Month: January 2019

Blue Devil women validate No. 5 ranking with 105-53 win

Camryn Swanson (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s nationally ranked Lady Blue Devils showed little effects from a three-week holiday break Tuesday, validating their climb to No. 5 in the nation with a 105-53 win over Saint Mary junior varsity in Leavenworth.

The No. 5 ranking in the latest NJCAA Division II national poll is the highest in regular season play since 2014-2015, a ranking that will get a severe test in the Blue Devil Classic Saturday.

The Blue Devils will put their 15-2 record on the line at 4 p.m. against McCook (Nebraska) Community College, a Division I team with an 11-4 record.

The game is the middle contest of three Saturday games. Fort Scott plays On Point Academy at 2 p.m. and KCKCC faces Metropolitan Community College (formerly Penn Valley) at 6 p.m. in a pair of men’s contests.

The Classic opens Friday with Fort Scott facing Metropolitan at 5:30 p.m. and KCKCC playing On Point at 7:30 p.m.

“It was a great way for our team to respond after a long break,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry of Tuesday’s win at Saint Mary. “I challenged our team to look sharp with our execution and defensive effort and not give in when their legs or lungs wanted to and was very pleased with how they responded.”

Five Lady Blue Devils scored in double figures and eight had seven or more points in the win. Sophomore guard Camryn Swanson of Blue Springs led the scoring with a career high 24 points that included six 3-point goals (6-of-12), placing her in a tie for fourth place on the all-time list for 3-pointers in a single game.

Nija Collier had 19 points, and six rebounds, Lenaejha Evans 14 points and four assists, Lillie Moore 12 points, eight steals and six rebounds and Kisi Young 10 points and a game high nine rebounds to round out the double-digit scoring.

Caitlyn Stewart added nine points and a game high five assists while Caroline Hoppock and Lexy Watts contributed seven points each. A guard, Watts was also second in rebounds with seven.

“A great job sharing the basketball and finding the open areas against their zone defense,” McKinstry said. “Camryn Swanson continues to knock down shots along with Nija, Lenaejha, Lizzie (Scott) and Caroline chipping in as well. Defensively, Lillie Moore was extremely active and gave us some great fast break opportunities with her eight steals.”

The Blue Devils made 39-of-80 shots for 48.8 percent, won the rebounding battle 43-31 and committed just 12 turnovers. Defensively, Saint Mary was held to 35.8 percent shooting and forced into 23 turnovers as KCKCC opened quarter leads of 26-12, 49-27 and 81-37.

The Jayhawk Conference, which begins play with KCKCC hosting Labette Wednesday, Jan. 23, has three of the Top 5 teams in the nation and four in the Top 20. Johnson County (16-0) is No. 1 followed by Central Illinois (15-1), Highland (14-1), North Iowa Area (10-3) and KCKCC while Fort Scott (13-2) is No. 19.

T-Bones pitcher joins San Diego Padres organization

Kansas City T-Bones pitcher Robert Calvano will join the San Diego Padres, according to an announcement.

Calvano, a right-handed pitcher, is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, who attended Bishop Miege High School.

He is the third T-Bones player whose contract has been purchased this off-season, according to a T-Bones spokesman.

The T-Bones, who won the American Association championship, saw eight players’ contracts sold to affiliated clubs during the season and two more players signed with AAA Mexico.

Calvano was signed by the T-Bones on Aug. 14 to add depth to the club’s pitching staff during the stretch run of the championship season. He made his T-Bones debut Aug. 23 against Winnipeg, where he threw two scoreless innings in an 11-1 T-Bones win.

He appeared in six games for the T-Bones, with a 0-1 record and 7.71 earned run average in seven innings. He allowed five earned runs in his second outing on Aug. 27 against Sioux City, and one more earned run the rest of the season in four appearances. He struck out four in his last four innings.

Calvano pitched for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and after graduation was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 38th round of the 2016 June MLB draft. In his first professional season he played rookie ball for the Cardinals and posted a 1-1 record with a 6.06 ERA and 14 strikeouts in the Gulf Coast League.

In 2017 he started the year with Johnson County in the Appalachian league. While with the Cardinals, Calvano went 0-3 with a 5.23 ERA in six games in the “Appy” league. In July, he moved up to play with short-season A club State College in the New York Penn League. While with the Spikes, he went 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 5.1 innings.

Calvano spent 2018 with two other teams before joining the T-Bones. He started the year at High A with the Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League before moving to low A Peoria in the Midwest League. He had a combined record of 0-0 and averaged a 7.71 ERA in 4.1 innings of relief.

The T-Bones players contracts purchased since opening day 2018:
• 1/8/19: RHP Robert Calvano – contract purchased by the San Diego Padres, 41st player sold and 11th since opening day 2018.
• 11/29/18: OF Keith Curcio – contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox, 40th player sold and 10th since opening day 2018.
• 11/2/18: LHP Nick Lee-–contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds, 39th player sold and ninth since opening day 2018.
• 8/4/18: IF Dylan Tice—contract purchased by New York Mets, 38th player sold.
• 7/24/18: IF Taylor Featherston—contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds, 37th player sold.
• 7/13/18: LHP Joe Filomeno—contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners, 36th player sold.
• 7/17/18: IF/OF Nick Torres—contract sold to the Texas Rangers, 35th player sold
• 7/7/18: LHP Carlos Diaz—contract purchased by Cincinnati Reds, 34th. player sold.
• 7/3/18: LHP James Buckelew—contract purchased by the Chicago Cubs, 33rd player sold.
• 5/22/18: OF Adam Brett Walker—contract purchased by the Washington National, 32nd player sold.
• 5/19/18: RHP Cody Martin—contract purchased by the New York Mets, 31st player sold.

T-Bones 2019 season tickets and mini plans are on sale online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the T-Bones Stadium offices. Group ticket sales also are on sale. The opening day will be Friday, May 17, at the T-Bones Stadium, when the T-Bones will play the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks.

  • Story from T-Bones

Three KCK students graduate from Washburn University

Three Kansas City, Kansas, students received degrees from Washburn University, Topeka, in December.

The three students include:

• Keaton Cofield of Kansas City, Kansas, completed a Bachelor of Arts in kinesiology.

• Jennifer Oneill of Kansas City, Kansas, completed a Bachelor of Health Science in health services administration.

• Rachel Hill of Kansas City, Kansas, completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice in nursing .

Founded in 1865, Washburn University is a public institution with more than 8,000 students and a thousand faculty and staff involved in more than 200 academic programs.