Category: Sports

by Alan Hoskins

Boasting the best hitting team in Kansas City Kansas Community College history, Kacy Tillery’s Lady Blue Devils will make their strongest bid for a return to the national tournament in 10 years this weekend.
With four players hitting better than .400 and seven of nine starters hitting at least .300, the Blue Devils (33-13) will take a team batting average of .395 into the four-team Region VI tournament at Topeka’s Hummer Park Saturday.
The No. 4 seed, the Blue Devils will open at noon against No. 1 seeded Highland, the nation’s No. 8 ranked Division II team with a 36-8 record. The other noon semifinal will match No. 2 Independence (40-14) and No. 3 Cloud (29-12) . The two winners and the two losers will then collide at 4 p.m. with tourney play to be completed starting at 10 a.m. Sunday
Saturday’s meeting with Highland will be the third for KCKCC, which dropped 9-2 and 3-0 decisions at Highland.
“If our pitching and hitting are on, we can play with anybody,” said Tillery, who last took KCKCC to the NJCAA national tournament n 2004..
Leslie Ford, who is third in the nation in number of innings pitched with 272, will carry the pitching load for KCKCC. As the workhorse of the staff, Ford is 21-6 with a 1.76 earned run average, seven shutouts and 21 complete games. Ford has also given up 13 home runs, which could be a problem. Highland is sixth in the nation in home runs this year with 40 and has a team batting average of .373. For is expected to face Paige Crawford (12-2 with 1.68 ERA) in the opener.
The top of the KCKCC lineup may be the best in the nation. Third baseman Lacey Santiago his hitting .494 in the leadoff position and leads the team in stolen bases with 14; centerfielder Justice Scales is hitting .497 and second in RBI with 41; and outfielder Mierra Morrisette leads in hitting (.500) and RBI (49) from the No. 3 spot.
Second baseman Amanda Holyrod leads the team in home runs with four, is second in RBI with 45 and hitting .397 from the cleanup spot while shortstop Hanna Barnhart is hitting .421 with 25 RBI at No. 5. Catcher Megan Dike, a .365 hitter with 11 stolen bases; Ford (.287), outfielder Ashley Henington (.307) and first baseman Laura Vanderheiden (.282) round out starting lineup. Santiago, Morrisette, Holroyd, Barnhart and Dike are all sophomores.

by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College catcher Megan Dike will continue her collegiate softball career at Bethel College in North Norton, Kan.
A sophomore from Lansing, Dike was signed to a letter of intent by Bethel Coach Stacy Middleton Tuesday.
“I’m very excited,” said Middleton, who started the softball program at Bethel three years ago. “Megan is a good catcher and a great hitter; fundamentally solid and well coached. She’s going to bring a great work ethic to our program.”
Dike had a banner season at the plate, catching every game and hitting .365 with one home run and 16 runs batted in. “Bethel is getting an incredible player,” said KCKCC coach Kacy Tillery. “She calls a game as well as any catcher we’ve had here and she pitches as well so she has the know how to help a pitcher out when in trouble.”
The daughter of Amy and Steve Dike, Dike said she was especially attracted to Bethel because of its Special Education program. “I think it’s going to be a good fit on and off the field,” Dike said. “They’ve got a good education program.”