Baseball off to slow start

The Missouri Western men’s baseball team hasn’t exactly got out to the start they planned this season, with many of their first games getting cancelled, thier record now stands at 8-14 and (5-6) in conference.

There have been bright spots for the Griffons this season. Their offense has been exceptionally well, so far. Ben Toedebusch and Adam Carolan have been two of the better hitters for the Griffons. Toedebusch leads the team in batting average at an impressive 407. He is also tied for the team lead in triples with two, and also adds two home runs and 14 run batted in. Carolan leads the team in home runs and runs batted in, with four and 16 respectively.

The Griffons pitching staff has also been a bright spot for the team. The Griffons have a team earned run average of 5.93. The leaders of the pitching staff, so far have been Chris Jackson and Chris Rusler. Jackson has the Griffons lone shutout this season and Rusler leads the Griffons in earned run average, with a 2.08.

The Griffons still have time to turn it around this season. Their goal is to make the conference tournament and try to win that to get to the playoffs. The Griffons are looking for their seventh straight winning season.

Another key player for the Griffons, so far this season has been Troy Landi. Landi has been a table setter for the baseball team. He leads the team in runs scored with 23 and he also leads the team in stolen bases with ten.

The Griffons are currently sitting at sixth in the MIAA conference. The conference is top loaded with Emporia State, who is ranked tenth in the nation, and Central Missouri, who is currently 21st in the nation. The Griffons are currently only a game out of third place.

The Griffons have set off on a long trip. They won their first game on Friday against Truman State by the score of 13-3. Then on Saturday in a doubleheader they won their first game against Truman State by the score of 7-4, and in the second game they lost by the score of 5-2. The Griffons will be back home on April 8 and will have a total of ten home games, through April 20.

Chiefs to visit Western

Missouri Western and the Kansas City Chiefs have announced that Western will host an off season practice for the Chiefs on June 12 at Spratt Stadium.

The practice will be a passing practice featuring some of the Kansas City Chief players. The players will not be in full pads, but rather helmets and shorts. The Chiefs cheerleaders and KC Wolf will also be in attendance for fans to enjoy.

After the practice is over Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards will address the crowd with a brief message, then some of the players will be available for autographs. The workout is scheduled for approxi­mately 90 minutes.

This visit is not related to the Chiefs thinking about moving training camp to Missouri Western campus. This is going to become an annual event at different locations around the Kansas City area. Western was the first location that was picked by the Chiefs for this off-season workout.

This event is not only for the Western family, but also for the St. Joseph community as well. St. Joseph is full of Chief fans and this will be a fun way for them to interact with their favorite team. Dan Nicoson believes this is a way for people to see their favorite team.

“It’s not just for Western, but for the whole community,” Nicoson said. “It gives people a chance who normally don’t get to see the Chiefs, a chance to see them.”

Not all of the details have been released for the event. Western is not out to make money, but it is unsure whether there will be a cost. If there is a cost it will be a minor charge.

This will be a great opportunity for the campus to be shown off for the community, as they can come cheer on the Chiefs and see the beauty that is Spratt Stadium.