CAPTION: Hutchinson Monarchs’ pitcher Jace Miner (39), shown here pitching against Derby June 29, got the start Saturday night in the Monarchs’ regular-season finale against the Kingman Islanders. Miner pitched five innings in the Monarchs’ 5-3 win over the Islanders. CREDIT JOHN MESH
By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Monarchs scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Kingman Islanders 5-3 Saturday night at Hobart-Detrer Field.
The Monarchs, who clinched the Jayhawk Collegiate League baseball title with a 2-1 win over the Islanders Friday night, finished the regular season with a 28-6 overall record and posted a 13-2 league record.
Kingman is 23-10 overall and 10-6 in league play.
The Monarchs will open defense of their 2023 National Baseball Congress World Series in a 6 p.m. pool play game Thursday at Wichita State University’s Eck Stadium.
Kingman scored one run in the top of the second inning Saturday to take a 1-0 lead against the Monarchs.
The Monarchs stranded one runner in the bottom of the first and two in the second inning.
Hutchinson’s Will Edmundson singled in the bottom of the third inning. He extended his Monarchs’ career-record hitting streak to 22 straight games. However, the Monarchs failed to score him.
Miner retired the Kingman Islanders 1-2-3 with two strikeouts in the top of the fourth inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Zerick Warren reached on a two-base error by the Kingman center fielder and scored on Mac Bowie’s RBI single.
Bowie stole second base and third base, marking the third time in team history the Monarchs have stolen 100 or more bases in a season.
Brett Smajstria singled home Bowie to give the Monarchs a 2-1 lead and took second on the throw home.
In the top of the fifth inning, Miner worked around a two-out walk and an infield single to keep the score at 2-1 Hutchinson.
The Monarchs put runners on first base and second base in the bottom of the fifth inning but did not score.
Bryan McClure came out of the Monarchs’ bullpen in the top of the sixth inning. The Islanders put a runner on base on a walk but a 2-3-4-1 pickoff ended the inning.
Garrett Folmar came out of the bullpen for the Monarchs in the top of the seventh inning. He struck out the first two batters, gave up a walk and then struck out the next batter for the third out.
Kingman scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Hutchinson’s Sam Wiese led off with a single too center field and too second base on a wild pitch. Jovan Suarez reached base on a broken-bat infield single.
After Wiese reached third on a throwing error, Jaden Gustafson tied the score at 3-3 with a single to center field.
Gustafson reached 100 career hits faster than any Monarchs player in team history.
A sacrifice bunt moved Suarez and Gustafson into scoring position. Suarez scored on a wild pitch to give the Monarchs a 4-3 lead. Gustafson moved up to third base. He scored on a single by Smajstria to make the score 5-3.
Monarchs’ relief pitcher Reed Scott closed out the 5-3 victory in relief in the top of the ninth inning.
Attendance at Hobart-Detter Field for the season finale Saturday was 378, putting the Monarchs at 6,061 for the season. It’s the third time in team history the Monarchs passed the 6,000 mark for a season.
More than 85,000 fans have attended Monarchs games at Hobart-Detter Field since the team was founded in 2009.
The Monarchs played their final regular-season game on a natural grass field.
An artificial turf surface at Hobart-Detter Field (home field for the Hutchinson Community College baseball program) and two at Fun Valley (home of the HutchCC softball team) will be installed for the 2025 season.
Derby Twins invited to NBC World Series
The Derby Twins are the fourth Jayhawk Collegiate team invited to compete in the 90th National Baseball Congress World Series.
The Derby Twins made the announcement on social media Saturday. The Twins join the Hutchinson Monarchs, Haysville Aviators and Kansas Cannons in the NBC World Series field.
The Hutchinson Monarchs, who have won four JCL titles, are the defending NBC champions. The Monarchs will make their 13th NBC World Series appearance since 2010.
The Santa Barbara Foresters, the NBC champions in 2008-2011-2012-2014-2016-2018-2020-2021-2022, also received an invitation. The Foresters placed second in 2008 and 2023.
The tournament field also includes the Liberal Bee Jays and Hays Larks of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Baseball League.
Other invited teams are Boulder Collegians, Seattle Cheney Studs, Seattle Black Fins, Top Prospect Academy Texas, San Diego Stars and Lodestar Baseball Club North (Texas). Three other teams will be invited.
Liberal won NBC titles in 1968-1979-1985-2000-2010 and placed second in 1968-1973-1981-1992.
Hays, which featured Dylan Dreiling (2024 College World Series Most Outstanding Player for national champions Tennessee and the second-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers), placed second in 2022.
The Larks have never won an NBC title. They also placed second in 1995-2000-2001-2007-2016.
The NBC World Series begins Thursday with pool play games at Wichita State University’s Eck Stadium.
In pool play, the Haysville Aviators play the Seattle Blackfins at 3 p.m. on Friday, the GPS Legends at 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 28, and the Santa Barbara Foresters at 3 p.m. Monday, July 29.
The tournament features Baseball ‘Round the Clock (11 games in 33 hours) with games starting at noon July 27 and ending with a 6 p.m. game on July 28. Military Appreciation Night also is on July 28.
Single-elimination bracket play begins on July 31. Little League Night is Aug. 1.
The NBC World Series concludes with the 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony and the championship game on Aug. 3.
Inman’s Suttyn Harris commits to Utah Utes for volleyball
Inman High School multiple-sport star Suttyn Harris, a 5-foot-11 junior-to-be outside hitter, has committed to the University of Utah for volleyball.
Harris is a two-time all-state selection for the Teutons. She helped guide Inman to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament in each of her first two seasons.
Harris already has more than 1,000 kills in two seasons for the Inman Teuton volleyball team.
The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, is a first-year member of the Big 12 Conference.
“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and athletic career at the University of Utah,” said Harris, who made the announcement on her social media pages, including X/Twitter.
Sports in Kansas named Harris to its Class 2A First Team in basketball and was a SIK 2A Girls Player of the Year finalist.
Harris competed for the Fight Club 16-1 club volleyball team and made the All-Tournament Team at the Heart of American League Power League Qualifier in Lawrence Jan. 20.
Fight Club 16-1 finished fifth in the 16 and under tournament.
Former Utah State football coach Blake Anderson fired for contacting victim in domestic abuse arrest
According to The Associated Press, former Utah State University football coach Blake Anderson was fired for two major reasons:
• Anderson contacted a potential domestic violence victim and a witness to the incident after an Aggies football player was arrested.
• Anderson failed to properly report the case, according to a termination letter sent to the coach earlier this month.
Nate Dreiling, who had been Utah State’s defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach, replaced Anderson as head coach on July 2.
He was named Utah State defensive coordinator this offseason after two years in the same position at New Mexico State University.
Dreiling, 33, is the nation’s youngest Football Bowl Subdivision coach.
Dreiling, the son of former Hutchinson High School football coach Randy Dreiling and was a member of the Salthawks’ 2008 Class 6A state championship team.
During his senior year at Pittsburg State in 2013, Dreiling helped the Gorillas to the 2011 NCAA Division II national title. He has been inducted into the Pittsburg State and MIAA Halls of Fame.
The Utah State Aggies open the season on Aug. 31 against Robert Morris.