Wildcats Top South Dakota in Home Opener

If there is one thing about Kansas State volleyball coach Suzie Fritz, she tells it like it is.

So, no, she wasn't completely pleased by her team's performance in their home opener Wednesday night inside the newly renovated Ahearn Field House—but her team needed a win.

And so despite a slow, inconsistent, and somewhat concerning start by the young Wildcats, Fritz admitted she wasn't satisfied at the end of the 3-1 victory over South Dakota.

"I'm frustrated," she said. "I should probably be happier — people tell me that all the time . But I want to play well and I want to be more disciplined and I want to be good over time... I'm happy that we won, but I want to play better."

The home-opening win came by way of scores 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 in front of crowd of more than 1,800.

However, the Wildcats (1-3) were slow, gave up leads and struggled to put a second set completely away after leading the Coyotes 23-13 at set point. KSU finally did win the set 25-19 before heading into the locker room for the intermission.

"Early on we were bad," Fritz said. "We were terribly inconsistent, terribly undisciplined, and that's the challenge that I pose to our team. Can we overcome our inexperienced by being a disciplined team?"

If you took the final two sets of the Wildcats play last night, then the answer to that question might be yes.

K-State looked like a completely different volleyball team during the final two sets of the match, hitting above .300 in both sets, passing setting and making plays on balls that they let drop during the first half of the match.

"It took us a little long to get going, but I thought we were great at the end." KSU senior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm said. "I think that might be a characteristic of a young team, but we are going to have to get past that and get [better] fast."
Indeed that is true. With Wednesday's victory, the Wildcats began a stretch of four matches in four days as the annual Varney's
Kansas State Invitational begins on Friday with a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount and Oral Roberts.

But it's clear that the young team is growing, and right now, the most visible growth comes in the form of middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger.

The freshman from Olathe who shined in the team's first three matches in Hawaii, showed no signs of slowing her pace against South Dakota (2-3).

Pelger was a consistent force in the Wildcat offense, and finished the night with a team-high 15 kills, hitting .364. She also racked up a team high four block assists.

"(Pelger) has been, quite honestly, been really good, and keeps getting better," Fritz said. "She has gotten better and better with each match."

The Wildcat veterans stepped up as well. Chisholm set a career high in digs by notching 15 on the night and sophomore Kathleen Ludwig hit a match-high .438 on 16 total attacks.

So this weekend, the Wildcats will get just the opportunity they are looking for — to continue the search for their consistency and identity.

And that's exactly what Fritz wants.

"We need to play," she said. "Young teams need to play. They need to learn, you need throw them out there and put them in the fire and allow them to figure things out.
"That's what we are doing."

Wildcats Open Season in Hawaii With Tough Tests

The Kansas State volleyball team begins its 2010 season Friday afternoon in Honolulu as it makes an appearance in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational.

With nine freshmen on the squad and just two upperclassmen, the young Wildcats face an early test as they get set to meet three AVCA preseason Top 25 teams in just three days.

That first test comes Friday against No. 16 UCLA at 10 p.m. local time.

However early challenges are something KSU coach Suzie Fritz said she is comfortable enduring.

"We got an enormous amount done in two-and-half weeks prior to this tournament, but there is still a lot to be done," the 10th-year coach said Tuesday. "But there is still a lot of work to be done.

"I think what we are trying to get accomplished is to use this as a gauge to see where this team is at and try to figure out where we are good, and where we have to make improvements to compete against really good volleyball teams."

So that's exactly what her team is doing. Tuesday evening, her team loaded a bus for Kansas City en route to catch a flight to Honolulu on Wednesday morning. Awaiting them in Hawaii are three top-25 ranked teams, including No. 5 Hawaii, a team the
Wildcats line up against on Saturday.

"I think it's great to play tough teams right off the bat," senior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm said. "If we ease ourselves into it, or play easier competitors in the beginning, we don't really get what's in store with the Big 12."

On Friday UCLA will certainly provide that tough early test for this KSU team. The Bruins advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2009 before falling in upset fashion to Baylor in four sets.The Bruins finished the 2009 season with an impressive 24-9 record.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, completed their 2009 campaign with an overall record of 12-18 and a 6-14 record in the Big 12.
But with a competitive fall camp complete, Fritz says she believes this team is prepared for what the weekend will bring to her team.

"I feel like we are as well prepared as we can expect to be at this point," Fritz said.

During the three-match weekend, Fritz will be leaning heavily on the service of Chisholm. The veteran from Hillsboro led the team with 352 kills last season, 41 more than second-leading attacker Kelsey Chipman.

Meanwhile senior libero Lauren Mathewson will look to slow down returning UCLA All-Pac 10 outside hitter Dicey McGraw. Mcgraw played in all 33 matches last season, totaling a team-high 358 kills, good for 3.11 per set, while also ranking in the top 5 in three other offensive categories.

It will be an opportunity for not only Mathewson to gauge where she is at during this portion of the season, but also her entire team.

"We have worked on a lot of things this weekend, so it would be nice to be able to see some results and some things that we have been working on and see that we have made some progress," Mathewson said. "I would like show Suzie and the coaches that we have made some improvements in the preseason."

The Wildcats face San Diego on Sunday at 8 p.m. to conclude the tournament before returning home to face South Dakota in their home opener on Sept. 1.

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Mathewson, Chisholm anchor young Wildcats

As the 2010 volleyball season looms closer, there lies little doubt as to who the leaders of this Kansas State team will be.
With just a quick glimpse at the roster, one will most likely notice the immense amount of youth.

Nine freshmen are scattered throughout the young Wildcat team — one that already went through growing pains last season — while KSU enters the fall with just two upperclassmen.

But take a closer look and one will gradually begin see there is a greater amount of experience than the 2009 squad.

Eventually it becomes easy to see there is no doubt KSU coach Suzie Fritz is building up her program with young, raw talent inside Ahearn Field House, but one term the 10th-year coach isn't too fond of is youth.

"We aren't talking about being young," Fritz said Saturday. "We can't afford to talk about being young. We're young. It is what it is."

That young talent is not only centered around the large freshmen class, but a crop of talented sophomores highlighted by returners Caitlyn Donahue, Kathleen Ludwig and Alex Muff — each of whom gained an significant playing time and experience 8last year — something Fritz said has been extremely important to the program.

"I think the fact that Alex Muff played as a freshman and the fact that Caitlyn Donahue played as a freshman and the fact that Ludwig played — all of those kids got Big 12 experience, and come back with another year of experience, Fritz said."

However, as the Wildcats prepare for their first match on Aug 27 against UCLA, the leadership roles of the two lone seniors — Lauren Mathewson and JuliAnne Chisholm — are clearly defined within the K-State program.

All indications are that the two are ready for it, too.

If the 2009 season was any sign, Fritz could hardly ask for a better pair for fill the role this year. Heading into fall camp, Fritz said she was pleasantly surprised with the amount of progress her younger players had made, and said it was a testament to the leadership of her two seniors.

"They(Mathewson and Chisholm) have done a tremendous job," she said. "I think where I have really noticed it is they were really responsible for what happened over the summer...

"Those two seniors were responsible for how often we got together, how productive we were and they were playing three or four days a week over the course of the summer and actually getting better and I think that is difficult to do."

It's a role they said they feel comfortable taking on together.

"It's kind of exciting," Mathewson said. "I like being able to teach them what I have learned in my four years here and I like being able to show them how hard you have to work and how much fight it takes it takes to be one of the best in the country."

Mathewson, a 5-foot-6 libero from Kansas City, clearly understands what it takes to be one of the premier players in the country. She has developed into the anchor of the K-State back row throughout her career, racking up 514 digs last season to move into the fourth most for a career at K-State.

Not only is their close relationship easy to see on the court, the two are close friends outside of Ahearn Field House as well. The two seniors are roommates this year, and their bond has rubbed off on their teammates too.

"It's great leadership," Donahue said. "JuliAnne is super passionate and just loves the game and brings intensity to the gym everyday and expects a lot out of our freshmen and herself. Mathewson kind of drives our team, she is very demanding, but at the same time wants everybody to get better and is a great supporter out there."

While Mathewson will be anchoring the back row, Chisholm will handle the offense. After a breakout junior season in which she led the team with 342 kills, the 5-11 outside hitter from Hillsboro is eager for the chance to remain a steady leader alongside Mathewson on the court.

"The more we pass together and the more we play together, the tighter that bond becomes," said Chisholm, who is also on the KSU women's basketball roster, eligible to play for the Cats in the spring semester after the completion of volleyball. "So last year when I started passing with her and having a larger role on the team, we definitely grew together more."

Mathewson and Chisholm will lead the Wildcats on the road to open the season on Friday, as they travel to Honolulu to participate in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The Cats first match is against UCLA on Friday, followed by a match against Hawaii on Saturday and a contest against San Diego on Sunday.

-Photo Nathaniel LaRue The Manhattan Mercury

Building a New Home

It is just under a three-mile drive from Valley Heights High School campus to the old wooden Charles Steele Memorial Stadium in nearby Waterville.

And for 42 years, that short route had become very familiar for the Mustang football team.

With each passing fall, it was the same routine. A bus took the Mustangs out from the school, down the two-lane drive lined with cornfields, and then a short drive west on State Highway 9 toward the aging stadium in the heart of Waterville.

But as fall approaches in 2010, the old wooden stands of Charles Steele Memorial Stadium will, for the first time, will sit vacant through the months of fall.

Now, the stands at the old stadium have been removed, but the old purple and white press box remains. It sits alone behind the Valley Heights Elementary School off Lincoln Ave. in Waterville.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” head football coach Tony Trimble said.

Last season, construction was completed on a new venue for Mustang football. And now, a modern, 1,000-person capacity football stadium sits three miles down the road, awaiting its first full season of football.


“You’re very excited about the new facility and the upgrades,” Trimble added. “But it’s also kind of bitter when you leave a place like that.”

***

That place, the home to Mustang football since the two schools from Waterville and Blue Rapids consolidated in 1966, has become a place of comfort and stability for both the team and the community, as football seasons have come and left throughout the years.

But even before to the consolidation, Charles Steele Memorial Stadium was used as the Waterville High School football stadium, as early as the 1920s.

“I’ve seen pictures with [Ford] Model Ts circled around that field as a boundary for football games,” USD 498 Superintendent John Bergkamp said. “So it had to go back into the [19]20s…That particular field and that area has been used for 80 years or so.”

Through all those years, it was a place that became a second home for Charles Steele, longtime football fan and elementary principal in the USD 498 district. He developed a lifelong passion for the area of Waterville and Valley Heights high school.

But in 2002, after a lifetime of dedication to the area, he lost a battle with pancreatic cancer.

“He loved Valley Heights,” Bergkamp said. “He loved high school football. His passion was Valley Heights [football] first and then K-State football second. He just brought a lot love and passion to the district and the boys and kids.”


And so during the 2003 football season, the old field with the wooden stands, the one that hosted a long history of the game and school he loved, was dedicated to in his name.

Yet as the seasons came and passed, and the stadium aged through the years, it became clear that either major renovations needed to be made, or a new stadium need to be built.


“You kind of get set in your ways and like things to go the same year in and year out,” Trimble said. “We had stability with that old field.”

But he agreed it was time to move on.

“I think the biggest thing I remember about the old stadium were the dim lights,” Trimble said. “They were old, and they weren’t very high, they just didn’t have the brightness.”

Last fall, those low dim lights turned off for the final time.

That final game came on Sept 18 last year as they Mustangs fell to Centralia 42-14. Following the final whistle of the game, the Mustangs made one final walk around the old cinder track, in honor of the history and all that their longtime home has meant to the program and the towns of Blue Rapids and Waterville.

“That was a bittersweet moment having the last game there,” Bergkamp said. “People walked [around] the track and made a circle, and then turned the lights out for the last time.”

***

These lights were much brighter.

And one week after the old dim lights of Charles Steele Memorial Stadium turned off for the final time in Waterville, they stood prominent and tall, hovering over the high school building down below.

The scoreboard on the south side stadium was powerfully lit with its bright red bulbs, and could be seen from the very same highway the Mustangs used to travel during their trips to Waterville for so many years.

Sitting in the new purple trimmed metal stands that September evening, principal Don Potter couldn’t be happier as he watched a new era of Mustang football begin alongside a near capacity crowd.

“It was definitely a sense of pride, and a sense of accomplishment,” Potter said in reflection while sitting in his office this week. “It was a sense of…togetherness. We had great attendance, and it was something that for me, I was really prideful of our accomplishment and what we were able to do together.”

Potter sat that opening night, and watched the Mustangs defend their new home, winning in convincing fashion by defeating Republic County 46-20—the first of three straight wins in the new stadium.
“I think they [the team] always get excited for games, but I think there was just a little added, something there that you could feel,” Trimble said of his team that night. “You could feel it being around them. It gives me goose bumps just talking about it.”

The victory that night was the final step in a process that began over a year-and-a-half before.

It began with a school board meeting in 2008. The USD 498 board, along with principal Potter and coach Trimble, decided a new stadium was finally needed for their high school football program after spending 42 years playing in Waterville.

Not only was a football stadium already in the original plans when Valley Heights was built in 1966, but throughout the years, the tedious trips to Waterville and dated memorial stadium facilities proved enough to approve plans for a new home.

“I think a lot of the reason to build it is obviously for our kids and our community to enjoy,” Potter said. “We were unable to host a track meet. Kids for track practice and football [practice] and those types of things, we had to transport kids, or they were having to drive to Waterville to practice.”

So after seven years as principal, Potter felt it was time. Eventually, a school board vote passed and the communities of Waterville and Blue Rapids saw construction for a new $2.1 million stadium at the high school begin.

The stadium was funded through a half-cent sales tax increase in both Blue Rapids and Waterville, as well as a bond issued.

Fast forward a year-and-a-half, and those problems are now solved in the form of a modern facility set neatly behind the main high school campus.

“The community was graciously supportive and really wanted to see us have a facility out here,” Potter said. “So our community obviously pulled together and said that is what we want for our school system.”

***

Now, this autumn the Mustangs have already had a taste of the new stadium, and are set to open their first full season of football at their new home. Coach Trimble and his Mustangs have began their summer practices at the new stadium this week in preparation for their 2010 season.

“The kids have kind of got used to it now,” Trimble said. “Our younger kids and our junior high kids did not get to play on it last year, we just had varsity games on it so I think there is going to be an added excitement for those younger kids when they finally have the opportunity to play on it.”

Bergkamp said there is no plan in place to transfer the name of Charles Steele Memorial Stadium to the new facility, and that a sign bearing the name “Valley Heights Sports Complex” will be added to the new press box.

Valley Heights begins their 2010 season on Sept. 3 against Onega

It is a season that Bergkamp and the cities of Blue Rapids and Waterville have been looking forward too.

“The excitement of that new stadium was the feeling that we accomplished something through community support,” Bergkamp said. “The feeling that everybody was in this together, and that both Blue Rapids and Waterville came together to really commit themselves to a first class facility for kids.

"And that’s it. It’s the kids.”

K-State Volleyball Team Ready For 2010 Campaign

When looking back at the 2009 season for the Kansas State volleyball team, there's one thing that stands out to coach Suzie Fritz — progression.

The 2009 team was young and as the season moved forward, the experience of her roster seemed to rise steadily along the way.

So, as the Wildcats enter the 2010 campaign, Fritz and her team will look to continue to build off of that progression. She'll be doing it with yet another young roster.

The Wildcats have nine freshmen on the squad entering the 2010 campaign, but that doesn't concern Fritz. She said the freshmen have pleased her during the start of fall camp.

"There's no question they really all, on any given day, have there moments," Fritz said during volleyball media day on Saturday. "Our challenge will be extending those moments and seeing who can play well over time."

The progression of last season's youth, while the Wildcats finished the season with a 12-18 record overall and 6-14 in the Big 12, was clearly seen.

"We were clearly a lot better at the end of the year than we were at the beginning," Fritz said. "I don't think we were surprised that it took us a little while to get there. We are still very young in terms of program development right now in that we will return two seniors and really the rest are underclassmen."

However the 2010 roster has a lot of young experience. Sophomores Caitlyn Donahue and Kathleen Ludwig both saw consistent playing time in 2009.

The Wildcats will be returning two seniors in JuliAnne Chisholm and Lauren Mathewson. Chisholm stepped in a starting role as well as a leadership position, as she had a breakout season leading the squad with 342 kills — averaging 3.05 per set.

"(Mathewson and Chisholm) have done a tremendous job," Fritz said. "I think where I have really noticed it is they were really responsible for what happened over the summer.

"Those two seniors were responsible for how often we got together, how productive we were and they were playing three or four days a week over the course of the summer and actually getting better — I think that is difficult to do.
"I think they came in far ahead of where I thought they would be and I thought they exceeded my expectations of how well prepared they were and I think that is a testament of the leadership of not only JuliAnne and Lauren, but I think Kathleen Ludwig as well, and those players who have been there before and the examples they were setting."

Mathewson will anchor the Wildcats' back row as she enters her senior year as the libero. She led the team with 514 digs last season, which ranks fourth in school history for a single season.
Donahue, who proved herself as a versatile player last season, will make the switch to setter this fall. It's a move that the 5-9 sophomore said she has transitioned into smoothly.

"It's been great," Donahue said of the transition. "I have a great supporting cast with my teammates and coaches. They all have that belief in me. I was a little smaller last year as a freshman (defensive specialist) — only playing in three rotations, and had some hitting time as well.

"But this year, to be playing all six rotations and having a little more leadership authority on the court, is nice."

The Wildcats open their 2010 campaign on Aug. 27 when they travel to Honolulu to participate in the Hawaii Cheveron Classic.
The K-State home opener is scheduled for Sept. 1 when the Wildcats host South Dakota.

-Photo Nathaniel LaRue The Manhattan Mercury

Cherry Learns Lessons from 2009 Campaign

Last season was a challenge for Josh Cherry and he has no problem admitting it.

Kansas State's senior kicker doesn't mind going into detail about just how difficult the first three weeks of the 2009 season were for him.

For the McCook, Neb. native, it was a growing process — one that he is thankful for as he heads into this season.

During those first three weeks of 2009, Cherry was searching desperately, and perhaps too intently, for one kick, one field goal.

That kick he felt, would give him something to build on. But that field goal took some to come — three weeks to be exact.
That stretch of misfiring took a mental toll on him.

"It was terrible for me," Cherry said.

It was a process, a journey, and ultimately a lesson for Cherry. His search, one that took him from Manhattan to Louisiana, and finally ended in Pasadena, Calif., saw Cherry attempt and miss three field goals.

But on that third week, under the lights on a warm still night at the Rose Bowl, Cherry finally connected on a 26-yard try during the first quarter against UCLA.

It was his first career field goal, and an incredible relief.
"Once I made my first field goal and then I made my second one, each kick became a lot easier," Cherry said. "I became a lot more comfortable because it just seemed like I wanted that first field goal so bad."

That first career field goal sparked something within Cherry, despite making only 1-of-6 to start the season. While it may have taken many outside the program some time to notice, he felt it right away.

For him, the confidence gained at UCLA from that 26-yard kick, fueled him for the rest of the season.

"I grew a lot of confidence within myself and just kind of went with a different mentality out on the field," Cherry said. "At the beginning of the season, it was, 'Man I really hope this goes in, I'm nervous.' At the end of the season it was 'This is going in.' I think that was huge mentally."

That mentality allowed Cherry to slowly grow into one of the Big 12's leading kickers as the season progressed. During the second half of the season, Cherry went on a stretch where he connected on 10-of-11 attempts including a season-high 47-yard field goal in the second quarter against Kansas.

"He really grew once conference play hit," senior long-snapper Corey Adams said. "I think everyone on the team saw it too."

Cherry finished the season with 11 good field goals, ranking third in the conference. He was 12-of-20 on the season — making 12-of-15 to end the season. Cherry has since been voted as a player representative by his teammates.

While the three-week stretch to begin 2009 took a mental toll on Cherry, it became clear during the second half of the season that he learned a lesson from the experience.

Now, he just needs to do it again this season.

"I know what to expect," Cherry said. "I know how to feel when I go out onto the field. I know how to calm myself down, how to and when I should be getting ready for field goals, how to keep myself prepared and not always be prepared and over-kick my leg on the sideline. Just a lot of things, small things, but in the end it all pays off."

The Wildcats open the season at home against UCLA at 2:30 p.m.

-File Photo The Manhattan Mercury

Former K-State Pitcher Enjoying Life in the Minor Leagues

It could be said that nobody saw it coming. Yes, Kansas State coach Brad Hill was slowly building something within the Wildcat baseball team for sometime, but in 2009 his program made some considerable noise.


Just one year ago in the middle of all of it all was A.J. Morris, who helped to alter the landscape and history of K-State baseball. As part of a marquee team during a turnaround season, the junior helped put both himself and the Wildcat program on the on the map.

It was a season in which the Wildcats received their first-ever postseason NCAA regional berth, while setting numerous school records in the midst of a flagship 43-win season.

"We just learned to buy into believing and going to the field and expecting to win, not hoping to win," Morris said in an interview with The Mercury this week. "If we are going out there for nine innings, we are going to win the ballgame. I think that attitude started to carry over into the K-State program. It's the only way to play baseball. When you play like that, a lot of good things happen, as you can tell this year. Obviously they are doing the same thing."

Taking the mound each Friday evening in 2009 under the lights at Tointon Family Stadium, Morris was the dominating force, and the headline story during the Wildcats' sudden rise in college baseball.

"Every time you step on the field you want to have the expectation to win," Hill said. "A.J. was a big part of that, and when he was on the mound you knew we had that."

Throughout that season, the 6-foot-2 junior was a turnaround story in himself too. Just one year earlier Morris finished with just a 4-4 record and an ERA over 6.00. Yet the Humble, Texas native completed the Wildcats' historic 2009 season with an incredible 14-1 record and an ERA of just 2.09.

"Last year to be a part of something that happened for the first time in school history, I mean, nobody can take that away from that team," said Morris, who is now pitching for the Class A Potomac Nationals.

With the sudden incredible breakout season, Morris caught the attention of not only the teams he faced in non-conference and Big 12 play, but the entire country.

His season resulted in a finalist selection for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's most outstanding player. Stephen Strasburg, a junior from San Diego State and the first overall selection of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft, won the award.

However, just to be in the conversation with Strasburg as a finalist for the prestigious award was something Morris took great pride in.

"It's something special," Morris said. "Stephen is an unbelievable pitcher. It was just an honor to be mentioned in there with those guys. It was a cool experience that I will never forget."

And so, Morris was rewarded for his own breakout year alongside Strasburg. With the impressive season, Morris was selected in the fourth round of the draft by the Washington Nationals — the same organization that picked Strasburg, who has been nothing but phenomenal in his first three big league starts.

"Every child who plays baseball wants (to make it) to the big-league game," Morris said. "To finally get the opportunity to get there and start playing is a blast. I enjoy it, I'm fortunate for the opportunity."

Morris is now in his second year of playing pro baseball with the Nationals organization. After beginning his career playing for the rookie league Gulf Coast Nationals, he has worked his way up to the Class A Advanced Potomac Nationals (Woodbridge, Va.) in the Carolina League.

For Morris it's been a rewarding and challenging rise through the ranks of the minor leagues.

"It just takes the same approach that got you there, attacking hitters, and letting your defense work behind you," Morris said.
"You learn to pitch on five days rest instead of seven, which is a little bit of a change.



"You have to learn to deal with the bumps and bruises like that, and you don't really want to get away from what helped you be successful. You just kind of take that and mold it and try to improve."

In March, Morris attended his first spring training camp in Melbourne, Fla.

"It was a great experience," he said. "You get a lot of feedback from people and head guys and pitching coaches. They all pretty much know what they're talking about, or they wouldn't be in that position. You just kind of take what you can learn and add it to your game and just try to improve and move up."

This season, with the Potomac Nationals, Morris has a 1-2 record with a 3.91 ERA through 10 starts. However, in his most recent start on June 3 against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Morris was forced to leave the game after a line drive struck him in the calf.

He is currently undergoing treatment for the injury and is hopeful to return to the mound soon.

"We are still just waiting for it to heal," he said. "As soon as I can start to run on it, I can pitch. It's just a lot of treatment and I'm trying to get ready."

But above all, Morris is proud of what he left behind at K-State. The now-pro pitcher in the Carolina League took time to visit the Wildcat program he left behind as they played an early March non-conference game in Florida this spring. It was during Nationals spring training and the proximity allowed him to visit with Hill and the team.

He was proud of what he saw that sunny weekend in Winter Haven, Fla. After all, it's a program and slowly rising baseball tradition that he himself helped to build just a year ago.

"It's a good feeling," Morris said. "It's nice to see that you do something for the first time, and it's not a one-hit wonder. It's a new tradition and it's something that each and every player coming into that program is going to be expected to live up to, and they're doing a good job of it so far."

As for himself, Morris is continuing to live the dream he has chased for his entire life. The dream that has landed him a job doing something that he loves.

"Getting to have a job that I dream of — playing baseball," Morris said. "I get to do it everyday. Some people have to wake up and have real jobs, I get to play baseball. I couldn't ask for anything better."

- Photos Courtesy of The Potomac Nationals

Two Wildcats Selected in MLB Draft

The Kansas State baseball team had two players selected in the MLB first-year player draft on Tuesday afternoon.

Both junior shortstop Carter Jurica and senior third baseman Adam Muenster had their names called after helping the Wildcat program another record-setting season in 2010.

"We are tremendously excited and happy for those guys," KSU coach Brad Hill said Tuesday. "You can't say enough for what Carter has meant for our program, and I couldn't be happier for Adam Muenster."

Jurica was selected in the third round as the 105th overall pick to the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Muenster was selected in the 29th round as the 877th pick overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds.

"It was definitely exciting," said Jurica, who watched the draft in his apartment with teammate James Allen. "I was a bit
surprised because I wasn't expecting to go early in the third. I was kind of more looking at the fifth (through) seventh. It kind of caught me off guard."

With the third-round selection on Tuesday, Jurica became the earliest Wildcat position player to be selected in the MLB draft since Jack Woolsey was selected in the second round in 1969, also by the Giants.

The junior from Katy, Texas is coming off his best season since becoming a Wildcat. Jurica hit .363 with 13 home runs this season, which tied him for fourth-most in KSU history. Two of his 13 home runs came during the Wildcats' regional appearance in Fayetteville, Ark.

"I started off the first half a little slow, but I picked it up towards the second half," Jurica said.
Jurica said he has been in contact with the San Francisco organization for much of the 2010 season, and plans to sign with the club soon after discussing specifics over the phone with the team Tuesday night. "It's a pretty tough opportunity to pass on," Jurica said. "As of right now, I plan on signing."

Meanwhile, Muenster had been in contact with the Reds' organization throughout the previous few months before his selection on Tuesday. The senior converted-third baseman said he plans on talking with members from the organization on Wednesday, and reporting to team camp as early as Sunday.

"It's kind of one of those things at the end of the year, when it is all said and done, you sit and think about where you want to go from there," Muenster said. "I definitely wanted to get drafted and I was prepared for both and if I didn't, I was going to be alright with it. But I'm definitely happy that it did happen."

Muenster finished his senior season hitting .381 as the leadoff hitter. The average was second to teammate and Co-Big 12 Player of the Year Nick Martini who hit .416.

In his career at K-State, Muenster played both left field and third base, while also serving as the primary designated hitter in 2009.

The Omaha, Neb., native will leave a lasting mark on the Wildcat program as he ranks first in career steals with 78 and ranks in the top 10 in career singles (second with 183), doubles (eighth with 44), runs scored (eighth with 161) and total bases (10th with 313).

Hill has now had 20 players drafted since joining the KSU program seven years ago.

"It means a lot to our program," Hill said. "When kids see two kids who weren't drafted out of high school, develop into high draft picks, that really (shows) how our program has evolved."

K-State's Ohlde Entering Seventh Year In WNBA

She was unique.

That much, Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson knew in the summer of 1996 when she first saw the skinny 6-foot-1 eighth grader from Clay Center.

It was during her annual K-State summer camp that a skinny girl named Nicole Ohlde ran a basketball up and down the court and swarmed for rebounds, catching Patterson's eye.

That day, it was as if Patterson could already envision Ohlde in a purple and white uniform.

"You knew there was something really special and unique about her," Patterson said during a recent interview. "She was dribbling the ball up the floor after rebounds, and then passing it, and the next thing you knew she was at the rim finishing the shot. You knew there was something really feisty and special about her."

But what she couldn't foresee that summer, was just how much an impact the unassuming girl from Clay Center would have on her program for years to come.

Ohlde didn't either.

"I just remember it was a blast because I love to play basketball," Ohlde recalled of the camp. "Back then I had so much energy I was just running around anyway. I don't really remember necessarily doing anything that stood out, but I'm sure Coach
Patterson saw something."

Ohlde put on her first Wildcat uniform in 2000, and quickly those instinctive reactions Patterson saw in her prized recruit became reality. In just her second collegiate game, Ohlde scored 36 points and pulled down 19 rebounds against Wyoming at the Oregon State Beaver Classic.

It was the beginning of a career that eventually led Ohlde to a pair of All-America selections and an eventual first round draft selection by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx of in 2004. She was the third Wildcat to be drafted into the league in the Patterson era.

Ohlde is still second in KSU history in both scoring and rebounds with 2,241 points and 995 rebounds, respectively.

"The day that Nicole was drafted, it is without question one of the happiest days in my career," Patterson said.

On that day, her teammates, parents and Patterson surrounded Ohlde as they watched her name appear as a first-round pick.

"It was a very exciting day," said Ohlde, who was also a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year. "It was something that I never really could have dreamed of. It was just an amazing feeling to know that hard work had paid off. I was starting a new journey in my life, and it was a very exciting time in my life."

The draft was a step in her life that once again proved Patterson's hunch when she first saw Ohlde, was indeed true.

Quickly, Ohlde carried her college career successes on to Minnesota. Now, seven years later, Ohlde is a member of the Phoenix Mercury after being traded.

While she has been in the league for a while, the highlight of Ohlde's professional career came just last season when she helped the Mercury to their second WNBA title in the team's 13-year history. She helped the team defeat the Indiana Fever in a best-of-five championship series.



"It was definitely a dream come true," Ohlde said. "Just to have the opportunity to be a part of something like that, and the excitement and joy after putting in the hard work, to achieve something like that, it was just ecstatic. My parents were there, a lot of my best friends were involved in that, and coming back this year for the ring ceremony was very exciting."

Now, Ohlde is entering her seventh year in the WNBA, looking to battle off a slight hamstring injury suffered prior to the season starting.

The 6-foot-5 center said she is feeling better as the season progresses, and hopes that her minutes and production will begin to reflect that. Through five games this season with the Mercury, Ohlde is averaging 10.2 minutes, down significantly from her seven-year career average of 24.3.

"I am trying to work through that," she said. "Hopefully with getting in the flow and rhythm of playing, I will pick my minutes back up. I think it is crazy how quickly you get out of game shape and out of the rhythm of things.

"The first game was definitely shaky, and hopefully after a few more games I get some minutes, and hopefully I will feel better about myself and be able to contribute a little more."

The injury came following Ohlde's sixth season of playing basketball in Europe during the WNBA offseason. Last year, she competed on Hungary's women's squad.

During her professional career, Ohlde has played basketball in several countries, including teams in Belgium, Spain, France and last year's season with Hungary.
Ohlde says she has become comfortable with the European basketball league.

"My first year was quite a challenge," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to go back again. Every year after that, it has been great and it's just something that I know I'm going to do. It's something that just kind of comes second nature to me now."

But the grind of playing year-round basketball caught up with her as they began the 2010 season with the Phoenix Mercury this summer.

"I'm definitely not 100 percent," she said last week. "I don't think anybody's 100 percent in this league."
With the hamstring injury and in the last year of her contract, this season will answer many questions about her pro career and life beyond it.

Currently, she plans to complete this WNBA season and go to Europe again in the off-season. During that process she hopes to reach another contract agreement with a WNBA squad and return for an eighth season.

As for her life after basketball, that is something she has yet to completely figure out.

"That's something I have been thinking about a little bit," Ohlde said. "I guess I am going to have to make a decision at some point down the road. I have always thought about coaching and being some type of personal trainer, or doing something with kids.

"I think I have options, I just need to figure out what exactly I want to do."

While she said those plans are something she likes to keep private, Ohlde said she may eventually consult with Coach Patterson about where her next step may take her.

"I haven't really discussed it with a lot of people," Ohlde said. "I'm trying to hold off as long as I can. Maybe down the road I can talk to her (Patterson) or with other people about it. But right now, I have been thinking about it mostly to myself."

Regardless of what happens, the story of Nicole Ohlde is something that still puts a smile on Patterson's face. The 15th-year KSU coach said she continues to use Ohlde as an example of what her program strives to build in its players.

"It is just such a tremendous story," Patterson said. "She was the epitome of a great student-athlete and carries herself with such class and dignity. She is someone who you can point to as an example of the things that are possible if you do choose to build your career here at Kansas State University. There's nothing like a walking, talking example and role model. That's what Nicole is."

Ryan Daniel Ready For A Comeback

It was Ryan Daniel's senior year at Kansas State and nothing was going to take that from him. The right-handed pitcher wanted a repeat of last season's NCAA regional run, and maybe more. Daniel wanted more than anything to help give that to the K-State team.

So he wasn't going to let anything, even the unusual pain he felt in his right shoulder on April 25 take that away from him. It was the first game of a doubleheader against Missouri and suddenly something about his pitching motion wasn't right.

Despite the sudden pain, Daniel pushed through it as much as he could - and kept quiet.
He didn't let anyone, even the coaches and team trainers know that something was wrong.

"My arm just didn't feel like it usually did," Daniel said. "It didn't feel 100 percent, but I tried to throw through it anyways."

To that point in the season, Daniel had emassed a 5-1 record and helped the Wildcats jump out to one of the best starts in school history, even better than last season's unexpected run.

Through the pain, Daniel pushed on.

But by his next start one week later in Norman, Okla., that pain almost cut his senior season short.

Daniel could muster only one inning of work before the pain became too much.

"My shoulder locked up on me and I just couldn't throw anymore," he said.

Immediately, KSU coach Brad Hill and team trainers examined their No. 1 weekend starter.

After evaluating Daniel's shoulder, the injury was diagnosed as a flared rotator cuff, limiting the range of motion in his throwing arm and making it extremely painful to pitch.

It was then that the Fort Collins, Colo. native learned he would be miss 2-4 weeks so to rehabilitate his injured throwing arm.

"I wish I would have been smart enough to say something about it earlier," Daniel said.

After finally getting to the bottom of the pain, Daniel knew he still could contribute to the Wildcats as they entered the second half of Big 12 play, while still locked into a tight race atop the conference standings.

During the next three weeks Daniel spent on the sidelines, he took on a new role with the team. The former Friday night starter quickly transformed into a leader off the field and inside the K-State dugout. During a pivotal series against No. 1-ranked Texas and in-state rival Kansas, he could be seen in the dugout rallying teammates and providing vocal leadership.

Hill described Daniel as one of the biggest cheerleaders in the dugout during both series.

"I just kind of took a part to help out and keep our enthusiasm and spirit up even when I wasn't playing," Daniel said. "I just tried to charge the guys and cheer them on as much as possible. Even though I couldn't help them on the field, I was trying do everything I could off of the field."

And that's exactly what he did.

The Wildcats defeated No.1 Texas on Friday, in what would have been his usual day to start, and K-State snapped the Longhorns' 21-game winning streak.

"I found myself pacing back and forth during those close games," Daniel said. "I was trying to yell behind everyone to get them to yell more. That series was something else."

After spending three weeks in the dugout, resting his right shoulder, Daniel has appeared in two games, a relief appearance against Texas A&M and a start against Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament. He took the loss against the Sooners, his fourth of the season, after lasting just three innings.

He admitted he was still adjusting to the in-game scenarios after his three-week absence, but the two outings provided him with enough work to feel completely rehabilitated.

"I just kind of lost my release point, but I think I found it at the Big 12 (tournament), which is good."

Daniel can now focus on putting his arm back to good use tonight at 7 when the Wildcats (36-20) play their first round game against Washington State (34-20) in the Fayetteville (Ark.) regional of the NCAA Championships.

Daniel said his arm is feeling healthy again, and the opportunity to be apart of the team again and pitch for the Wildcats is something his is grateful for as third-seeded K-State gets set for just its second regional in the history of the program.

"It would mean so much for me," he said this week. "Especially because it might be my last time to ever pitch. It would definitely mean the world to me to be able to go out there and try to get a win for my team and help them to get to the next level."

Photo- K-State Sports Information