×

Friday Afternoon Sports – Kearney Senior Legion Districts Postseason Pushed Back to Saturday, Juniors Begin Action Today, Kearney SportsPlex Announces Groundbreaking, MIAA Sets Representatives for Media Days, Sports Scores and Schedules

By Austin Jacobsen Jul 14, 2023 | 4:13 PM

KEARNEY LEGION TEAMS DISTRICT OPENERS POSTPONED:

The A7 District Seniors tournament will be waiting an extra day before kicking off action at Grand Island’s Ryder Park. Due to rain showers Friday, all contests have been postponed a day as the tournament will resume with their regular schedule on Saturday.

The Runza Seniors are seeded fourth in the A7 Senior Legion District, facing fifth seeded Lexington Pinnacle Bank at Ryder Park. The winner will face Hastings Five Points Bank on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 PM. 

However, the A7 Juniors bracket is set to start today. The POST 52 Juniors head to Bill Wood Field to battle the Grand Island Tom Dinsdale Juniors as the fourth seed. First pitch for the Kearney Juniors has been moved to 5:30 PM

 

KEARNEY SPORTSPLEX ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING DATE:

The City of Kearney announced Thursday that construction on Kearney SportsPlex, previously referred to as the Kearney Indoor Sports Complex, has commenced.  To celebrate, a groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 8:30 a.m.  

At 209,000 square feet, Kearney Sportsplex is an indoor sports complex located directly off of Interstate-80.  The facility offers a climate-controlled environment, year-round place-to-play containing state-of-the-art amenities including:

8 basketball courts with conversion to 12 volleyball courts, allowance for 20+ wrestling mats, premium turf field customizable for multiple-sized soccer fields for all ages, three drop-down net batting cages, four pickleball courts comprised of over 9,000 square feet; and a three-lane, 300-meter, full corners, running/walking track.

More details at KGFW.com.

 

MIAA SETS REPRESENTATIVES FOR MEDIA DAYS:

The MIAA Media Days have been set in Kansas City for Tuesday, July 25. Opening remarks begin at 9:30 AM with conference commissioner Mike Racy leading off the event. 

Each school in attendance will have three representatives for their football program for a media appearance lasting around 15 minutes. 

The University of Nebraska-Kearney Loper Football team will have first-year head coach Ryan Held in attendance, along with 2021 Harlon Hill Runner-Up TJ Davis and defensive lineman Tell Spies. 

UNK’s media session begins at 10:30 AM. The Lopers finished fourth in the MIAA last season, going 8-3 and missing a bowl and postseason berth due to narrow losses to Pittsburg State, Emporia State, and Northwest Missouri State. 

 

FORMER HUSKER PITCHER, GRAND ISLAND NATIVE SCHANAMAN SIGNS DEAL WITH BRAVES:

Sources have confirmed that Husker closer and Grand Island native Shay Schanaman has signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Braves. 

The righty had a 3.07 ERA in 55 2/3 innings with 66 strikeouts and six saves in his senior season.

Schanaman finished fifth on NU’s career strikeout list. Terms of the deal are presently unknown.

 

INCOMING HUSKER WBB FRESHMAN SET TO LEAD AUSTRALIAN FIBA TEAM:

Nebraska incoming freshman Jessica Petrie leads Australia to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Madrid, Spain, July 15-23.

The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast and the rest of the Australians will battle the hosts from Spain at 1:15 p.m. (CT) on Saturday in their opening game of Group A competition at the Sport Complex Espartales in Alcala de Henares. Australia enters the tournament ranked No. 3 in the world, while Spain is No. 4. 

Petrie, who celebrated her 18th birthday in May, competed for the Australian U16, U17 and U18 national teams last summer.

 

CHI HEALTH CENTER NEW HOME FOR OMAHA PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL:

The CHI Health Center got a new tenant Thursday morning.

Nebraska Pro Volleyball announced it will make the 18,000-seat venue the home for its women’s pro volleyball team.

The team will play in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Other clubs currently in the league are Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando, Grand Rapids and Columbus.

Diane Mendenhall is the president of Nebraska Pro Volleyball. She has a rich background in the sport, including 12 years in the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball program.

The CHI Health Center is no stranger to mega-sized volleyball crowds, packing the arena for Nebraska-Creighton matchups and the NCAA Final Four.

 

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCHEDULE:

u

San Diego Padres @ Philadelphia Phillies – 5:05 PM

Miami Marlins @ Baltimore Orioles – 6:05 PM

San Francisco Giants @ Pittsburgh Pirates – 6:05 PM

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Toronto Blue Jays – 6:07 PM

Milwaukee Brewers @ Cincinnati Reds – 6:10 PM

Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets – 6:10 PM

Chicago White Sox @ Atlanta Braves – 6:20 PM

Cleveland Guardians @ Texas Rangers – 7:05 PM

Boston Red Sox @ Chicago Cubs – 7:05 PM

Tampa Bay Rays @ Kansas City Royals – 7:10 PM

Washington Nationals @ St. Louis Cardinals – 7:15 PM

New York Yankees @ Colorado Rockies – 7:40 PM

Houston Astros @ Los Angeles Angels – 8:38 PM

Minnesota Twins @ Oakland Athletics – 8:40 PM

Detroit Tigers @ Seattle Mariners – 9:10 PM

 

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

FRIDAY:

  • Kearney Legion Baseball:
    • Runza Seniors: Area 7 District Tournament @ Ryder Park
      • #4 Runza Kearney v. #5 Lexington Pinnacle Bank – POSTPONED
        • Moved to Saturday at 1 PM
    • POST 52: Area 7 District Tournament @ Bill Wood Field
      • #4 Runza Kearney v. #5 Grand Island Tom Dinsdale – POSTPONED – 5:30 PM
    • Five Points: N/a
    • Jerseys: N/a
  • KGFW Sports Schedule:
    • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

SATURDAY:

  • Kearney Legion Baseball:
    • Runza Seniors: #4 Runza Kearney v. #5 Lexington Pinnacle Bank – 1 PM
      • KGFW Pregame at 12:45 PM
    • POST 52: Area 7 District Tournament @ Bill Wood Field – TBD
    • Five Points: N/a
    • Jerseys: N/a
  • KGFW Sports Schedule:
    • A7 District Tournament – Runza Senior Legion Baseball v. Lexington Pinnacle Bank (12:45 PM – 3:45 PM)

SUNDAY:

  • Kearney Legion Baseball:
    • Runza Seniors: Area 7 District Tournament @ Ryder Park – TBD
    • POST 52: Area 7 District Tournament @ Bill Wood Field – TBD
    • Five Points: N/a
    • Jerseys: N/a
  • KGFW Sports Schedule:
    • Runza Senior Legion Baseball v. Area 7 District Tournament – TBD