Another Game, Another Chance

The current standings in the Sooner Athletic Conference are staggering. Rogers State women (13-7) sit comfortably in fifth place, one game behind John Brown (14-6) and as much as five games behind conference leader Oklahoma City (18-2).

From the sidelines, the Hillcats are having a knock out season.

RSU women have defeated three nationally ranked teams, No. 15 Langston University, No. 19 Lubbock Christian and for the first time in program history No. 2 Oklahoma City.

The Hillcats have also taken down Oklahoma Baptist twice this season for the first time ever.

However, going into post season will still be a tough battle for the Hillcats.

“We’ve got to just play our best basketball down the stretch,” said RSU women’s head coach Amy Williams. “We’ve got to find a way to win each game, one at a time.”

After a 10-day layoff due to snowy conditions, the Hillcats played their best basketball game of the season upsetting No. 2 Oklahoma City Stars.

“It was time and I thought our team just played so well,” said Williams. “It was a great team win.”

Junior Angie Criner led all scorers as she tied her career-high with 24 points. Senior Candice Stewart recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Logan Froese also chipped in 10 points and senior Cortney Crockett added 15 points.

Criner’s performance was rewarded as the SAC Player of the Week for Feb. 7-13. During that week, the Jenks, Okla. native averaged 19.5 points, four rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals per game.

She is the first player to earn player of the week accolades this season for the Hillcats.

RSU women shared another milestone with senior guard Hunter Peterson this season as she made history passing the 1000 career point mark in the win against Oklahoma Christian.

The four-year veteran ended the night with 14 points. Peterson averages 8.6 points per game shooting 38% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range.

Though RSU is seated fifth in conference, they are looking to claw their way to the top heading into post season.

“It may be ugly, but we can fight our way to a championship game,” said Criner.

The SAC tournament is set to tip off in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 3-5. The NAIA National Tournament will be held March 16-22 in Kansas City, Mo.

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Photo courtesy of Doug Wittman

For more information on SAC Tournament game schedule follow the Hillcat Athletic Website.

RSU Men's Basketball Peaking at the Right Time

The Rogers State men’s basketball team appears to be every team’s worst nightmare in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Big upsets and close niched victories have bumped the Hillcats into the No. 25 nationally ranked slot in the NAIA.

Looking back at the schedule, the Hillcats have certainly made a 360 degree turn around. According to preseason polls RSU is picked to finish seventh in the SAC. Likewise, the first half of the season seemed to look that way for the Hillcats.

RSU men closed out 2010 with an overall record of 5-9 and a conference record of 1-3, dropping both games to John Brown and one game to Oklahoma Christian.

However, the Hillcats found an unexpected surge of energy in the 2011 conference play. Since Jan. 1 the Hillcats have improved to 13-3 sharing the No.2 seat in the SAC with Southern Nazarene.

“We feel like we’re playing better basketball at the right time of the year,” said RSU men’s head coach Justin Barkley.

After a 10-day break due to inclement weather, the Cats are coming off a six game winning streak including upsets over nationally ranked No. 15 in the senior night game against SNU and the rescheduled game win against No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist.

During their six-game stint, senior guard Deveric Taylor joined the 1000 point club in the win against Oklahoma City finishing the game with 18 points and 1007 career points.

The Dallas, Texas native is having his best shooting season out of his three year tenure at Rogers State. He’s averaging 16.5 points a night, shooting 44.3% in field goal range and 34.1% beyond the arc.

In the victories against SNU, Mid-American Christian, and University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, senior power forward John Boyd earned SAC Player of Week for Feb. 14-20.

The Wagoner, Okla., native averaged 20 points and 6.7 rebounds during the three-game week shooting 61% from the field and 79% from the free throw line.

Boyd also had seven assists, six steals and three blocked shots for the week. He is the first player on the men’s team to receive player of the week accolades this season.

Unfortunately, there’s little room for celebration. Heading into the post season, the Hillcats are focused on keeping their minds on what’s at stake.

“I think everybody on the team believe we can make it to the national tournament and finish top two in the conference so it’s a big achievement for us,” said senior guard Chris Francis.

The SAC Conference Tournament is set for Mar. 3-5 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The NAIA National Tournament will be held March 16-22 in Kansas City, Mo.

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Photo courtesy of Brandon Irby

For more information on SAC Tournament game schedule follow the Hillcat Athletic Website

RSU Softball Open Season with Sweeps

Softball season is just getting underway and the Rogers State Hillcats are taking care of business early. RSU women swept Bacone College in its season opener double header.

After getting settled in their first game of the season, the Hillcats’ offense exploded taking down Bacone 9-6 in game one and 6-2 in game two.

“To get out there against an opponent was refreshing, so they were very anxious,” said head coach Mark Dicus.

In game one, senior Logan Zamora blasted the first home run of the season in the fourth inning. The Sun City, Cal. native belted the solo shot over the left field fence to give the Cats a 6-2 lead.

Bacone would come back to tie the game in the sixth but RSU sealed the game with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Ashlie Fauchier and Zamora led the Cats with three hits apiece while senior Sarah Harvey chipped in two hits.

In their second win over Bacone, the Cats jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as senior Brittany White scored off a sacrifice fly to right field by Harvey.

RSU added to the lead in the third, scoring three runs. Fauchier led off with a triple to left field and scored off a double by sophomore Amanda Edwards. Sophomore Shelby Brogdon entered the game as a pinch hitter and singled to right field to plate sophomore Linsey Curtis.

RSU senior Dina Ortiz rounded out the scoring with a solo homer over the left field fence in the sixth. The Monahans, Texas native led the Hillcat offense with three hits.

Pitching has also been a plus for the Cats. In Bartlesville, Okla. RSU dominated Oklahoma Wesleyan 13-0 in game one and 9-1 in game two.

Junior pitcher Ashley Wailand displayed impressive performances on the mound. The Davenport, Iowa native tossed a no-hitter against OWU striking out five while allowing just one ball out of the infield to record the second no-hitter in school history.

The Hillcats plated 22 runs and cranked out 24 hits in the double-header sweep against OWU. With just four games under their belt, RSU is averaging 12 hits a game with Zamora, White and Brogdon leading the way.

Dicus’ ball club is looking to keep the momentum going as the season progresses.

“It’s been a good start and we’re just hoping to continue that trend,” said Dicus.

The Hillcats will host Langston University Mar. 1 before kicking off conference play on the road against Mid-America Christian Mar. 3.

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Photo by gssphotography.com

For RSU Softball schedule check out the Hillcat Athletic website

RSU Baseball Blazzing Winning Trail

After splitting a pair of season day openers with a win over Dallas Christian and a loss to Tabor College, Rogers State baseball has blazed an eight-game winning trail.

The Diamond Cats got a chance to escape the wintery confines of Oklahoma into the warmer weather of Dallas, Texas to bring in the 2011 season.

During their 6-game stint, the Cats played a competitive two-game series against Tabor College, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Tabor handed RSU their first loss of the season with a 6-2 victory.

RSU sought for revenge in their second meeting defeating Tabor 2-1. In the payback win, senior Brandt Barnes led off the top of the first inning with a single to right field and scored the first run on a two-out fielding error at third base. Sophomore Cody Campbell made it 2-0 with an RBI single left to score Randy Ramirez.

The pitching staff continued to take care of business for the Hillcats. Senior pitcher Tyler Garner tossed five scoreless innings and tallied six strikeouts.

The Diamond Cats would go on to round out the Texas trip with a 12-2 victory over Dallas Christian ending the game in five innings.

RSU head baseball coach Ron Bradley was quite impressed by his ball club’s performance to start the young season.

“I think after the first six games, it was an indication that we have a strong pitching staff,” said Bradley. “It’s something that’s going to allow us to be competitive in every game that we play.”

Back at the Hillcat Complex, RSU Baseball kept their streak alive with wins over Ottawa and Baker University.

In the 14-4 defeat over Baker, six Hillcats were perfect on offense. Junior Randy Ramirez led the way as he went 4-for-4 with one RBI.

Sophomore Colton Campbell, senior Kevin Radford and junior Lance Rymel each went 2-for-2 while senior Jairo Valdez and sophomore Frensly Martina went 1-for-1. Sophomore Keith Poverud paced the scoring production with four RBI.

Bradley’s ball club was hot off the mound in the 9-1 defeat of the final game against Baker.

Senior Jordan Clark (2-0) recorded the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Freshman Tyler Brown pitched two innings as he gave up one unearned run with one strikeout. Senior Matt Sample also pitched two scoreless innings and junior Zack Williams closed out the game, each fanning two batters.

Solid offense and defensive production is continuing to build a fierce RSU baseball program while allowing the Cats to be a strong competitor heading into conference play.

“As our offense continues to improve, we have a chance to have a really strong ball club,” said Bradley.

The Hillcats will travel to Edmond, Okla. Mar. 1 to face conference opponent Oklahoma Christian. Start time is set for 4 P.M.

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Photo by gssphotography.com

For RSU Baseball schedule check the Hillcat athletic website