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Baseball Season Ends with Regional Championship Loss |
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Written by Jack Boyer
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Thursday, 20 May 2010 00:00 |
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Tension ran high on Monday and Tuesday as Kingman knocked off Haven and Maize South on the way to the Regional tournament championship game. In each game, a loss meant the end of the season while a win kept the hopes alive for a trip to State.
As the Eagles warmed up before the championship game, they knew only one team stood in their way of a trip to Salina and arguably the best moment in recent Kingman athletic’s history. However, while the game was neck and neck the whole way, Valley Center pulled away in the last inning, winning 12-6.
As the Hornets recorded the last out of the game, the Kingman dugout was filled with expressions of disbelief and heartache.
“Our goal at the beginning of the year was to go to state,” said senior Aaron Minor. “To see us come so close and have a state birth in our back pocket then taken away right before our eyes is tough. It was some of the worst pain I've ever had to endure.”
Despite the gut-wrenching feeling that lingered after the game as Arensdorf Memorial Stadium emptied, it was a bittersweet sight. The loss was bitter, but the status of the baseball program remains sweet.
Head Coach Toby Munz, who has been with Kingman Baseball since the program began, has led the team to improvement in each season. With just a single win in the program’s first year, Kingman improved to two wins in the next season and four wins last year. This year, Kingman finished with an 11-12 record and one victory short of an appearance at State.
“We've come a long way,” said Munz. “The goal for the seniors when they were playing as freshman was to play more than 5 innings...to come this far to be disappointed with a regional runner-up is a testament to the seniors’ commitment and belief in our program.”
“All six of those seniors were there on day one. Some had cleats, most had played catch before, and if we were real lucky they even had their own glove.”
In less than five years, Kingman went from not having a program to having one of the most feared teams in the AVCTL Div. IV. It is a story of success that will forever be remembered at Kingman High School.
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Last Updated on Friday, 27 August 2010 11:07 |
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Kaufman Competes in State Tennis |
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Wednesday, 19 May 2010 00:00 |
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May 7th was a big day for one KHS junior. Jake Kaufman traveled to Russel that day for the Regional tennis meet and played well enough to place 6th in the tournament and qualify for State tennis.
In Regional competition, Jake went 2-2 on the day, including one match that went to a 10 point Super Tie Breaker that Jake eventually won. Jake's toughest competition at regionals ended in his loss to eventual sophomore state champion Quinn Dippel in his second match.
After placing at Regionals, Jake waited a week before traveling to Pratt on May 14 and 15 for State tennis. In Pratt he faced tough competition. Jake matched up against Maxon Posch from Independence and eventually lost 6-3, 6-2. Jake left without being able to advance far into the tournament.
When asked about the success of his season Jake commented, "I owe all of my success to Coach Roe. He helped me improve every shot in my game."
With one year of high school remaining, Jake sets high ambitions for next year's tournament. "I plan on really improving my game this summer. I'm looking forward to next year."
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 11:11 |
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Baseball Team Enters Regionals With Great Potential |
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Monday, 17 May 2010 00:00 |
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Coming off of a 7-2 win against Buhler, the 9-11 Eagles are now preparing for their Regional tournament. Kingman, a 2-seed, will play seventh seeded Haven on Monday, May 17th. Kingman beat the Wildcats 8-6 early in the season.
The champion of the Kingman-hosted tournament, the winner of three games, earns a spot in the State tournament in Salina.
Kingman Head Coach Toby Munz likes the way his team is playing late in the season.
“We feel really good how the bracket lined up in our favor,” said Munz. “We also like that our pitching is coming around at the right time, and we are getting timely hits throughout the entire lineup.”
“If we play defense for three games there is nobody in this tournament that we can't beat.”
If Kingman wins on Monday, the Eagles will advance to play the winner of the contest between 8-11 Maize South and 2-18 Lyons.
Smoky Valley, the team with the best overall record in the tournament, must beat Buhler and either Nickerson or Valley Center to advance to the championship game.
“Truthfully, this tournament is wide open to anybody,” Munz said. “Top to bottom we have as much or more talent than anyone in the tournament. But, talent alone won't hold that trophy up on Tuesday. It will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes.”
Monday’s game is scheduled to start at 6:45PM. All tournament games will be played at Arensdorf Memorial Stadium in Riverside Park.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 10:59 |
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Minor Pitches No-hitter Against Clearwater |
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Monday, 03 May 2010 00:00 |
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Kingman Baseball is now 7-9 overall and 3-5 in league play after a sweeping of Clearwater on Thursday, April 29th.
The double-header against the Indians on Senior Night marked the last home games of the seniors’ high school careers, including pitcher Austin Minor, who left Arensdorf Stadium at Riverside Park with a bang.
Minor pitched a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the first game as the Eagles won 5-0.
“I had really good command of all my pitches and kept them guessing the whole game,” said Minor. “As soon as the last out was recorded, it was the greatest feeling of my life.”
Senior Danny Finder also created a game highlight, hitting a homerun over the left field fence. It was the first of his career.
The Eagles won the second game of the night 3-1. Stephen Gutierrez, Danny Finder, and Layne Klausmeyer all scored runs.
The sweeping of Clearwater came after the Eagles lost two games to AVCTL IV frontrunner Andale, who is undefeated in league play.
Kingman will now travel to Towanda on May 6th to take on the Circle Thunderbirds. Circle is tied for third in the league.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 May 2010 11:03 |
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Softball Midseason Report |
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Monday, 03 May 2010 00:00 |
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The Kingman Eagle's softball team went 4-17 last year but and struggles to improve that this season. The Eagles graduated 2nd team all-league pitcher Diana Fath, and honorable mention 3rd base Lauren Vanlandingham from last year's team, but players have stepped up to fill their shoes. Freshman, Darrian Pickering is batting extremely well, and sophomore Christine Wendling had shown great ability pitching before breaking her hand during a game. The Eagles are 3-11 as they pass the halfway point of the season.
The team, with only 3 seniors, is especially young. Combining senior leadership with good upcoming underclassmen is a key to success, yet sometimes hard to do. Tina Molitor, Jess Miller, and Steph Funke provide senior leadership, matched with contributing freshmen Darrian Pickering, Maegan Osner, Sarah Rohlman, and Jordan Buchanan.
Coach Lisa Moore said, "Putting a full game together, both defensively and at the plate," has been the biggest challenge for the team at this point. Recently the team has struggled, losing both against Wellington and Andale. As for the rest of the year, Coach Moore commented, "We've just got to get better every game and to again start and finish every game strong."
On April 22nd the Lady Eagles traveled to Wellington and were unable to crack their losing streak as Wellington triumphed 10-0 and 11-1. Then on April 26th, the team once again fell winless to Andale 10-0 and 4-0. Kingman looked to improve their record Thursday when they played Clearwater at home. Kingman won one game 6-2 and lost one 12-3.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 May 2010 11:16 |
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