Sunday, January 23, 2011

Diamond Cats Looking to Build on Success

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High expectations set for RSU baseball in new season

Rogers State enters the 2011 season looking to build from a solid foundation laid from last season’s ball club team.

The Diamond Cats are coming back from a 30-21 record in 2010 and has assembled a powerful mixture of athleticism and versatility that could propel RSU further than ever before in program history.

Head Coach Ron Bradley’s club has a balance of 18 returners, eight of those who are pitchers and 19 newcomers including 11 pitchers. Nearly all of Bradley’s starting pitchers are back for another season.

Senior Grant Crosby is back for his fifth season and is expecting to lead the way for the pitching staff. The Fayetteville, Ark., native led RSU in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts and holds the all-time record in pitching victories. Cosby took a medical red-shirt his freshman season.

Junior Tyler Garner and southpaws Jacob Wenaas and Casey Cassity are also looking to be major contributors in the pitching staff.

This year, the mound will show forth a talented pack of 11 new power arms that are expecting to hit 90 plus on the velocity scale, a special quality that will be a standout in the 2011 season.

Those arms include junior pitchers Zack Williams, Mario Mena, Freddy Soto and Matt Sample.

“We have a good mixture between left handing pitching and right handing pitching so we’re exciting about our pitching staff,” said Bradley. “We feel like it’s as strong as anyone in the country.”

But starting this season RSU pitchers could see a decrease in power hitting numbers. The NAIA has adapted the NCAA’s new batting standard that went into effect Jan. 1 of this year. The new standard came into place mainly due to increasing offensive performance rates over the past few years.

The goal is for the new bats to perform similarly as wooden bats in order to provide a better measure of bat performance. College ball clubs around the country may also see a decrease in performance numbers.

So Hillcat fans may see fewer home runs this season, but the Diamond Cats are equipped with a stronger combination of power hitters and speed that will look to steal a rising number of bases in 2011.

Behind the dish for the Cats will be returning catcher senior Joe Mandbodh and junior catcher Lance Rymel. Manbodh finished last season ranked No. 1 in the nation in fielding percentage.

Defensively, RSU’s coaching staff feels their infielders could be one of the best in the country.

“We have three or four shortstops that are able to play multiple positions, which I feel like is going to make us very versatile defensively,” added Bradley.

Among the infielders is junior Randy Ramirez who will play shortstop opening day for the Cats. The Bronx, NY native is a two year starter from Western Junior College and played in the NJCAA World Series in both seasons. In his sophomore season, Ramirez accumulated 64 runs, 73 hits, eight home runs while establishing a stolen base percentage of .926%.

“He’s experience, he’s athleticism should be something that should be seen on the field every day,” noted Bradley.

Not only is the coaching staff impressed with their team’s capabilities but also of the physically fitness and dedication displayed from their players. RSU baseball has high expectations set for the new season and are looking to be top a top competitor in the conference and a national contender.

The Cats will hit the diamond February 5-6 hosting Benedictine College in double-headers.
* For RSU baseball schedule go to rsuhillcats.com website
* For article and more information on the new bat standard go to ncaa.org website

Something Special on the Horizon

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RSU softball gearing up for 2011 season

Usually the new season will bring about new goals. Just like new years will bring about new resolutions. But for Rogers State softball Head Coach Mark Dicus, he expects the same goal every season and that’s fighting for a national championship.

“It’s the gold ball at the end that we’re chasing,” said Dicus.

He’s expectations are rightfully so. Last year’s softball team finished the season nationally ranked top ten in 12 different categories. RSU finished fifth in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 35-26 record slugging at 53.8% while being ranked third in the country in home runs per game.

Going into the new season the Hillcats are fully loaded with talent and experience. Dicus has the privilege of returning ten Hillcats, eight of those being starters with the addition of seven newcomers.

Among the talent returners are sophomore Lindsey Curtis and Senior Brittany White. Curtis completed her rookie season ranked second in the nation with 26 homeruns. The Collinsville, Okla., product posted an .851 slugging percentage and tallied 154 total bases.

White earned first-team all-conference accolades. The Ashdown, Ark., native hit .397 with a team-leading 31 stolen bases. White led the Hillcats with 11 doubles and three triples while also driving in 24 runs.

Discus is expecting big things out of his freshman Kirsten Leppla. The Miami, Okla., native five-tool capabilities managed to capture an infield starting spot. She averaged .709 on 39 of 55, hit 13 doubles, seven home runs and drove in 31 runs in her senior year at Wyandotte High School.

“She’s just the total package to be so young,” added Dicus.

Hailing from Canada, sophomore Amanda Edwards is another fresh face for RSU. Edwards will have duo roles as the pitcher and first baseman for the Hillcats. She earned second team eastern region all-star accolades in her rookie season at Spokane Falls College last season.

A catalyst on the defensive end for the Hillcats will be sophomore shortstop Ashlie Fauchier. She started all 62 games for the Cats last season and received the SAC’s golden glove award ranking No. 4 in the nation in total assists.

Four-year starter and third baseman senior Katie Bointy and senior catcher Dina Ortiz are also expected to put up big numbers for the Hillcats this season.

RSU softball looks to be bursting with talent in all areas along with the substantial amount of experience will be the driving force behind the team’s run for a national appearance.

“We’ve upgraded our pitching, we’ve up graded our defense and we feel like we’ve upgraded the offense as well, so the years’ experience for most of the kids will help us out immensely,” said Dicus.

RSU’s quest for winning a national championship will most certainly be a tough battle. Standing in their way is a perennial national power house Oklahoma City who have won seven national championships out of the past 17 seasons and finished last season with the best SAC conference record (31-5).

Lubbock Christian could also be a road block for the Hillcats. The Lady Chaps were crowned SAC champions last season and have made back-to-back appearances in the national tournament in just two years of softball existence at LCU.

Southern Nazarene and St. Gregory’s could pose a threat for RSU Hillcats as well.

RSU softball is excited about what the new season has in store for them. The Hillcats will spring into action February 15 with a double-header on the road against Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla.
* For softball season schedule go to rsuhillcats.com website

No Guts No Glory

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RSU men finding ways to win

If you want to win games in the Sooner Athletic Conference, you have to come ready to play each night. There’s no question.

So when the Rogers State men’s basketball team steps out on the hardwood, there’s no doubt in their mind that it’s going to be a claw fight to the top.

“Right now is the time of the year that I feel like if you want to separate yourself, you’re going to have to start playing good basketball,” said RSU men’s Head Coach Justin Barkley.

And so far the New Year has been good for the Hillcats as they kicked off 2011 on a 5-1 high note suffering their only loss to nationally ranked No. 7 Oklahoma Baptist University.

Yet, the winning column has not been by a long shot for RSU. The Cats are pulling out grueling victories by as few as one point and as much as eight.

For junior point guard Maurice Rutherford, winning margins does not matter.

“Any win is a good win, even by one,” said Rutherford.

In the 73-72 victory over Lubbock Christian, RSU men showcased a hard fought performance for the Hillcat fans.

With just over a minute left in the game senior guard Deverick Taylor gave the Cats a 73-69 lead with layup to the basket. But an unfortunate half court turnover from forward Larry Cox led to a three point conversion play for LCU, slicing RSU’s lead 73-72 with 50 seconds left in the contest.

The Cats never lost composure. As seconds rolled off the Hillcats play clock, Cox was forced to shoot from three-point range. The ball rimmed out. But a diving scramble to the loose ball earned Matt Kellogg the offensive rebound and potentially saved the Hillcats from defeat.

“As we tell our kids those are 50-50 plays, and it’s who comes up with the most 50-50 plays are going to decide close games,” said Barkley.

Hard fought performances by the RSU men can also be accounted for the wins against Oklahoma City, St. Gregory’s, Mid-American and Wayland Baptist. And in the SAC league, Barkley knows his players have got to be on edge at all times.

“Those are games we probably would have lost the first semester,” said Barkley. “Now, we’re finding ways how to win games.”

With Rutherford and Cox in the rotation, the Hillcats have more bullets for opponents to dodge spreading out playing minutes and distribution of the ball.

Hot shooting displayed by Taylor, Kellogg and senior guard Chris Francis from beyond the arc, ranks the Hillcats top 20 in the country and 3rd in the SAC hitting 37.6% from three-point range.

Then when you add the stellar performance of power forward John Boyd in the mix who leads the team in points (17.4), rebounds (7.2) and nearly a block each game, there’s no way the RSU men’s team are going down without a fight.

As the conference season continues to progress, RSU is looking to tackle each team, one game at a time. The Hillcat men will have their chance for revenge against Oklahoma Baptist, February 3 at the Expo Center. Tip-off is set for 8 P.M.
* Stats as of Jan. 19*
* For current men basketball conference standings go to soonerathletic.org
* For men basketball schedule go to rsuhillcats.com website

The Talk of the Season


RSU women working to bring it all together

When all eleven players of the Rogers State women’s basketball team come to play, no team in the Sooner Athletic Conference can stand a chance.

Yet, coming to play each night collectively is probably the biggest obstacle the Hillcats are facing, and for Head Coach Amy Williams this has been the talk of the season.

“Sometimes I think we still want things easy but we are starting to figure out that you’ve got to work for everything you get and you have to earn it hard, every possession defensively,” said Williams.

“Earn it” – The motto RSU women have been striving for resurrected in their four-game winning stretch.

The Hillcats kept their streak alive, beating up on teams by as much as 30 points. No wonder why they are ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in the SAC in the scoring margin column.

“When we play together, there are no tight games,” said senior point guard Cortney Crockett.

The streak wouldn’t last long. Wayland Baptist Flying Queens came to reign on Hillcat turf defeating RSU 73-70 keeping the Hillcats (5-5) stagnant in the middle pack of conference standings.

But on the bright sight, RSU women will have several opportunities for redemption. From the starting five to the reserve six, it’s safe to say RSU has one of the strongest rotations in the SAC which has proven to be a problem for opposing teams.

On any given night, the Hillcats are led by the fierce combination of senior point guard Cortney Crockett and junior guard Angie Criner. (3) Criner (46.3) and (4) Crockett (43.0) are the only 1-2 punch combo ranked side-by-side in the field goal percentage column averaging nearly 30 points per game between the two.

“They can create shots for themselves. They can create shots for other people, and that is a treat to have in those positions,” noted Williams. “Then when you add to that; when Hunter starts hitting shots or Pooh’s (Andrea Miles) knocking down shots or Kristy’s hitting shots that just makes it even better.”

Senior transfer Kristy Henderson has elevated into a major key reserve for RSU. In just 12 minutes of play in the win against Lubbock Christian, Henderson tallied a total of 8 points including burying a three-pointer lifting the Hillcats out of a scoring slump.

“It really is important even when the starters aren’t in the game, to keep producing,” said Henderson.
The six reserves combine for an average of 32.9 points and 15 rebounds a game.

Alongside the guards, RSU post players are also getting the job done in more ways than one.
Senior forward Candice Stewart has started in all 17 games played and leads the Hillcat bigs in scoring averaging 11.5 points and snagging 7.6 rebounds a night.

Not too far behind is sophomore power forward Logan Froese averaging 7.9 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. She’s currently ranked No. 2 in SAC on the offensive boards.

Williams can also count on forwards Brittani Smith and Madison Harris to stir things up making big plays and getting important defensive stops.

As a team, RSU women are ranked top 25 in the nation in 13 different categories. The Hillcats are also ranked top five in the conference in 16 different categories. So the pieces of the puzzle are definitely there, it’s just a matter of putting them all together.

“I think we’re understanding that everyone needs to contribute,” said Crockett. “And when we do that, we finish on top every time.”

* Stats listed as of Jan. 19*
* For RSU women basketball schedule visit rsuhillcats.com website
* For current women conference standings visit soonerathletic.org website

Process Underway for New Athletic Director


The search process for director of athletics Wren Baker’s replacement is underway. Rogers State University is currently in the early stages of determining the ideal candidate for the position.

This will be just the second athletic director in RSU’s history, so the first step before moving forward is completing a candidate profile that would best correlate with the desired applicant for the position. RSU President Dr. Larry Rice is composing a profile that will outline requirements of the job description, qualifications and duties.

Once completed, the university will post the job opening and begin accepting applications for RSU’s next athletic director. President Rice will form a screening committee that will take part in finding the right applicant for the job. He says the candidate pool will consist of internal and external applications up for the job.

Budget constraints for the university will come into focus moving forward in hiring the rightful candidate. As of yet, there has been no discussion of what the next athletic director would receive but President Rice said the university will stay within the budget constraints.

Coming in the gate, the new AD will have quite a load to carry.

“We still have a lot of work to be done on facilities, and we have a lot work to be done to be successful in getting accepted into NCAA Division II,” said Rice.

The university is looking to address and tackle the infrastructure needs of RSU’s athletic facilities, including improving the baseball, softball and soccer facilities. A plan President Rice says is important to finish, before adding new sports to the university.

Sports such as tennis, track & field, wrestling and even football have been up for discussion. Though football is more of a budget constraint, President Rice said the university is still looking to add co-ed sports that will be more affordable as the school’s budget improves.

The new athletic director will also have an immediate impact in assisting and working on the application process for the NCAA Division II transition. While still at the helm, Baker will continue aiding in moving the application forward until he is expected to leave in mid-February.

RSU’s new athletic director will also have big shoes to fill.

Baker has built Rogers State athletics program from the ground up while serving as the school’s first men’s basketball head coach leading the Hillcats to a 20-11 record in its inaugural season.

From Zero to ten in just five years, Baker is responsible for housing ten sports for RSU athletics with the recent addition of men’s and women’s cross county.

Baker’s leadership has launched a developed and widely successful corporate partnership program. He has also guided several fundraising campaigns which led to improvements of RSU’s athletic facilities.

An official date of when the next athletic director will step into office has not been determined yet, but the university’s search for the best applicant is well underway.

“We are very appreciative of the job that Wren Baker has accomplished here since arriving here,” said Rice. “He’s done a good job and laid a great foundation and our goal is to build upon that foundation.”