15 strikeouts which happened twice this season on April 11 vs Northwest Arkansas and May 18 against the Arkansas Travelers.

Isiah Campbell earned the win and Curtis Taylor with the defeat.

The Arkansas Travelers lead the series after tonight with a record of 3-2. Wichita will have an opportunity to tie up the series tomorrow in the series finale.

The paid attendance of 6,983 is the sixth highest attended games in Riverfront Stadium history.

NOTES – The Wind Surge fall to 1-1 in extra innings this season.&nbsp;

UPCOMING: The series wraps up Sunday afternoon at 1pm. RH Travis Adams will start against Kyle Tyler.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684675123568.jpeg" alt="348436485_1888868761480149_1443499510806655556_n.jpg" />
 <figcaption>348436485_1888868761480149_1443499510806655556_n.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA Kan. – Jake Rucker and Yoyner Fajardo teamed up twice on nearly identical plays that scored the Wind Surge’s only two runs. It was not enough to stop the Travelers who won the game in heartbreaking fashion. They scored six runs in the tenth inning and won the game 8-2.Scoring started early for the Wind Surge as Fajardo reached home from second base by a ball ripped to center field by Jake Rucker. It was not until the ninth inning that the Surge tied the game 2-2. Interestingly it was a nearly identical play as the first inning. Jake Rucker once again hit in Fajardo from second base in a line drive out to left center field. There were ten hits through the game for the Surge but only two runs scored.&nbsp;The Wichita Wind Surge pitching had a record setting game. They set a new season high for strikeouts in a single game with 17 leveled against Arkansas. The previous high was 15 strikeouts which happened twice this season on April 11 vs Northwest Arkansas and May 18 against the Arkansas Travelers.Isiah Campbell earned the win and Curtis Taylor with the defeat.The Arkansas Travelers lead the series after tonight with a record of 3-2. Wichita will have an opportunity to tie up the series tomorrow in the series finale.The paid attendance of 6,983 is the sixth highest attended games in Riverfront Stadium history.NOTES – The Wind Surge fall to 1-1 in extra innings this season.&nbsp;UPCOMING: The series wraps up Sunday afternoon at 1pm. RH Travis Adams will start against Kyle Tyler.

⚾ Wichita Wind Surge lose in extra innings

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas-The Little Rock Lightning overcame a seven point deficit going into the fourth quarter to take the game away from the Wichita Sky Kings in the final 90 seconds to win 112-105 in Little Rock on Saturday night.

Wichita (1 7-6) has a playoff birth locked up currently standing in 3rd place in the TBL Central division. Little Rock (7-16) trails Enid by 4 games in 5th place. Six teams in the central division will qualify for the playoffs which begin on May 30th.

Little Rock was led in scoring by Quwan Marshall's 35 points. Julian Winton and Terrell Brown in scored 18 points apiece for the Sky Kings.

Next action for the Sky Kings is Sunday afternoon versus Central Division leaders and defending TBL Champions Shreveport Mavericks in Shreveport at 3pm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684671195211.png" alt="The Basketball League" />
 <figcaption>The Basketball League</figcaption>
 </figure>LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas-The Little Rock Lightning overcame a seven point deficit going into the fourth quarter to take the game away from the Wichita Sky Kings in the final 90 seconds to win 112-105 in Little Rock on Saturday night.Wichita (1 7-6) has a playoff birth locked up currently standing in 3rd place in the TBL Central division. Little Rock (7-16) trails Enid by 4 games in 5th place. Six teams in the central division will qualify for the playoffs which begin on May 30th.Little Rock was led in scoring by Quwan Marshall's 35 points. Julian Winton and Terrell Brown in scored 18 points apiece for the Sky Kings.Next action for the Sky Kings is Sunday afternoon versus Central Division leaders and defending TBL Champions Shreveport Mavericks in Shreveport at 3pm.

🏀 Little Rock Lightning rally to edge Sky Kings

Nuggets on brink of NBA Finals with 119-108 win over Lakers in Game 3

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Bruce Brown scored 15 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit. Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn't lost three straight games since early February. LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Baffert back from ban, wins Preakness with National Treasure after another horse euthanized

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert's National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer's horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. The sport was already facing questions after a tumultuous leadup to the Kentucky Derby that included seven horses dying of various causes over a 10-day span at Churchill Downs. Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness. His defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year. Blazing Sevens finished second by a head. Baffert won the Preakness for a record eighth time.

One Baffert horse euthanized on track on undercard before another Baffert entry wins Preakness

BALTIMORE (AP) — A horse trained by Bob Baffert has been euthanized on the track after going down with injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the undercard at Pimlico hours before a different Baffert horse won the Preakness Stakes. Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey Luis Saez off his back during the sixth race Saturday and continued running around the final turn in some distress. The horse was looked at by veterinary staff before being out down. Saez taken to a hospital with leg pain. Baffert later won his record eighth Preakness when National Treasure crossed the finish line first.

Tkachuk scores another OT winner, lifting Panthers to 2-0 series lead vs Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk finished a feed from Sam Reinhart at the 1:51 mark of overtime to help the Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final. He had scored the winner in a four-overtime thriller less than two days earlier in Game 1. Florida won on the road for the eighth straight time in the playoffs and improved to 6-0 in overtime in the postseason. Aleksander Barkov had a highlight-reel goal for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky again befuddled Carolina with 37 stops. Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, while Antti Raanta had 24 saves.

Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA Championship

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — The PGA Championship was plenty tough at rainy Oak Hill and so was Brooks Koepka. He shot 66 and has a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners going into the final round. Koepka had the low score for the second straight round. He still needed some help from Conners. The Canadian lost the lead when his bunker shot on the 16th plugged into the lip and led to double bogey. This is the second straight major Koepka has the 54-hole lead. He lost it at the Masters when he played it safe. He says he won't do that again.

Haney retains lightweight titles with unanimous decision over Lomachenko

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney retained his titles by winning a controversial unanimous decision over former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden. Lomachenko dominated the latter rounds and outpunched Haney, 124-110. But much to the dismay of the 14,436 fans in attendance, all three judges had Haney winning. Tim Cheatham and David Sutherland scored the fight 115-113, while Dave Moretti had it 116-112

Judge's 4th hit puts Yanks ahead in 7-4 win over Reds after Hicks cut

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aaron Judge had a go-ahead single in the 10th inning for his fourth hit of the game, and the New York Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 after cutting Aaron Hicks with $27.6 million on the outfielder's contract. New York overcame a 4-1 deficit in a three-run fifth inning against Luke Weaver on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's homer, Judge's RBI double off the left-field wall and Anthony Rizzo's run-scoring single. Judge is hitting .378 with seven homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.402 OPS in 11 games since returning from the injured list on May 9.

Chevrolet, McLaren soar as Rahal struggles on 1st day of Indy 500 qualifying

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arrow McLaren Racing paced the first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 by placing all four of its cars in the fast 12 shootout for the pole on Sunday. Felix Rosenqvist posted the third-fastest qualifying effort in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history to close the day atop the speed chart. He bumped McLaren teammate Alexander Rossi from the top spot. Chevrolet had three of the fastest four cars and landed eight in Sunday's shootout. The four entries from Chip Ganassi Racing will represent Honda in the top-12 shootout Sunday. Rahal Letterman Lanigan had a terrible day and three of its cars will battle Sunday to avoid being bumped from the Indy 500 field.

Man City's treble bid up and running after winning English Premier League

Manchester City's bid for a treble of major trophies is up and running. The first was secured without City even playing as the team clinched a third successive English Premier League title and a ninth top-flight crown in its 143-year history thanks to another slip-up by second-placed Arsenal. Arsenal losing at Nottingham Forest 1-0 capped an end-of-season meltdown for the once long-time leader and left City with an unassailable four-point lead. Pep Guardiola's squad has its sights on becoming just the second team to capture the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble and still has two finals to play in June.

Arsenal stumbles in EPL title race to add to list of late-season collapses

Arsenal's late-season stumble will likely go down in the annals of the English Premier League's most memorable collapses simply because of the level its players were performing at to get themselves in position to win the title in the first place. Only six top-flight teams in the history of English soccer have amassed more points by the halfway mark of the season than Arsenal's haul of 50. Arsenal then built an eight-point lead with nine games remaining and even City manager Pep Guardiola accepted there was nothing his team could do to stop the long time leader in this kind of form. City has stormed back as Arsenal's young team wilted because of inexperience, pressure and some key injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683366121627.jpeg" alt="Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 21st, 2023" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines for Sunday Morning, May 21st, 2023</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for Sunday, May 21stNuggets on brink of NBA Finals with 119-108 win over Lakers in Game 3LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Bruce Brown scored 15 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit. Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn't lost three straight games since early February. LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.Baffert back from ban, wins Preakness with National Treasure after another horse euthanizedBALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert's National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer's horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. The sport was already facing questions after a tumultuous leadup to the Kentucky Derby that included seven horses dying of various causes over a 10-day span at Churchill Downs. Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness. His defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year. Blazing Sevens finished second by a head. Baffert won the Preakness for a record eighth time.One Baffert horse euthanized on track on undercard before another Baffert entry wins PreaknessBALTIMORE (AP) — A horse trained by Bob Baffert has been euthanized on the track after going down with injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the undercard at Pimlico hours before a different Baffert horse won the Preakness Stakes. Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey Luis Saez off his back during the sixth race Saturday and continued running around the final turn in some distress. The horse was looked at by veterinary staff before being out down. Saez taken to a hospital with leg pain. Baffert later won his record eighth Preakness when National Treasure crossed the finish line first.Tkachuk scores another OT winner, lifting Panthers to 2-0 series lead vs HurricanesRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk finished a feed from Sam Reinhart at the 1:51 mark of overtime to help the Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final. He had scored the winner in a four-overtime thriller less than two days earlier in Game 1. Florida won on the road for the eighth straight time in the playoffs and improved to 6-0 in overtime in the postseason. Aleksander Barkov had a highlight-reel goal for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky again befuddled Carolina with 37 stops. Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, while Antti Raanta had 24 saves.Koepka a tough customer on a tough day to lead PGA ChampionshipPITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — The PGA Championship was plenty tough at rainy Oak Hill and so was Brooks Koepka. He shot 66 and has a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners going into the final round. Koepka had the low score for the second straight round. He still needed some help from Conners. The Canadian lost the lead when his bunker shot on the 16th plugged into the lip and led to double bogey. This is the second straight major Koepka has the 54-hole lead. He lost it at the Masters when he played it safe. He says he won't do that again.Haney retains lightweight titles with unanimous decision over LomachenkoLAS VEGAS (AP) — Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney retained his titles by winning a controversial unanimous decision over former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden. Lomachenko dominated the latter rounds and outpunched Haney, 124-110. But much to the dismay of the 14,436 fans in attendance, all three judges had Haney winning. Tim Cheatham and David Sutherland scored the fight 115-113, while Dave Moretti had it 116-112Judge's 4th hit puts Yanks ahead in 7-4 win over Reds after Hicks cutCINCINNATI (AP) — Aaron Judge had a go-ahead single in the 10th inning for his fourth hit of the game, and the New York Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 after cutting Aaron Hicks with $27.6 million on the outfielder's contract. New York overcame a 4-1 deficit in a three-run fifth inning against Luke Weaver on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's homer, Judge's RBI double off the left-field wall and Anthony Rizzo's run-scoring single. Judge is hitting .378 with seven homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.402 OPS in 11 games since returning from the injured list on May 9.Chevrolet, McLaren soar as Rahal struggles on 1st day of Indy 500 qualifyingINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arrow McLaren Racing paced the first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 by placing all four of its cars in the fast 12 shootout for the pole on Sunday. Felix Rosenqvist posted the third-fastest qualifying effort in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history to close the day atop the speed chart. He bumped McLaren teammate Alexander Rossi from the top spot. Chevrolet had three of the fastest four cars and landed eight in Sunday's shootout. The four entries from Chip Ganassi Racing will represent Honda in the top-12 shootout Sunday. Rahal Letterman Lanigan had a terrible day and three of its cars will battle Sunday to avoid being bumped from the Indy 500 field.Man City's treble bid up and running after winning English Premier LeagueManchester City's bid for a treble of major trophies is up and running. The first was secured without City even playing as the team clinched a third successive English Premier League title and a ninth top-flight crown in its 143-year history thanks to another slip-up by second-placed Arsenal. Arsenal losing at Nottingham Forest 1-0 capped an end-of-season meltdown for the once long-time leader and left City with an unassailable four-point lead. Pep Guardiola's squad has its sights on becoming just the second team to capture the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble and still has two finals to play in June.Arsenal stumbles in EPL title race to add to list of late-season collapsesArsenal's late-season stumble will likely go down in the annals of the English Premier League's most memorable collapses simply because of the level its players were performing at to get themselves in position to win the title in the first place. Only six top-flight teams in the history of English soccer have amassed more points by the halfway mark of the season than Arsenal's haul of 50. Arsenal then built an eight-point lead with nine games remaining and even City manager Pep Guardiola accepted there was nothing his team could do to stop the long time leader in this kind of form. City has stormed back as Arsenal's young team wilted because of inexperience, pressure and some key injuries.

📢📰  Sports Headlines for Sunday

CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;Jake Burger hit a three-run double in the sixth inning, helping Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Saturday.

Yoán Moncada had two RBI as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games. Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. each scored two runs.

Burger has hit safely in six games since returning from a strained left oblique, going 11 for 22 with three homers and nine RBI. He came through again in this one, breaking open a tight game.

“For me, it's just controlling everything and slowing the game down,” Burger said. “I feel like I did that in the last at-bat real well."

With Chicago ahead 2-1, its first three batters reached in the sixth before Royals starter Jordan Lyles was replaced by Jose Cuas. Benintendi walked and Robert reached on catcher interference before Moncada walked.

After Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging, Burger hit a liner into the gap in right-center. Burger’s clutch swing gave the White Sox a 5-1 lead.

“It's a one-run game and you've got to have some extra focus, especially in that situation,” Burger said. “Fortunately I got the right pitch and drove the ball to right-center.”

Giolito (3-3) permitted one run and six hits in six innings. The right-hander has a 2.66 ERA his last eight starts.

“For me it's all about taking it one pitch at a time, executing and working well with Seby (catcher Zavala) on sequencing,” Giolito said.

Salvador Pérez hit his 10th homer in Kansas City's sixth loss in eight games. Pérez finished with three hits, including a double, off Giolito.

“With Salvy, he's owned me over the course of my career,” Gioloto said,. “Some days it's like I strike him out out two or three times in three at-bats. Other days it's like homer, double, double. Today was one of those days.”

Pérez was a lone bright spot for the last-place Royals.

“He's a good ballplayer man," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “It's no accident he's been doing this for 12-13 years.”

Royals right-hander Jordan Lyles (0-8) was charged with five runs, four earned, and four hits in five-plus innings.

Pérez drove a 3-2 slider just over the fence in left-center in the first for Kansas City

But the White Sox responded with two runs in the bottom half.

After Benintendi singled and Robert doubled, Moncada hit a two-run single to left.

White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who is recovering from stage-4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is expected to throw another live batting practice session, possibly when the team is in Cleveland for a three-game series that starts Monday.

Manager Pedro Grifol said the team and Hendriks will evaluate his status afterward and “we’ll see where we go from there.”

The 34-year-old right-hander tossed live BP in Chicago on Friday and was back in the clubhouse on Saturday.

Kansas City reinstated left-hander Amir Garrett from the family medical emergency list and optioned right-hander Jackson Kowar to Triple-A Omaha. Kowar made his season debut in Friday’s 2-0 loss at Chicago, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

White Sox: OF Gavin Sheets was scratched. He jammed a wrist sliding into second on Friday. ... C Yasmani Grandal (right hamstring) was available off the bench. He is expected to start Sunday. ... OF/DH Eloy Jiménez (appendectomy on May 6) has resumed all baseball activities and “is probably ahead of schedule,” Grifol said. ... INF Elvis Andrus (oblique strain) has resumed batting practice.

White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (2-5, 6.66 ERA) pitches in the series finale on Sunday. The Royals had not yet named their starter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683193842018.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;Jake Burger hit a three-run double in the sixth inning, helping Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Saturday.Yoán Moncada had two RBI as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games. Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. each scored two runs.Burger has hit safely in six games since returning from a strained left oblique, going 11 for 22 with three homers and nine RBI. He came through again in this one, breaking open a tight game.“For me, it's just controlling everything and slowing the game down,” Burger said. “I feel like I did that in the last at-bat real well."With Chicago ahead 2-1, its first three batters reached in the sixth before Royals starter Jordan Lyles was replaced by Jose Cuas. Benintendi walked and Robert reached on catcher interference before Moncada walked.After Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging, Burger hit a liner into the gap in right-center. Burger’s clutch swing gave the White Sox a 5-1 lead.“It's a one-run game and you've got to have some extra focus, especially in that situation,” Burger said. “Fortunately I got the right pitch and drove the ball to right-center.”Giolito (3-3) permitted one run and six hits in six innings. The right-hander has a 2.66 ERA his last eight starts.“For me it's all about taking it one pitch at a time, executing and working well with Seby (catcher Zavala) on sequencing,” Giolito said.Salvador Pérez hit his 10th homer in Kansas City's sixth loss in eight games. Pérez finished with three hits, including a double, off Giolito.“With Salvy, he's owned me over the course of my career,” Gioloto said,. “Some days it's like I strike him out out two or three times in three at-bats. Other days it's like homer, double, double. Today was one of those days.”Pérez was a lone bright spot for the last-place Royals.“He's a good ballplayer man," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “It's no accident he's been doing this for 12-13 years.”Royals right-hander Jordan Lyles (0-8) was charged with five runs, four earned, and four hits in five-plus innings.Pérez drove a 3-2 slider just over the fence in left-center in the first for Kansas CityBut the White Sox responded with two runs in the bottom half.After Benintendi singled and Robert doubled, Moncada hit a two-run single to left.HENDRIKS UPDATEWhite Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who is recovering from stage-4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is expected to throw another live batting practice session, possibly when the team is in Cleveland for a three-game series that starts Monday.Manager Pedro Grifol said the team and Hendriks will evaluate his status afterward and “we’ll see where we go from there.”The 34-year-old right-hander tossed live BP in Chicago on Friday and was back in the clubhouse on Saturday.ROYALS MOVEKansas City reinstated left-hander Amir Garrett from the family medical emergency list and optioned right-hander Jackson Kowar to Triple-A Omaha. Kowar made his season debut in Friday’s 2-0 loss at Chicago, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings.TRAINER’S ROOMWhite Sox: OF Gavin Sheets was scratched. He jammed a wrist sliding into second on Friday. ... C Yasmani Grandal (right hamstring) was available off the bench. He is expected to start Sunday. ... OF/DH Eloy Jiménez (appendectomy on May 6) has resumed all baseball activities and “is probably ahead of schedule,” Grifol said. ... INF Elvis Andrus (oblique strain) has resumed batting practice.UP NEXTWhite Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (2-5, 6.66 ERA) pitches in the series finale on Sunday. The Royals had not yet named their starter.

⚾ Hot-hitting Burger, Giolito lead White Sox past Royals 5-1

WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita Wizards (3-2) took a 97-86 lead with 5:30 remaining, but could not avenge its lone loss on the season.&nbsp;

The OKC Servants (8-0) used 30 Mo Wilson points, including a putback dunk with a minute left, and a James Toles And-1 triple to close the game on a 25-11 run.

Despite hot three-point shooting in the first half (eight made threes), the Wizards could not overcome 7-of-19 free-throw shooting and 27 turnovers. Wichita gave up 22 offensive rebounds.&nbsp;

Parker Austin led the Wizards with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three.&nbsp;

Austin's triple with 40.7 seconds remaining pulled Wichita within 105-104.

OKC's Richmar Smith scored on an offensive rebound with 34 seconds left to put the Servants back up three.

Austin banked in a triple on the other end to tie the game at 107.

Unfortunately, Austin fouled James Toles with 11.7 seconds remaining. Toles took the contact as he drilled a three.&nbsp;

Toles missed the free throw to keep the Servant lead at 110-107.&nbsp;

A 27th Wizard turnover with six seconds left led to another Toles free throw. OKC went 9-of-20 from the charity stripe.&nbsp;

Down 111-107 with 2.5 seconds left, Wichita still had a fighting chance.&nbsp;

Curtis Profit Junior got fouled 90 feet from the basket. He hit the first free throw and had to intentionally miss the second. The intentional miss was tipped away by the Servants to prevent any final heroics.

Profit finished with 20 points on 57% shooting.&nbsp;

The Wizards hit the road before returning home to Friends University on June 3 and June 4.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684648419034.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita Wizards (3-2) took a 97-86 lead with 5:30 remaining, but could not avenge its lone loss on the season.&nbsp;The OKC Servants (8-0) used 30 Mo Wilson points, including a putback dunk with a minute left, and a James Toles And-1 triple to close the game on a 25-11 run.Despite hot three-point shooting in the first half (eight made threes), the Wizards could not overcome 7-of-19 free-throw shooting and 27 turnovers. Wichita gave up 22 offensive rebounds.&nbsp;Parker Austin led the Wizards with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three.&nbsp;Austin's triple with 40.7 seconds remaining pulled Wichita within 105-104.OKC's Richmar Smith scored on an offensive rebound with 34 seconds left to put the Servants back up three.Austin banked in a triple on the other end to tie the game at 107.Unfortunately, Austin fouled James Toles with 11.7 seconds remaining. Toles took the contact as he drilled a three.&nbsp;Toles missed the free throw to keep the Servant lead at 110-107.&nbsp;A 27th Wizard turnover with six seconds left led to another Toles free throw. OKC went 9-of-20 from the charity stripe.&nbsp;Down 111-107 with 2.5 seconds left, Wichita still had a fighting chance.&nbsp;Curtis Profit Junior got fouled 90 feet from the basket. He hit the first free throw and had to intentionally miss the second. The intentional miss was tipped away by the Servants to prevent any final heroics.Profit finished with 20 points on 57% shooting.&nbsp;FINAL: OKC 111 Wichita 108The Wizards hit the road before returning home to Friends University on June 3 and June 4.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

🏀 Servants slip by Wizards

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/files/NJCAA_Team_Final.pdf"> CLICK FOR FINAL TEAM STANDINGS</a> <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/files/NJCAA_Player_Final.pdf">CLICK FOR FINAL PLAYER STANDINGS</a>

NEWTON – While it wasn't quite the history it was going for, the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team did achieve a program first on Friday at the NJCAA Division I National Championships.

For the first time since the program started in 1964, the Blue Dragons achieved a third-straight national Top 5 finish after finishing fifth in the 2023 Championships, which wrapped up on Friday at Sand Creek Station.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/lindstrom_alex_7wqw">Alex Lindstrom</a>'s short birdie put on No. 18 finished off a sometimes-tough week for the Blue Dragons, who were looking for the NJCAA's first team national championship three-peat since Central Alabama from 1999 to 2001.

Hutchinson closed the championship with a final-round 5-over 293 on Friday and finished fifth with a 72-hole total of 1,161 (+9). The Blue Dragons finished five strokes better than sixth-place Wallace State.

The Dragons' 1,161 team total with the fifth-lowest national tournament score posted in program history on a Par-72 course and it's the best score in three national tournament appearances at Sand Creek Station – the others were in 2011 and 2015.

No Blue Dragon played under par on Friday. The Dragons counted scores from Lindstrom,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/clemons_dominic_18vf">Dominic Clemons</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/anderson_marco_z2pq">Marco Anderson</a>&nbsp;– all three players shot 1-over 73s – and a 74 from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/saffell_blake_2ov2">Blake Saffell</a>.

Hutchinson didn't have an individual player finish in the Top 20.

Lindstrom (69-78-70-73) tied for 24th place with a 2-over 290. The 2023 Phil Mickelson NJCAA National Freshman of the Year had two birdies and three bogeys in his final round on Friday.

Clemons and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/galvin_louis_mscz">Louis Galvin</a>&nbsp;tied for 34th at 3-over 291 on Friday.

Clemons (76-71-73-73) also had two birdies and three bogeys, finishing the final round with four-straight pars.

Galvin (73-72-72-76) had four bogeys and 14 pars on Friday in his final-round 76.

Saffell (74-73-73-74) had two birdies and four bogeys. Saffell tied for 39th at 294.

Anderson (73-75-78-73) tied his tournament low round on Friday with two early birdies and three bogeys. Anderson tied for 60th at 299.

Indian Hills dominated the team championship chase, defeating Odessa by 11 strokes to claim the team championship. Indian Hills' Jose Ramirez as the individual champion at 12-under 276, winning the national championship by two strokes over Odessa's Laurenz Kubin.

The Blue Dragons were the highest-placing Region VI Team in the Championship. Dodge City tied for 10th (1,182) and Garden City was 15th (1,191). Garden City's Anthony DeSchutter was the highest-finishing Region VI player, tying for fifth place at 283.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684585068921.jpeg" alt="Freshman Alex Lindstrom ties for 24th and leads the Blue Dragon Men's Golf Team to a fifth-place finish at the 2023 NJCAA Division I Championships on Friday in Newton. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information) " />
 <figcaption>Freshman Alex Lindstrom ties for 24th and leads the Blue Dragon Men's Golf Team to a fifth-place finish at the 2023 NJCAA Division I Championships on Friday in Newton. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information) </figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/files/NJCAA_Team_Final.pdf"> CLICK FOR FINAL TEAM STANDINGS</a> <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/files/NJCAA_Player_Final.pdf">CLICK FOR FINAL PLAYER STANDINGS</a>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationNEWTON – While it wasn't quite the history it was going for, the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team did achieve a program first on Friday at the NJCAA Division I National Championships.For the first time since the program started in 1964, the Blue Dragons achieved a third-straight national Top 5 finish after finishing fifth in the 2023 Championships, which wrapped up on Friday at Sand Creek Station.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/lindstrom_alex_7wqw">Alex Lindstrom</a>'s short birdie put on No. 18 finished off a sometimes-tough week for the Blue Dragons, who were looking for the NJCAA's first team national championship three-peat since Central Alabama from 1999 to 2001.Hutchinson closed the championship with a final-round 5-over 293 on Friday and finished fifth with a 72-hole total of 1,161 (+9). The Blue Dragons finished five strokes better than sixth-place Wallace State.The Dragons' 1,161 team total with the fifth-lowest national tournament score posted in program history on a Par-72 course and it's the best score in three national tournament appearances at Sand Creek Station – the others were in 2011 and 2015.No Blue Dragon played under par on Friday. The Dragons counted scores from Lindstrom,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/clemons_dominic_18vf">Dominic Clemons</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/anderson_marco_z2pq">Marco Anderson</a>&nbsp;– all three players shot 1-over 73s – and a 74 from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/saffell_blake_2ov2">Blake Saffell</a>.Hutchinson didn't have an individual player finish in the Top 20.Lindstrom (69-78-70-73) tied for 24th place with a 2-over 290. The 2023 Phil Mickelson NJCAA National Freshman of the Year had two birdies and three bogeys in his final round on Friday.Clemons and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2022-23/bios/galvin_louis_mscz">Louis Galvin</a>&nbsp;tied for 34th at 3-over 291 on Friday.Clemons (76-71-73-73) also had two birdies and three bogeys, finishing the final round with four-straight pars.Galvin (73-72-72-76) had four bogeys and 14 pars on Friday in his final-round 76.Saffell (74-73-73-74) had two birdies and four bogeys. Saffell tied for 39th at 294.Anderson (73-75-78-73) tied his tournament low round on Friday with two early birdies and three bogeys. Anderson tied for 60th at 299.Indian Hills dominated the team championship chase, defeating Odessa by 11 strokes to claim the team championship. Indian Hills' Jose Ramirez as the individual champion at 12-under 276, winning the national championship by two strokes over Odessa's Laurenz Kubin.The Blue Dragons were the highest-placing Region VI Team in the Championship. Dodge City tied for 10th (1,182) and Garden City was 15th (1,191). Garden City's Anthony DeSchutter was the highest-finishing Region VI player, tying for fifth place at 283.

⛳ Blue Dragons finish 5th at NJCAA Championship

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Kopech almost nailed the batter with the game’s first pitch. After that, he was just about perfect.

Kopech gave up one hit over a career-high eight innings, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 on Friday night.

Kopech simply toyed with the Royals as the White Sox opened a weekend series between teams with two of the majors’ worst records on a winning note. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out a season-high 10 on 98 pitches, and bounced back from a loss to Houston and won for the second time in three starts.

Kopech (2-4) nearly hit Bobby Witt Jr. in the head with the game’s first pitch, but got him to ground out on a 3-1 fastball. He retired the the first 16 batters before giving up a bloop single to Michael Massey, who was erased on a double play. Massey also broke up a no-hit bid by the Padres’ Michael Wacha on Monday at San Diego when he lined a single leading off the eighth.

“I knew that it was in the works,” Kopech said. “I wasn’t really focused on it. And fortunately, (after) that happened, I was able to go right back to work because I wasn’t focused on it. I missed my location, he got a hit. That’s part of the game.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680115673148.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Kopech almost nailed the batter with the game’s first pitch. After that, he was just about perfect.Kopech gave up one hit over a career-high eight innings, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 on Friday night.Kopech simply toyed with the Royals as the White Sox opened a weekend series between teams with two of the majors’ worst records on a winning note. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out a season-high 10 on 98 pitches, and bounced back from a loss to Houston and won for the second time in three starts.Kopech (2-4) nearly hit Bobby Witt Jr. in the head with the game’s first pitch, but got him to ground out on a 3-1 fastball. He retired the the first 16 batters before giving up a bloop single to Michael Massey, who was erased on a double play. Massey also broke up a no-hit bid by the Padres’ Michael Wacha on Monday at San Diego when he lined a single leading off the eighth.“I knew that it was in the works,” Kopech said. “I wasn’t really focused on it. And fortunately, (after) that happened, I was able to go right back to work because I wasn’t focused on it. I missed my location, he got a hit. That’s part of the game.”The Royals did not get another runner. Kopech lobbied to go the distance after breezing through the eighth.Manager Pedro Grifol said he would have kept him in if the no-hitter was intact. Instead, Kendall Graveman worked the ninth for his third save, getting Jackie Bradley Jr. on a fly to deep center to end the game.“Almost just grabbed my glove and ran out there and waved off Graveman,” Kopech said. “I understand. I had a lot of rest coming up to this one but we are back on five days now and working over 100 pitches is hard to bounce back from.”TAKE TWOThe White Sox took a 2-0 lead against Zach Greinke (1-5) in the second.Yoán Moncada led off with a single and scored on Gavin Sheets’ base hit. Romy González drove in Andrew Vaughn with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.Kopech made it stand, and the White Sox came away with the win after the Royals pummeled them 27-13 in taking three of four at Kansas City last week.“With the stuff he has, he can do that any night,” catcher Seby Zavala said.SETTLING DOWNGreinke settled down after the second, allowing two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. The former AL Cy Young Award winner exited with a runner on second.Jackson Kowar walked Vaughn and Sheets to load the bases before retiring Jake Burger on a grounder to the shortstop.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Struggling RHP Brad Keller (right shoulder impingement) was placed on the 15-day injured list and is scheduled for an MRI in Kansas City on Monday. “He’s feeling better, but wasn’t going to be able to rebound to be able to make a start,” manager Matt Quatraro said. Keller leads the majors with 40 walks in nine starts, including eight in 32/3 innings against San Diego on Monday. The Royals recalled RHP Max Castillo from Triple-A Omaha.White Sox: Closer Liam Hendriks took another step in his comeback from cancer, throwing live batting practice, though it remains unclear when he will return to the bullpen. Manager Pedro Grifol said Hendriks threw about 20 pitches and “felt good.” But he also said several times there’s still no timetable on a return and that the organization will determine the next step. ... C Yasmani Grandal (right hamstring) was out of the lineup and might be again on Saturday. Grifol said he was available to pinch hit or catch if needed. Grandal was the DH against Cleveland on Thursday after leaving Wednesday’s game.UP NEXTRHP Lucas Giolito (2-3, 3.86 ERA) looks to continue a solid run for Chicago, while Kansas City RHP Jordan Lyles (0-7, 7.14) seeks his first win. Giolito has a 2.82 ERA in his past seven outings.