Month: May 2014

Seven Blue Devils earn all-district softball honors

KCKCC Blue Devils earning NJCAA All-District softball honors for 2014 included first teamers (front row, from left) outfielders Justice Scales and Mierra Morrisette, third baseman Lacey Santiago and pitcher Leslie Ford: and second teamers (second row) second baseman Amana Holroyd, shortstop Hanna Barnhart and catcher Megan Dike. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins
Seven Kansas City Kansas Community College Blue Devils have earned recognition on the NJCAA All-District softball team for the 2014 season.
The selections are headed by outfielder Mierra Morrisette, who has been nominated for the NJCAA All-American team.
Morrisette is joined on the first team by third baseman Lacey Santiago, outfielder Justice Scales and pitcher Leslie Ford while second team selections include second baseman Amanda Holroyd, shortstop Hanna Barnhart and catcher Megan Dike. All are sophomores with the exception of Scales and Ford and all hit .388 or better except Ford, the ace of the pitching staff of a Blue Devil team that finished 32-15.
A sophomore from Olathe who played high school softball at Notre Dame de Sion, Morrisette led the Blue Devils in hitting (.494) and runs-batted-in (50). Her .494 average was 20th best in the nation. A two-year starter, she also led in hitting as a freshman with a .459 average. Equally impressive, Morrissette played two full seasons without an error in leftfield.
The one-two hitters in the KCKCC lineup, Santiago hit. 464 from the leadoff position while Scales hit .491 at No. 2. A two-time All-Region selection, Santiago finished 46th in the nation in hitting and led in stolen bases with 14 and drove in 23 runs. A freshman from SM South who was 21st nationally in batting, Scales was second in hitting (.491), first in extra base hits (29) and third in RBI (41).
A righthander from Garden City, Ford was the workhorse of the Blue Devil pitching staff with 186 innings, fourth  most in the nation. Completing all of her 30 starts, she finished with a 22-8 record and 1.71 earned run average that was No. 30 nationally. Her seven shutouts included three no-hitters, the most of any pitcher in the Jayhawk Conference. Seventh in the nation in strikeouts with 183, she also hit .276 with 12 RBI.
All three of the second team selections are from the immediate area. A Bishop Ward grad, Hanna Barnhart hit .400 with 26 RBI. Amanda Holyrod; a graduate of Tonganoxie, batted .391 and was second in RBI with 45; and Lansing native Megan Dike hit .388 with 21 RBI.

Architecture students build structure at KU

Chloe Lockman, Kansas City, Kan., was one of the third-year architecture students at the University of Kansas who participated in a design-build project at KU Field Station.

The structure, a timber canopy supported by rammed-earth walls, extends over a sunny patio at the Field Station’s Armitage Education Center, a space used by many KU groups and other visitors.

The new structure is the latest project in an ongoing partnership between the Kansas Biological Survey, which manages the Field Station, and the School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

“People might be surprised to know how many KU groups come to the Armitage Center for retreats and meetings,” said Scott Campbell, an aquatic ecologist and outreach director for the Biological Survey. “This structure opens the patio to more extensive use for group planning, workshops and meals. There’s more and more evidence that time spent in nature helps us think better, and this canopy means more outdoor time during these events.”

The Biological Survey asked Chad Kraus, assistant professor of architecture, and the students enrolled in the spring 2014 section of ARCH409, known as the Dirt Works Studio, to design and build a canopy.

The structure is composed of a series of five rammed-earth walls that support the 19-by-25-foot timber canopy. There are two raised timber decks, one of which serves as a speaking platform and informal seating area. The second is a viewing platform where staff and visitors may take in the setting sun.

Kraus said the students’ design was inspired by the restored tallgrass prairie area adjacent to the Armitage Center and the landscape beyond.

The project was built on a budget of $5,000, including $3,000 in funding from the Friends of the KU Field Station and $2,000 from the architecture school. The students also received in-kind donations and discounts from several area companies.