CNT Sports // Baseball & Softball // NRG CN
HUSKER BASEBALL AIMS FOR REVENGE HOSTING BLUEJAYS:
Nebraska Baseball returns to Haymarket Park for a chance at revenge against their in-state rival Creighton, as the Huskers await the Bluejays with first pitch just after 6 PM.
Caleb Clark will start for the Big Red taking on Eli Nissen from Creighton. The game can be heard on 1340 KGFW, 96.1 FM, on the free KGFW mobile app, and online at KGFW.com with pregame beginning at 5:30 PM.
Nebraska and Creighton meet for the second time this season after the Bluejays came away victorious with a 5-3 win earlier this month in Omaha.
STORM DROP OPENING PLAYOFF MATCHUP TO SIOUX FALLS THRILLER:
The Tri-City Storm opened the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Sioux Falls Stampede Monday night at the Viaero Center.
Jake Rozzi netted the third postseason hat trick in franchise history, including a game-tying goal with less than five seconds to play to force an overtime finish.
Nolan Roed and August Falloon also netted a goal for the Storm in the loss.
Tri-City will return to action tonight at the Viaero Center in the second game of the Best-Of-Three opening round series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05pm CT.
STEINBROOK EARNS CAREER WIN No. 300:
A legendary career continues to grow for the Kearney Boys Soccer program, as head coach for the Bearcats Scott Steinbrook notched career victory No. 300 on Monday afternoon in Kearney’s 1-0 victory over Lincoln Pius X.
Steinbrook entered the 2024 season with a career mark of 291-115 leading the Bearcats for his 25th season as head coach. The Bearcats have made twelve of their nineteen state tournament appearances under Steinbrook, including six state semifinalist marks, a runner-up finish in 2009, and a state championship in 2018.
The Kearney Boys soccer team returns to Seacrest Field on Wednesday to continue their Heartland Athletic Conference tournament run, facing off against Lincoln East in the fourth place game as part of the Silver Bracket. Kick off is set for 1 PM.
GREG SHARPE ANNOUNCES CANCER DIAGNOSIS:
The “Voice of the Huskers” for Nebraska Football, Baseball, and the evening Sports Nightly program Greg Sharpe announced Monday night his cancer diagnosis.
Sharpe has been a radio announcer for Nebraska Athletics since 2008, working as a senior announcer, host, and producer. Prior to joining Nebraska, Sharpe was well regarded for his role in working with Kansas State Athletics from 1996-2002 for the Wildcats football and basketball programs.
HUSKER BASKETBALL ADDS UTAH POINT GUARD:
The Nebraska men’s basketball program added another experienced piece to its 2024-25 roster with the addition of Utah transfer Rollie Worster (pronounced raw-lee Wooster).
Worster, a 6-foot-4, 204-pound guard from Missoula, Mont., has made 101 starts and has tallied 888 points, 425 assists and 473 rebounds during his collegiate career.
He has played under former Husker assistant Craig Smith at both Utah, where he started 76 of 77 contests for the Runnin’ Utes over the last three seasons and at Utah State, where he started 25 games in helping the school to an NCAA appearance in 2020-21 before Smith took over the Utah program.
BEN JOHNSON EARNS LOCAL OFFER:
The University of Nebraska at Kearney men’s basketball program took their first look locally to add future talent on Monday, extending an offer to Class of 2025’s Ben Johnson from Kearney High School.
Johnson, a current junior, has already received numerous accolades during his three-year varsity career. Recently, the top-ten Class A scorer was named the Kearney Hub’s boys basketball player of the season following his 18.4 points per game, 9.7 rebound per contest, 4.0 assists per game output leading Kearney to the A-7 District Final.
Johnson is currently 10th in total points scored in Bearcat history with 934 career points. The Lopers announced a new head coach earlier this month, naming alum Marty Levinson as the next head coach.
SCHILKE COMMITS TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS:
Kearney Football will have a Division I linebacker manning their defense for the upcoming 2024 season, as Class of 2025’s Sawyer Schilke announced his commitment to Northern Illinois Football on Monday
Schilke, currently a junior, recorded 58 total tackles in 2023 including 32 solo stops. The speedy linebacker was also a major factor in the backfield, recording 10 tackles for loss while being a Class A leader in sacks with five.
The 6’3″, 230 pound linebacker routinely lined up as an edge rusher for the Bearcats, but also played middle linebacker for the Bearcats.
KEARNEY BASEBALL FALLS FLAT IN RUN-RULE LOSS:
The Kearney Baseball team lost at home for the second consecutive game on Monday, falling 17-2 to Millard North at Memorial Field on Monday night.
The Bearcats (10-10) have dropped their last three games, and failed to muster a run until the fourth inning in which Millard North had already taken a 17-0 advantage. The Mustangs (5-11) won with seventeen runs on twelve hits, committing only one error, while Kearney fell, scoring two runs on four hits with four errors.
Kearney has the rest of the week off prior to starting their final stretch of the regular season with eight games remaining in a ten-day span beginning on Saturday with a triangular against Norfolk and Omaha South.
McCONNAUGHEY NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Sophomore Mason McConnaughey has been named the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
McConnaughey moved to 4-2 on the season after shutting out the Big Ten’s top offense across seven innings in Nebraska’s 16-1 win at Rutgers. The sophomore matched his career high with nine strikeouts and worked around six singles, allowing just one baserunner to reach third base.
With the seven shutout innings, McConnaughey picked up his second quality start of the season. It also marked Nebraska’s second consecutive weekly accolade after Brett Sears earned recognition last week.
SHELLEY SELECTED IN WNBA DRAFT:
Jaz Shelley became the first Husker graduate chosen in the WNBA Draft since 2014, when the three-time All-Big Ten guard was selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the 29th overall pick in the third round on Monday night.
Shelley, a 5-9 graduate student from Moe, Australia, averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and team highs of 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals as a senior in helping the Huskers advance to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament after playing their way into the Big Ten Championship Game.
Shelley follows 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year and first-team All-American Jordan Hooper, who was the No. 13 overall pick as the first pick of the second round by the Tulsa Shock. Hooper went on to spend four seasons in the WNBA as part of her nine-year professional career.
Shelley becomes the seventh Nebraska graduate and ninth former Husker overall to be chosen in the WNBA Draft. She was one of three Australians and one of seven Big Ten Conference players selected in the 36-player draft.
Buffalo County Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN BUFFALO COUNTY SPORTS:
MONDAY:
High School Sports:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Boys Soccer: HAC Tournament, Silver Bracket v. Lincoln Pius X @ Seacrest Field – Kearney 1-0 LPX
- Girls Tennis: @ Lexington Dual @ Plum Creek Tennis Courts – KHS 7-2 Lexington
- Baseball: v. Millard North @ Memorial Field – Millard North 17-2 Kearney
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Baseball: v. Millard North @ Memorial Field – Millard North 17-2 Kearney
- Girls Tennis: v. St. Paul – No score reported
- Boys Golf: v. GICC @ Meadowlark Hills – No score reported
- PLEASANTON:.
- Boys Golf: @ Alma Invite – 11th
- RAVENNA:
- Boys Golf: @ Central City Scramble – N/a
TUESDAY:
High School Sports:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Girls Soccer: HAC TOURNAMENT, Silver Bracket v. Lincoln North Star @ Seacrest Field – 6 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Girls Tennis: @ Lincoln Christian Invite – 8:30 AM
- Boys Golf: @ Adams Central Invite – 10 AM
- Track & Field: @ Gothenburg Qualifier – CANCELED
- Girls Soccer: v. Lexington – 5 PM
- AMHERST:
- Girls Soccer: v. Lexington – 5 PM
- PLEASANTON:.
- Track & Field: @ Overton – 9 AM
- GIBBON:
- Boys Golf: @ Adams Central Invite – 10 AM
- Girls Soccer: v. Lexington – 5 PM
- SHELTON:
- Track & Field: @ Gothenburg Qualifier – CANCELED
College Athletics:
- HASTINGS COLLEGE BRONCOS:
- Women’s Golf: @ Kaitlyn Erickson Doane Invite – 10 AM
- Men’s Golf: @ Verhille Invite – 10 AM
- NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS:
- Baseball: v. Creighton @ Hawks Field – 6 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5:30 PM
- Baseball: v. Creighton @ Hawks Field – 6 PM
KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Baseball v. Creighton (5:30 PM – 10:30 PM)
