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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Sometimes success in non-conference play is fleeting, and once teams begin to face familiar opponents the results change.
That has not been the case for Washburn baseball after opening MIAA play with a three-game sweep over Fort Hays State.
“At the end of the day we came out and got a conference sweep,” said Ichabod coach Harley Douglas. “Our goal was to get a sweep and start conference on top so overall I thought we did a good job.”
Senior Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli had a big series as Washburn baseball took a three-game MIAA sweep over Fort Hays State. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
This is the second time in the two teams' last three series that the Ichabods have won all three games, this time outsourcing the Tigers, 25-15.
“I think our standard needs to be a little higher and a little cleaner with what we do but early on it’s the conference and we got some new guys,” Douglas said. “I think it was an overall good weekend but now we got to focus in on Emporia tomorrow.”
A 3-0 start in conference play moves Washburn to 11-4 on the year and 5-1 at Falley Field.
Game one of the series was the most dramatic but began slowly, with Fort Hays in front 1-0 through five innings.
On the mound senior Rane Pfeifer started slow, walking two batters and hitting one in the first inning to result in the one run. He settled in from that point, going three and two-thirds while allowing only the one run and striking out six.
In the sixth inning junior Cale Savage led off with a single and did not wait around long before senior Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli brought him home with a two-run left-field home run, putting the Ichabods up, 2-1.
“They were going first pitch fastball the first two at-bats of mine, so I was thinking he was going to try and blow one by me and I was going to turn on it,” Clark-Chiapparelli said.
On the mound senior Dalton Huggins replaced Pfeifer in the fourth. The Washburn Rural product continued the strong start to his season, pitching a career-high five and a third innings, striking out eight batters and allowing only one run.
“Huggy is that guy, and we know he can probably throw like a starter but he gives us so much more out of the bullpen when it comes to that,” Douglas said. “Sometimes it is hard to come out of the pen but he goes with that and embraces it.”
No more run support was provided so the one run, coming in the top of the ninth, was costly as it moved the game into extra innings after Washburn left two on base in the bottom of the ninth.
Seniors Joel Casillas and Zach Philbin allowed no runs the next three innings, with Casillas going two and Philbin one.
The strong pitching set up the Ichabods in the twelfth inning, beginning with a one-out walk from sophomore Otto Jones.
He was moved to third base after a bunt single and a walk, allowing Clark-Chiapparelli to drive a ball into deep center field for a walk-off sacrifice fly to give the Ichabods a 3-2 win.
“I was feeling good and I saw the ball well today (it was just) situational hitting,” Clark-Chiapparelli said. “Having our guys in the dugout staying behind our backs and keeping us going, that’s what we needed.”
In game two Washburn got some help early on with junior Cal Watkins scoring on a wild pitch in the first.
The Tigers scored the next three runs on home runs in the second and third inning to go ahead, 3-1. Both came off of Washburn sophomore Casey Steward, who finished with a final line of five innings, three earned runs and nine strikeouts.
Just after he exited, junior Shane Morrow sent a single into center field to cut the lead in half. In the sixth senior Parker Dunn tied the game with a solo home run over the right-field wall.
The Ichabods bullpen stayed strong, allowing no runs, first with senior Trevor Marreel in the sixth inning then junior John Cross in the seventh and eighth innings.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
On the morning of February 20, Washburn University softball was 3-6, and now just over a week later the team is 12-6 after a five-game weekend.
The undefeated weekend gave the team a 10-game win streak, the longest since head coach Brenda Holaday took over in the 2017 season.
“I don’t know about the streak, I know it is fun to win and the kids enjoy that and it is contagious,” Holaday said. “I think the big thing with this team is no one person has to carry the load.”
The Ichabods went a perfect 5-0 in the Washburn Classic and outscored opponents 41-5 over the three days.
Washburn sophomore Jaycee Ginter had a Washburn Classic pitching and at the plate as the Ichabods went 5-0 to stretch their winning streak to 10 games. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The run started with a Friday doubleheader, the first game coming against Wayne State College, who jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning.
The Ichabods stayed patient at the plate, responding with a six-run first inning that included four walks and three hit batters.
“They handed us some runs with all of those walks but our kids were patient enough to wait for a good pitch and we got some timely hits,” Holaday said.
Senior Ashton Friend did not watch and wait in the second inning, hitting a solo home run over the left field wall. A sacrifice fly from Friend in the third and an ensuing throwing error scored the next two runs.
“Just trying to keep myself relaxed and not chasing after pitches is what has been key for me,” Friend said.
Sophomore Shawnee Heights product Jaycee Ginter started her big weekend with a solo shot in the third to make it a 10-1 game.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No matter what happens in Friday's Class 5A-1A state tournament, Seaman's Makenzie Millard has earned her spot among the top girls high school bowlers in city history.
Millard just can't believe her prep career is almost over.
"It doesn't seem real at all,'' Millard said. "It's just gone by too fast.''
Seaman senior Makenzie Millard will close out a banner high school career in Friday's Class 5A-1A state tournament in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
After a pair of top-five finishes in the state tournament the past two seasons, including a fourth a year ago, the three-time regional champ obviously would love to end things with an individual state title, but Millard said she's more focused on what the Vikings can do as a team in Friday's 1:40 p.m. girls state tournament at Northrock Lanes in Wichita.
"I just concentrate on the team aspect,'' Millard said. "If our whole team's doing good then I'm happy with wherever I finish, whatever I do. As long as our whole team's happy, I'm happy.''
Seaman went through an unbeaten 2021 season before finishing fourth as a team at state.
The Vikings have turned in another outstanding year this season, with just one loss on their ledger as Seaman won the Centennial League title before rolling to a 5A-1A regional championship by a 3,141-2,891 margin over Augusta last Tuesday at Emporia.
And Millard, who took individual honors at regionals with a 709 series, is confident the Vikings can put themselves in position for a high state finish.
Seaman junior Katie Price finished third in the girls individual regional standings with a 630 series while the Vikings also got a 10th-place finish from sophomore Cheyenne Turkin with a 540 series.
"We've been working really hard at practice and it seems to be paying off, so I'm pretty happy about it,'' said Millard, who rolled a 279 game at regionals.
Millard also feels like she's where she needs to be for a strong individual performance Friday.
"There's still a few things I can always work on, like spares and stuff, but other than that I think I'm getting there,'' she said. "I think I'm pretty good other than that.''
Millard knows there's several bowlers capable of garnering the individual state crown, but she doesn't spend a lot of studying the competition.
"I do follow the (bowling) page on Facebook so I obviously see all the scores and stuff and I follow all their Facebook pages,'' Millard said. "So I watch (the other bowlers) here and there, but I mostly don't worry about them and I focus mostly on our team and how we're doing.''
After she ends her high school career Millard will turn her attention to getting ready for her next step, signing earlier this winter with Peru State, Neb.
"It's a small college, nice people and I know most of the bowlers there already and obviously I know the coach and they gave me a great offer,'' Millard said.
But Millard won't start thinking about college until after Friday's tournament is in the books.
"I'm not thinking about it at the moment,'' she said. "I've had a few thiings that I had to do for them, but other than that I'm just really focused on this season and finishing strong with the rest of my teammates.''
Millard knows that there will be a lot of emotion when her prep career officially comes to an end on Friday.
"It will be a bittersweet moment,''
Seaman swept the individual and team titles in the Emporia regional, with the Viking boys claiming the team championship a 3,610-3,554 margin over De Soto as senior Jack Easum claimed top individual honors with a 747 series, including a 279 game.
Centennial League champion Ethan Burns, a junior, finished fourth individually for the Vikings with a 697 series while Seaman junior Zander White also cracked the top 10, finishing ninth with a 659 series.
Shawnee Heights earned the third boys team berth for state by an eight-pin margin over Mill Valley as junior Josh Egly led Heights with a 649 series, finishing 12th individually, while senior Kaleb Rohrke was right behind Egly in 13th with a 647 and senior Aidan VanMetre took 16th with a 638.
Topeka West sophomore Cole Rodriguez finished 10th individually with a 655 series, earning an individual state berth for state.
The 5A-1A boys state tournament will get under way at 8:50 a.m. Friday.
Topeka West claimed the third team berth in the girls division as the Chargers put a pair of bowlers in the top 10, with sophomore Brenna Rutschman taking fourth with a 627 series and sophomore Megan Wood finishing sixth with a 601 series.
Shawnee Heights senior Karli Gilliland was the top individual girls qualifier, finishing fifth with a 603 series.
RURAL GIRLS, HAMMONS QUALIFY IN 6A
Washburn Rural's girls bowling team punched its ticket to Thursday's 6A state tournament with a third-place finish in last Friday's 6A regional at West Ridge Lanes while Rural junior Josh Hammons qualified for the boys state meet as an individual.
Washburn Rural’s girls placed third with a team score of 2,768, finishing behind team champion Olathe Northwest (2,829) and Junction City (2,806).
Sophomore Claire Ireland paced the Rural girls, shooting a three-game series of 539 to finish fifth individually, while junior Amaya Buchanan was a pin behind Ireland in sixth with a 538 and senior Kaitlyn Doyal and sophomore Taylin Sakers also placed in the top 15 overall.
Doyal finished 11th with a 508 series while Sakers was 13th with a 495.
Hammons earned a fifth-place finish with 664 series.
The 6A boys will begin competition at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, with the girls tourney following at 1:40 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Maranda Bell
MARANDA BELL, Shawnee Heights
A senior 191-pound star girls wrestler, Bell won a Class 6A-5A state championship last Thursday at Park City's Hartman Arena, becoming Shawnee Heights' first official girls state champ and first girls wrestler to reach 100 wins in her career. Bell, who was 27-1 on the season, won all four of her state matches by pin, in 13 seconds, 3:01, 56 seconds and 1:03 in the championship match over Derby sophomore Meya Howell. Bell led Heights to a fifth-place team finish, with the T-Birds the highest-finishing 5A school.
Aidan Boline
AIDAN BOLINE, Washburn Rural
A state medalist as a junior, Boline capped a 34-6 senior season with the Class 6A 160-pound wrestling championship last Saturday at Park City's Hartman Arena, taking a 5-0 decision over Olathe East senior Nick Carlson in the championship match as the Junior Blues won their second straight 6A state team title. Boline reached the finals with a pair of pins and a 15-0 technical fall.
Jack Easum
JACK EASUM, Seaman
Easum, a senior, won the boys individual championship in last Tuesday's Class 5A-1A bowling regional at Emporia's Flint Hills Lane, winning by 30 pins with a three-game series of 747. Easum put together games of 235, 279 and 233 leading the Vikings to the regional team championship by a 3,610-3,554 margin over De Soto.
Austin Fager
AUSTIN FAGER, Washburn Rural
Fager, a senior, captured the Class 6A 182-pound state wrestling championship last Saturday at Park City's Hartman Arena while helping lead the Junior Blues to their second straight team title by a 151-142.5 margin over Derby. Fager, a state runner-up as a junior went 4-0 at state to improve to 43-2, posting three pins and a 15-0 technical fall. Fager pinned Campus senior Aidan Williams in the finals in 1:13.
Kendra Hurla
KENDRA HURLA, Rossville
The Rossville sophomore girls wrestler won her second straight state championship in the Class 4A-1A state meet last Thursday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina. Hurla capped a 39-0 season with the 120-pound title, taking a 3-0 decision over Pratt junior Jadyn Thompson in the finals. Hurla reached the finals with three straight pins, in 1:27, 1:58 and 1:47.
Makenzie Millard
MAKENZIE MILLARD, Seaman
Millard, a senior bowler, won her third Class 5A-1A girls regional title last Tuesday at Emporia's Flint Hills Lanes. Millard took top individual honors by a 26-pin margin with a 709 three-game series, including games of 279 and 265. Millard, who has finished fifth and fourth at state the past two seasons, led the Vikings to the team championship by a 3,141-2,891 margin over Augusta.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The expectations couldn't have been a whole lot higher when Josh Hogan took over the vaunted Washburn Rural wrestling program last spring.
After all, Rural was coming off its first Class 6A state wrestling championship and returned two state champions and a state finalist from that team.
But the former Washburn Rural star, who had cut his coaching teeth with the Topeka Blue Thunder Wrestling Club the previous nine years, said he really didn't feel any pressure when he took over for coach Damon Parker.
"No, there really was no pressure,'' Hogan said Saturday night affter Washburn Rural wrapped up its second straight title by a 151-142.5 margin over Derby. "I've been coaching wrestling for a long time, I've been wrestling for a long time and as far as I'm concerned wrestling is a way to raise young men and young women up. I don't put much more on it than that.
"It's nice to win, it sucks to lose, but there's also a greater picture that we're after.''
Washburn Rural wrestling coach Josh Hogan watches the action during the Class 6A state tournament at Park City's Hartman Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior star Austin Fager flips Rural coach Josh Hogan to the mat in celebration Saturday after winning the Class 6A 182-pound state title. [Photo by Jeff Jacobsen/Action Images Photography]
Hogan said he felt all season that the Junior Blues were the premier team in 6A, but it wasn't all smooth sailing.
"When we lost out 220-pounder and then we lost our 138, both to shoulder injuries for the season, there was a little worry that may have crept in there because that's a lot of points that we lost,'' Hogan said. "But I knew that our backups were strong across the board.
"The way that we've done this the last 10 years is just by having so many kids wrestle, so there's a plethora of kids to pick from and some of our second guys would be first guys a lot of other places. So we step up when we need to.''
Senior Austin Fager, the 6A 182-pound state champ said that even though Rural changed coaches and graduated a great senior class, including three-time state champ Bishop Murray and state finalist David Huckstep, the Junior Blues were capable of doing exactly what they did Friday and Saturday at Park City's Hartman Arena.
"We just proved ourselves as a program,'' Fager said. "That's what we just did. Here yesterday and today we proved ourselves as a program and our coach proved that he can come out here and coach us and losing guys doesn't mean anything. We can still come out here and win.''
Senior Aidan Boline, the 160-pound state champ, agreed.
"There's nobody in the state that deserves it more than this squad,'' Boline said. "We've worked harder than anybody for the last 268 days, not just the last 100 days of the season.
"These guys are in the room in the offseason busting their butts. I couldn't have asked for a better team to be a part of.''
RUNNER-UP CARVER LEADS FIVE COUNTY 3A-1A STATE PLACERS
Rossville junior 285-pounder Jacob Carver advanced to the Class 3A-1A state championship match Saturday at Hays before finishing second, pacing five Shawnee County wrestlers who earned state medals.
Rossville 285-pounder Jacob Carver (top) battles Douglass' Joe Martin in the Class 3A-1A state championship match Saturday at Hays. Carver finished second. [Submitted]
Carver was pinned in the second period by Douglass' Joe Martin in the finals.
Rossville also got third-place finishes from senior 138-pounder Colby Hurla and senior 160-pounder Sam Twombly.
Silver Lake senior Triston Vande Velde finished third at 182 pounds while senior Daigan Kruger placed fourth at 170 pounds.
