Kansas City Kansas Community College is once again the host of the NYSP (National Youth Sports Program) this summer.
NYSP is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13 to July 7 on the KCKCC main campus, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. There is a $25 participant fee, which includes a NYSP T-shirt, daily USDA-approved breakfast, lunch and transportation to and from campus. Packets are currently available at the Community Education Building and must be picked up in person.
NYSP is known for combining sports instruction with educational programming. Enrollment is open to all children who are 10 to 16-years-old in the Kansas City, Kan., community. Participants must be 10 by Aug. 31.
Activities include basketball, kickball, softball, personal fitness, soccer, golf, swimming, alcohol and drug abuse awareness, nutrition and health, higher education and careers and math and science.
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is not considered complete until a current physical examination form is on file. These forms cannot be dated prior to Jan. 1, 2016. In addition, parents-guardians are required to attend an orientation session at 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. June 9 on the KCKCC campus.
For more information, contact the KCKCC Community Education Division at 913-288-7660.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.
A sliding Conor Behrens clearly beats the throw on a run-scoring triple in Kansas City Kansas Community College’s 9-5 win over Allen County. Behrens also homered in the second game, his eighth of the season, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 6-3 Blue Devil loss.(KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins) by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
The games just keep getting bigger for Kansas City Kanas Community College’s baseball team.
Held to a split by Allen County Saturday, the Blue Devils have just two four-game series remaining to lock up a home playoff berth and possibly a Jayhawk East championship.
The Blue Devils took a 9-5 opening game win over Allen County only to have the Red Devils rebound for a 6-3 win in the nightcap. The split left the Blue Devils (19-9) in second place and three games back of Neosho County (22-6). However, Neosho and KCKCC will collide in a season-ending four-game series April 28 and 30.
But the split also dropped the Blue Devils’ second place lead over Johnson County and Cowley College to one game (both 18-10) and kept them two games in front of Allen County (17-11) in the heated race for home playoff berths. The top four teams in the East will host the fifth through eighth place finishers in the West in first round playoff action May 7-8.
At Rockhurst tonight, KCKCC (31-14) will resume Jayhawk play Thursday when the Blue Devils are the hosts to Fort Scott (15-13), which fell to sixth place when swept by Neosho County 5-1 and 16-10 Saturday.
Ryan Fisher and Malone Smith each drove in three runs to lead KCKCC to its 9-5 win over Allen in Saturday’s first game as the Blue Devils built a 7-1 lead in the first two innings. Fisher had the big hit in a 3-run first, a two-run single after the Blue Devils had loaded the bases. Smith scored the third run with a sacrifice fly.
KCKCC added four more runs in the fourth. After a leadoff walk, Conor Behrens tripled in a run, Fisher double in another and Smith delivered a big two-out, two-run single.
After Allen closed to 7-3 in the fifth, the Blue Devils added two insurance runs in the sixth on singles by Eli Lovell and Fisher, a sacrifice fly by Drew Holtgrieve and Albert Woodard’s squeeze bunt. Jake Purl went the distance to run his record to 7-1, allowing nine hits and five runs. He struck out four and walked two.
The Blue Devils, however, managed only six hits in the 9-inning nightcap including three in the first, singles by Chase Redick, Behrens and Lovell for a 1-0.
Behrens also doubled to lead off the third inning and scored on a Lovell sacrifice fly and then belted his eighth home run of the season in the fifth for the other two KCKCC runs off Chase Gooding, who struck out seven in seven innings. Vestal Tanner (3-3) was tagged with the loss, allowing eight hits and five runs before Avery Fliger pitched the final 5.1 innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out three.
Surrounded by, from left, KCKCC assistant coaches Chamissa Anderson and Dawn Owens and head coach Joe McKinstry, a happy Erin Anderson signed a letter of intent to continue her basketball career at Missouri Western University. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins) Flanked by KCKCC assistant coaches Chamissa Anderson, left, and head coach Joe McKinstry and her national championship teammates, Erin Anderson signed a letter of intent to continue her basketball career at Missouri Western University. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins) by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Perseverance has paid off for Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball star Erin Anderson.
Her basketball career in serious jeopardy because of two torn ACLs and two torn meniscus, Anderson’s career will continue this fall at Missouri Western University in St. Joseph. She is the first member of KCKCC’s national championship team to sign with a four-year university.
“It was just a better fit,” said Anderson who was recruited by several colleges including Missouri Southern and Newman University.
“Extremely deserving of a scholarship and the opportunity to play at a high level NCAA Division II school,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry, who felt Anderson would have earned All-American honors had the Jayhawk Conference not adopted a policy of limiting the number of All-American nominations to three. “She’s as good or better than half the players on the All-American teams.
“She’s the epitome of a player to coach. You never have to question her commitment or effort, just great to have at practice. She has only one speed, fast, which has helped set her apart. She knows no other way than to play as hard as possible, offensively, defensively, rebounding, ball-handling, which is going to let her continue at the highest level of competition.”
A 2011 graduate of Edwardsville High School in suburban St. Louis, Anderson was sidelined twice in high school by injury. She was recruited out of high school by Southwestern Illinois only to suffer a second torn ACL that all but ended her playing career. However, in the spring of 2014 Blue Devil assistant coach Shaun Birki recruited Anderson and Cierra Gaines to enroll at KCKCC although they would redshirt that semester.
A first team All-American last year, Gaines and Anderson will be re-united next season as rivals. Gaines, who was on hand for Anderson’s signing, plays for Missouri Western rival Central Missouri.
In her first season, Anderson was selected the Blue Devils’ most valuable player. The team leader in steals with 3.0 per game, she averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists and then followed up this season by leading the Blue Devils in scoring with 15.5 points a game while averaging 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.6 assists.
A first team All-Jayhawk and All-Region VI selection, Anderson was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team after leading the Blue Devils in scoring in the national tourney.
