By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Monarchs’ Jayhawk League baseball game at Derby Wednesday has been postponed again because of flooding in the Wichita area (including Derby).
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday.
The Derby Twins announced on their Facebook page that the game will be rescheduled for another night.
Hutchinson Monarchs’ general manager/owner Marc Blackim said no makeup date has been set.
The Monarchs used a seven-run eighth inning to defeat the Twins 8-5 on Monday night at Hobart-Detter Field.
Hutchinson has a 3-0 record. The Monarchs opened the season with two wins over the Newton Rebels (4-3 on May 30 and 13-2 on May 31).
The Monarchs host the Kansas Cannons Thursday night at Hobart-Detter Field and play the Cannons at Augusta on Friday. Both games start at 7 p.m.
No games are scheduled for Saturday or Sunday.
Eight-Man All-Star Games set for Saturday in Beloit
The Kansas 8-Man All-Star Football Games are scheduled to take place on Saturday at Beloit.
The coaching and players’ selections were made by the Eight-Man Football Coaches Association.
The Division II game kicks off at 10 a.m. and the Division I game kicks off at 1:30.
The games will feature teams from Division I (East and West) and Division II (East and West).
The KEMFA (Kansas Eight-Man Football Association) has announced the rosters for the 2025 games.
The Eight-Man II West All-Stars feature several Hutchinson Tribune area connections.
Hutchinson Central Christian coach Matt Barnett and Fairfield’s Kyle Finder are assistant coaches for Bucklin’s Trevor Powell, who Is the head coach.
The Eight-Man II team features Central Christian’s Ry Kooiman and Keaton Miller and Fairfield’s Connor Fowler and Garrett Lanning.
The Eight-Man I East All-Stars feature Little River players Kyle Bergkamp, Ruxton Birdsong and Logan Renken.
Bailey Backhaus named First Team NJCAA All-American, Golden Shoe Award winner
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Hutchinson Community College sophomore shortstop Bailey Backhaus earned another postseason award Wednesday, being named first-team NJCAA Division I Softball All-American.
Backhaus was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Golden Shoe winner for 2025 NJCAA Division I Softball on Tuesday.
The sophomore from Newkirk, Okla., became the first Blue Dragon in 33 years to be named a first-team NJCAA All-American.
Infielder Chrissi Castro was the last Blue Dragon first-team All-American in 1992.
Backhaus is the fourth first-team and 13th all-time NJCAA All-American in program history.
Backhaus’ inclusion in the 2025 NJCAA All-America team marks the fifth-straight season a Blue Dragon has earned All-America honors, which extends a program-best streak.
Backhaus joins Madison Grimes (2021), Riley Wertz (2022), Aspen Goetz (2023) and Olivia Sandoval (2024) in that streak of five consecutive seasons with a Blue Dragon All-American.
Backhaus, on Tuesday, was named the NFCA/NJCAA Division I Golden Shoe Award winner. The Golden Shoe Award is presented by New Balance. The award is given to one of the top base stealers in the nation.
The two-year Blue Dragon starting shortstop was also named first-team All-Jayhawk Conference/Region 6 in May.
Backhaus concluded an incredible two-year run with the Blue Dragons that included 202 career hits (most by a two-year player in Blue Dragon history) and a career batting average of .502, which established a new Blue Dragon career record.
The Blue Dragon shortstop also set career records for total singles (166), triples (16) and tied the career record for stolen bases (82).
Her career marks of 155 runs scored and 254 total bases are second on the Blue Dragon career charts, but are the most by a two-year player in team history.
Backhaus helped the Blue Dragons to 84 total wins, the program’s first Region 6 Tournament championship since 1987, the 2025 Jayhawk Conference championship and the Blue Dragons’ first-ever appearance and first victory in the NJCAA Softball World Series in 2024.
This season, Backhaus hit .530, the second-highest batting average in a single season in team history with 98 hits, second only to her record 104 hits from her freshman season in 2024.
In 30 KJCCC games, Backhaus hit a torrid .608 (76 for 125) with 64 runs scored and 35 RBIs from the leadoff position.
Of her 98 total hits, nine went for doubles and she hit a single-season record 10 triples.
Backhaus broke the Blue Dragon single-season stolen base record with 57 steals in 58 attempts. Her 82 career steals tied Lexi Williams (2020-21) for first place in team history.
Backhaus also broke a Blue Dragon single-season record for runs scored with 78, again surpassing her own record of 77 set last season.
Backhaus had a season-long 16-game hitting streak this season and reached base in 33 consecutive games.
She had 31 multi-hit games this season, including three five-hit games against Fort Hays Tech Northwest on March 1, Colby on March 16 and Garden City on April 17.
She tied the single-game record for runs with five against Pratt on Feb. 26 and Garden City on April 17.
BLUE DRAGON SOFTBALL NJCAA ALL-AMERICANS
2025 – 1st Team: Bailey Backhaus, infielder
2024 – 2nd Team: Olivia Sandoval, infielder
2023 – 3rd Team: Aspen Goetz, infielder
2022 – 3rd Team: Riley Wertz, Pitcher
2021 – 2nd Team: Madison Grimes, infielder
2016 – 2nd Team: Holly Kelley, pitcher
2008 – 2nd Team: Jessica Glenn, outfielder
1992 – 1st Team: Chrissi Castro, infielder
1992 – 2nd Team: Kim Newbern, infielder
1990 – 2nd Team: Rhonda Rowley, catcher
1987 – 1st Team: Tammy Parrish, pitcher
1987 – Honorable Mention: Shelly Blair, infielder
1986 – 1st Team: Tammy Parrish, pitcher
Sterling College softball coach Taylor Lira named coach at St. Mary’s University
Sterling College Athletics
STERLING – Sterling College Athletics and Director of Athletics Justin Morris announced Wednesday that head softball coach Taylor Lira has resigned from her position.
Lira will be heading to St. Mary’s University, an NCAA DII school located in San Antonio, Texas, as the next head coach of the Rattlers.
Lira began her head coaching tenure at Sterling College in May 2020 and has coached the Warriors for the past five seasons.
In the 2024-25 season, Lira led Sterling College softball to a program-record 37 wins. The Warriors advanced to the KCAC Tournament and the NCCAA Softball World Series Final Four.
A nationwide search is already underway to identify the next Sterling College softball coach.