EDMOND —
Central Oklahoma is expected to be a top contender for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association softball title this season, with the first-year member Bronchos picked second in the pre-season poll released Wednesday.
UCO received three first-place votes and finished with 177 points in balloting of the league’s 15 head coaches to come in second behind defending champion Emporia State. The Hornets collected 12 first-place votes and had 194 points.
Missouri Western was just a point behind the Bronchos in third place, with Fort Hays State coming in fourth and Pittsburg State fifth.
UCO played as a Division II independent last season and beat ESU in the South Central Regional One finals before going on to defeat Angelo State in the South Central Super Regional en route to advancing to the Division II World Series.
The Bronchos have back six players — including four everyday starters and one of their top pitchers — from that 46-9 team, which finished No. 2 in the final rankings. Several impact newcomers are expected to also play a big role on this year’s team.
“We’re excited to be a part of the MIAA and look forward to the challenge,” said 16th-year head coach Genny Stidham, the winningest coach in school history with a 424-278-2 record. “There’s a lot of great teams in the conference and we know we’ll have to be ready to play every time we take the field.”
UCO opens the season Feb. 8-10 at the Whitten Inn Classic in Abilene, Texas. The Bronchos don’t make their home debut until hosting Southern Nazarene for a March 5 doubleheader.
Broncho baseball ranked 4th
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association baseball newcomer Central Oklahoma has been tabbed for a fourth-place finish in 2013, according to the pre-season poll announced by the league office Wednesday.
The Bronchos finished with 152 points in voting of the 15 head coaches, trailing Central Missouri, Missouri Western and Emporia State.
The three-time defending champion Mules earned 14 first-place votes to take the favorite’s tag with 196 points. The Griffons had the remaining first-place vote and 175 points for second, followed by the Hornets (160), UCO (152) and Fort Hays State (136).
The Bronchos went 31-17 last season while competing as an NCAA Division II independent and return 11 players from that squad, including four position starters and their top two pitchers. A large number of newcomers are expected to have a big impact this spring.
“We’re really excited about the MIAA and the opportunity it brings our program,” said UCO head coach Dax Leone, who is 54-40 starting his third year at the helm. “Not being in a conference last year was very frustrating and even though we had a productive season, our post-season aspirations were limited at best.
“This year, we’re on the same playing field as everyone else in the country and that’s exciting.”
The Bronchos open the season with league play, going to Southwest Baptist for a three-game series Feb. 15-16. UCO makes its home debut Feb. 23 against Fort Hays State.
Sports
UCO 2nd in MIAA softball poll, 4th in baseball
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6 Edmond golfers hit pro links in Norman
Six Edmond golf professionals will tee it up Wednesday in the Second Annual OK Kids Korral Championship at Belmar Golf Club in Norman.
One hundred-eight players make up this year’s event on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series. This includes five amateurs and 15 of the top 25 players on the 2013 AGPTS money list including last week’s winner in Miami, Okla. Mark Walker of Hurst, Texas, who is currently third among the money leaders.
Players from Edmond include William Kropp, Andrew Green, Dillon Rust, Wilhelm Bogstrand, Jackson Ogle and Cameron Meyers. -
UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
At the University of Central Oklahoma’s Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities June 6-9, four athletes qualified for the 2014 World Championships in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) powerlifting competition.
The qualifying athletes include Trevor Bunch from O’Fallon, Mo.; who is making his World Championships debut; Scott Danberg from Cooper City, Fla., a five-time Paralympian; Bryce Segura from New Iberia, La., who is competing in his first World Championships; and Mary Stack from Ann Arbor, Mich., a four-time Paralympian. -
Two UCO rowers named All-American
Central Oklahoma rowers Jenna Goodner and Michaela Stam have been named to the NCAA Division II All-America Team, it was announced by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
Goodner was a first-team selection, while Stam was a second-team choice. All-America selections take into account a candidate’s strength of schedule, regular season record, end of season regatta results, nomination rank, coach’s comments and 2,000-meter ergometer score. -
The remembrance remains fresh
The celebration is not over.
The Deer Creek girls basketball team continued to relive March’s state basketball championship Friday at Deer Creek High School with a Class 5A state championship ring ceremony.
Head coach Totsy Manning greeted each of her players by presenting them with a title ring.
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Traffic shouldn’t be an issue with upcoming national soccer tournament
About 15,000 people are expected at the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regional at the Edmond Soccer Complex on Danforth Road near Kelly Avenue June 21-27.
The number of out-of-state guests should not be a problem according to Assistant City Manager Steve Commons. The tournament will attract more than 200 boys and girls teams, ages Under-13 through Under-19, from the 12 state associations that make up U.S. Youth Soccer Region III (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, north Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, south Texas and Tennessee).
As a matter of fact, Commons feels very upbeat about the prospect of Edmond hosting the national tournament. -
LaFaye takes Pick-A-Partner crown with 135
The KickingBird Men’s Golf Assocation’s Pick-A-Partner was won by Robert LaFaye Saturday with a 135.
Sean Conrad took second (136) while Kevin Wright and Kevin O’Neil deadlocked for third place at 137. -
UCO overtakes Division II foes for national title
Starting out the postseason, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos softball team puttered out in the MIAA Tournament.
But UCO shifted it into another gear when the rounds of regionals began and rode the wild momentum going undefeated en route to securing the NCAA II national championship over Kutztown (Pa.) in Salem, Va.
The Bronchos dominated, going 9-0 straight through to the national title contest on May 27. -
2013 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships to bring more than $8 million to Edmond area
he 2013 US Youth Soccer Region III (South) Championships presented by the National Guard, to be played June 21-27, will provide an estimated economic impact of more than $8 million to the Edmond area.
Local restaurants, hotels, retail stores and others will benefit from the more than 3,600 players, coaches, teams and tournament officials, along with an estimated 12,000 spectators attending the seven-day tournament. Visitors to the Edmond area will book an estimated 10,000 room nights at area hotels.
The top 200 Boys and Girls US Youth Soccer teams from Region III, including at least 19 teams from the host Oklahoma Soccer Association, will compete at the Edmond Soccer Club Complex. -
Memorial graduate Morris totes home MVP trophy
It’s always good when Oklahoma beats Texas in anything and Saturday night’s 101-95 victory by Oklahoma over Texas in the annual Faith 7 Basketball Bowl at Oklahoma Baptist University's Noble Complex was a real cause for celebration.
But the happiest person in the gym might have been Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. You might remember that Marshall and his band of opportunistic Shockers shocked the basketball world and several NCAA experts with their improbable run to the much coveted Final 4 in April.
But Marshall, one of the clinic speakers during the annual Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association annual festival, didn't want to talk about the Shockers’ monumental achievements of the spring. His big grin and jovial nature could easily have been a glimpse into the Wichita State future. -
Stars’ Crabaugh, Jensen become MLB draftees
Oklahoma City University’s Cody Crabaugh and Chase Jensen have been chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday.
The San Diego Padres took Jensen in the 22nd round with the 658th overall selection, while the Miami Marlins picked Crabaugh, a former Edmond North player, in the 32nd round with the 952nd choice.
Crabaugh, a senior right-handed pitcher from Edmond, compiled a 13-2 record and 2.12 earned run average, three complete games, a shutout and 77 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched this year.
In the NAIA, Crabaugh ranked fourth in wins this year. He led the SAC in wins and ranked second in ERA to his teammate Derek Howell. Crabaugh struck out seven in eight innings, both season highs, against Mid-America Christian on May 3 in the SAC Tournament. His whitewashed St. Gregory's on March 20 in Shawnee, Okla. He became a second-team NAIA all-American and first-team all-SAC selection this season. - More Sports Headlines
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