Serving Kansas City (Wyandotte County) Kansas for over 50 years!
Piper High School – softball at Basehor-Linwood (regional)
– Semi-final vs. Sumner Academy
o Piper varsity won 18-0
– Final vs. Basehor-Linwood
o Piper varsity won 6-2
o 3 in a row regional champions
o Will play in Salina (state) on Thursday, May 26
Time and opponent will be determined at a later time
– From Doug Key, Piper High School activities director
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
With the spring semester ended and graduation just around the corner, it’s time to hand out final grades – in this case the Kansas City Kansas Community College baseball team and first-year coach Matt Goldbeck.
Winning more than twice as many games as they lost (41-20), the Blue Devils earned a solid A. In arguably the toughest two-year college baseball conference in the nation, the Blue Devils were in contention for the Jayhawk East championship right down to the final week, finishing third behind Neosho County, the league champion and No. 1 ranked team in the NJCAA, and Cowley, which won the Region VI super-regional playoffs and is headed for another appearance in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
The Blue Devils also had nine players earn All-Jayhawk East honors led by first team outfielder Eli Lovell and second team selections Conor Behrens at first base and Travis Stroup at third. Both Stroup and Behrens also earned Gold Gloves for their defensive play.
But it wasn’t the 41 wins nor all the post-season honors that made Goldbeck most proud.
“We were fortunate to have a great group of young men who worked hard on and off the field,” Goldbeck said. “We had so many people complement us on how well behaved our players were, from the people in the study hall in library, bus drivers, fund raisers.
“While we were disappointed we didn’t go farther in the tournament, the main thing is to put kids in position to make good grades, perform well on the field, continue to get better and move on to the next level.”
The Blue Devils will lose a dozen players to graduation this spring. At least a half-dozen are being considered for NCAA Division I or Division II programs and Goldbeck expects everyone to have an opportunity to move on to four-year programs.
Following on the heels of NJCAA Hall of Famer Steve Burleson provided new experiences for Goldbeck.
“Not a lot of difference on the field having been around 21 years and having a great mentor to teach me the ins and outs of the game made for a fairly easy transition,” Goldbeck said. “But there’s a lot of other things that go into coaching baseball or any coaching, making sure kids go to class, fund-raising, taking care of bringing in new recruits and recruiting new kids. A lot goes into it.”
On the field, the Blue Devils had a team batting average of .352 that was highest in the last four years. All nine Blue Devils starters hit .314 or better. “Coach (Bill) Sharp was in charge of hitting and did an excellent job,” Goldbeck said.
Graduation will take the heart right out of the lineup, the No. 2 through 5 hitters in the lineup – Behrens, Stroup, Lovell and outfielder Ryan Fisher. Together, they had a combined .407 batting average, belted 43 home runs and drove in 244 runs.
Lovell and Stroup waged a season-long duel in the team batting race with Lovell edging Stroup .451-.447. Lovell also led in hits (96), extra base hits (41), home runs (15), RBI (82) and stolen bases (16) while Stroup had 85 hits, 39 extra base hits, 13 home runs and 55 RBI. Behrens also had 85 hits, 38 extra base hits, nine home runs, 47 RBI and a 378 average while Fisher (.357) was second in RBI with 60 along with seven home runs and 26 extra base hits. “It’s going to be tough to replace that kind of offense,” said Goldbeck, who position-wise will also lose catcher Malone Smith (.264) and outfielder Daulton Smith (.245).
The Blue Devils will also lose two pitchers who earned All-Jayhawk honorable mention, Brandon Reid (6-2), who had two shutouts and two 2-hitters in his last four starts, and reliever Avery Fliger (7-2) who led in ERA (2.81) and had four saves in addition to seven wins. A redshirt freshman, Fliger graduates and is expect to move on. Other pitching losses will include starter Dustin Eby (4-2 in 12 starts), Tanner Vestal (3-2), Ross Perez (2-0) and Alton Walker (0-0).
The Blue Devil cupboard, however, will not be left bare. The middle infield combo of second baseman Easton Fortuna and shortstop Albert Woodard return along with catcher Drew Holtgrieve and outfielder Chase Redick, and part-time starters Zach Mahoney and Ty Bradshaw.
Holtgrieve, who hit .341 and drove in 49 runs, and Woodard, .314 and 38 RBI, both earned All-Jayhawk honorable mention while Redick hit .362 and drove in 47 runs from the leadoff spot and Fortuna hit .344 with 21 RBI. Mahoney batted .273 with 23 RBI in 46 games and Bradshaw hit a sizzling .412 in 19 contests. Other returnees include Levi Froud (,269), Ryne McDonald (.250) and Joe Ramos (.100).
Jake Purl, who led in wins with a 9-2 record and was all-conference honorable mention, heads the returnees on the pitching staff. The list also includes Chad Cox, 4-1 with four saves; Cameron Bednar, 3-3 in 18 games, Colton Kenagy (2-1), Gunner Vestal (0-2), Ryker Johnson (0-1) and Elija Baig (0-0).
“You have to remember that a lot of our sophomore starters didn’t hit well as freshmen and Brandon Reid only threw three innings last year and was our most dominant player this year,” said Bill Sharp, one of Goldbeck’s assistants along with Lendsey Thompson.
“I’m very fortunate to have such dedicated assistant coaches in Bill and Lendsey,” Goldbeck said. “I’m sure they work as hard as any coaches in the country.”
Jennifer “Jenny” Orth Myers has filed for Wyandotte County District Court judge as a Democrat in Division 14, which is currently held by the Judge Dan Duncan, who recently announced his retirement.
“I have seen first- hand the issues faced by our community,” Myers said in a campaign statement. “I have had many opportunities to assist our law enforcement officers on how to deal with these daily interactions and frequently have the opportunity to listen to and help the citizens of Wyandotte County.”
As a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County, Myers said she has dedicated her career to serving the people of Wyandotte County.
“Becoming District Court judge in Wyandotte County is another step in fulfilling this career of service to the people of Wyandotte County,” she said.
Born and raised in Wyandotte County, Jenny Orth grew up in the Cathedral neighborhood where her parents, Patty and Jim Orth, still reside.
She attended St. Peter’s grade school and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1996. Four years later, she graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a minor in women’s studies. In 2000, she began law school at Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kan.
As a law student, she was an intern for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office. In 2003, after obtaining her law degree, she returned to Wyandotte County to work in the district attorney’s office for Nick Tomasic as an assistant district attorney. She was a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office for more than nine years, continuing her career under District Attorney Jerome Gorman.
Myers began her career prosecuting juvenile offenders and handling low-level felonies, driving under intoxication cases and traffic cases.
As a senior attorney, she prosecuted high-level person felonies specializing in homicides, gang-related crimes, child abuse and sexually violent crimes against adults and children. She has personally tried more than 60 jury trials in Wyandotte County District Court, successfully arguing appeals to the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals.
In 2011, Myers was appointed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt as the special assistant attorney general for Wyandotte County to handle all civil commitments of sexually violent predators, a complex civil aspect of the district attorney’s office.
In January of 2013, Myers was hired by the Unified Government Legal Department as senior counsel. As counsel for the Unified Government, Myers currently works as the legal adviser for the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. In this role, she provides legal training for more than 300 Kansas City, Kan., police officers and Wyandotte County Sheriff’s deputies annually on issues such as constitutional law, search and seizure, use of force, and current legal trends and cases. She provides all legal training for new recruits for the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. In addition to legal training, she provides legal assistance to the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department on contract and employment issues, policy review, civil forfeitures, open records laws, and other day to day legal issues. She is licensed to practice in Kansas, U.S. District Court and assists in civil litigation defending the Unified Government and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department against claims in federal court. Myers also advises the Unified Government Commission on legal issues, assists with supervising prosecution in municipal court, and provides legal services to the Public Safety and Works divisions of the Unified Government.
In addition to her work for the Unified Government, Myers is involved in numerous legal and community organizations. She is the president-elect of the Wyandotte County Bar Association and has served on the Board of Governors for the past four years. Myers serves on the Board of Directors for the Sunflower House, a child advocacy and abuse prevention center, servicing Wyandotte and Johnson counties. Sunflower House provides a safe place for children in our community to disclose physical and sexual abuse to trained forensic interviewers. Jenny has served on the advisory board for the 8th Street YMCA for the past seven years and provided substantial assistance in continuing the existence of that YMCA location.
In 2014, Jenny participated in Leadership 2000, a civil leadership training course based in Wyandotte County. Her class in Leadership 2000 implemented a Night Courts program at the 7th Street YMCA for inner city youth to play organized basketball on Friday nights during the summer. This program not only encourages and teaches healthy living, but also provides mentoring to the youth in our community. Myers said she remains dedicated to this program and actively works with the 7th Street YMCA to continue this program for youth.
Myers has experience on the bench and served as judge pro tem in Bonner Springs municipal court and works closely with the prosecutors, judges, and court staff in the Unified Government’s municipal court to improve the efficiency of the local court system. Myers provides annual legal presentations to the Wyandotte County Neighborhood Crime Prevention Program and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department Citizen’s Academy.
“I enjoy working with the neighborhood leaders to help them understand the law, enable them to better serve their communities, as well as help them understand some of the limitations of law enforcement in their communities,” she said.
Myers is a lifelong member of St. Peter’s Cathedral Church. She has been married to her husband, Ronnie Myers, for 12 years. She is the mother of two children, ages 8 and 4.
Myers’ legal career and community involvement exemplifies her commitment to serving the people of Wyandotte County.
“I have worked hard to gain the respect of Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and law enforcement in this community, and I believe my peers would agree that I have been successful in doing so,” she said in her campaign statement. “I have always been an active member of the community, and my career has offered me genuine and diverse experiences that have allowed me to remain in touch with the community in which I grew up. If elected, I promise hard work, dedication, and competency in the courtroom. I would be honored to be elected as Wyandotte County District Court judge.”
