The outstanding spring sports seasons coupled with last fall’s football season makes the 2012-13 sports year one of the most successful in Missouri Western’s history.
Griffon baseball’s record-breaking season
It was a historic run for the 2013 Griffon baseball team. After dropping three out of four in the opening series of the season at Arkansas Tech, the Griffons won 31 of their next 33 games and finished the season 40-12. That set a new school record for wins in a season, and the team nabbed the University’s first-ever MIAA regular season championship for baseball. The Griffons also qualified for their second NCAA Division II baseball championship and were the Central Region’s fourth seed in Mankato, Minn.
While the Griffons were solid in all phases of the game, the major story of the season was offense. The team scored 10 runs or more 19 times and led the MIAA in eight of 11 offensive categories.
With the historic season came several individual accolades, as 10 Griffons earned All-MIAA honors. Shortstop Michael Schulze was named the MIAA Player of the Year as he hit .439, a new school single season record. Pitcher Brandon Simmons, who during the season became the MIAA’s All-Time Career Wins Leader (35), was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Year as he finished with an 11-1 record and a 2.91 ERA. Joining Schulze and Simmons on the first team were third baseman Grant Fink, who hit .397 and set the school single season home run record with 14, second baseman Jimmy Smelcer and outfielder Bubba Dotson. Outfielder Kyle Simpson was named to the second team while relief pitcher Logan Hollingsworth, catcher Jake Schrader, first baseman Spencer Shockley and utility player Nate Ramler were all named Honorable Mention.
Schulze posted arguably the best season ever in Griffon baseball history, and several national publications rewarded him for his efforts. He was named a First Team All-American by Daktronics, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The NCBWA and Daktronics named Schulze their National Player of the Year.
Other Griffon baseball players earning All-American Honors included Fink, Dotson, Simmons and Simpson.
Head Coach Buzz Verduzco, who finished his 14th season with the Griffons, was named the MIAA Coach of the Year. Verduzco also reached a milestone during the season, winning his 400th career game in a 9-3 victory over Central Oklahoma at the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. on May 9.
The Major League Baseball draft was held in early June, and for only the second time in school history, the Griffons had two players selected in the same year. Schulze was selected in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, and Fink was taken in round 23 by the Cleveland Indians. The last time two were selected was in 1973 when pitcher Greg Kastner ’78 and catcher Robert Verbeck ’74 were picked.
For the Record Book – 2013 Baseball
- MIAA Conference Champions in regular season
- MIAA Coach of the Year – Coach Buzz Verduzco
- MIAA Player of the Year – Michael Schultze
- MIAA Pitcher of the Year – Brandon Simmons
- National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Daktronics National Player of the Year – Michael Schultze
- First Team All-American by Daktronics, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association – Michael Schultze
- Record wins in a season – 40
- Five players named to MIAA First Team – Michael Schultze, Brandon Simmons, Grant Fink, Jimmy Smelcer, Bubba Dotson
- School records broken – 7 individual, 8 team
Softball’s stellar season
The softball team had another solid season, winning 38 games and finishing with a 20-8 record in the MIAA. Outfielder Maegan Roemmich concluded an outstanding four-year career with her best season. She hit .404, which led the team, hit 11 home runs and drove in 44.
Senior Keri Lorbert closed her career hitting .333 with 14 home runs. Lorbert also became the school’s career home-run leader (39) in a 9-0 victory at Northeastern State April 28. Junior pitcher Jackie Bishop continued her dominance in the pitching circle. She posted another 20-win season, going 21-8 overall with an ERA of 1.78. She broke three career records during the season: all-time leader in wins with 70, most strikeouts in a career with 686, and complete games with 74.
Head Coach Jen Trotter won her 400th game with a 3-1 victory over Pittsburg State on March 30. She now holds a career record of 415-257 in 12 seasons at the helm.
For their efforts, seven Griffons earned All-MIAA honors. Roemmich and Bishop were named to the first team, and third baseman Sarah Elliott, outfielder Kendall Sorensen, catcher Keri Lorbert, second baseman Michelle Stevenson and first baseman Tiffany Gillaspy were Honorable Mention selections.
Roemmich and Bishop were also named All-Region selections by two outlets, and Roemmich was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Daktronics.
Bird makes women’s golf history
Senior golfer Natalie Bird closed out her outstanding career as the first Griffon women’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. She competed in the Central Regional in May at the St. Joseph Country Club. Bird finished tied for 23rd in the 48-player field. She was also named to the All-MIAA team for the fourth consecutive season. Women’s golf coach Cathy Habermehl retired after seven seasons.
Brett Weiberg: New men’s basketball head coach
Brett Weiberg is the new head men’s basketball coach. Weiberg comes to Missouri Western from Northern Oklahoma College, where he has been the head coach since 2006. He replaced Hall of Fame coach Tom Smith, who retired at the end of the 2012-13 season after 25 years at Missouri Western.
“I could not be more excited to welcome Brett and his family to Missouri Western and the St. Joseph community,” said Kurt McGuffin, director of athletics. “Brett was born to coach and has been around it all of his life, and it shows with his ability to recruit and motivate high-quality student athletes.”
The 38-year-old, who has compiled 125 career victories in seven seasons, led Northern Oklahoma, a two-year college, to a 27-4 overall record and the conference regular-season championship last season.
“I knew Missouri Western was a place of great success,” Weiberg said. “Coach Smith did an excellent job building a program and winning a lot of games.”
Weiberg said while he enjoyed coaching at the junior college level, he is excited to have the opportunity now to work with a player for four years instead of two. “I’m going to get out there and coach hard and be passionate, and I hope that passion crosses over to players and fans.”
He recruited a mix of junior college and high school players for the coming season with one goal in mind – to recruit the best they could to fit the coaching staff and represent Missouri Western well. He said along with skill, he looks for players who demonstrate high character and who want to earn a degree.
Missouri Western’s new coach played two years for his father at Northern Oklahoma College before transferring to Division I Sam Houston State University.
He began his coaching career in 1998 as an assistant at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, followed by stints at NAIA Wayland Baptist University and Division I University of Texas – San Antonio. He then spent five years as an assistant at Northern Oklahoma College before becoming the head coach in 2006, succeeding his father.
Weiberg was chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants in a search process that began in mid-January. He and his wife, Kristy, have three children.
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Smith becomes first Griffon inducted into MIAA Hall of Fame
Former men’s basketball coach Tom Smith was one of 10 inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame in June, the first Griffon to be inducted to the MIAA Hall of Fame.
Smith is the winningest coach in MIAA history, with 618 career wins. In his career, he coached 51 All-MIAA selections, six All-Region/District picks, and three NCAA All-Americans. He has coached Missouri Western to 12 20-win seasons and has 13 total in his career. He won five regular-season MIAA Championships and four MIAA postseason tournament titles. He has been named the MIAA Coach of the Year three times in his career. He also coached at the University of Central Missouri from 1975-80, posting an 86-46 overall record.
2013 Athletics Hall of Fame class announced
The Athletics Hall of Fame committee selected the class of 2013: Brad Nurski ’01, men’s golf; Pierre Thomas ’04, football; Brooks Barkley ’03, baseball; Shelley Lowery, volleyball; Lamont Turner, basketball; and the 1971 Griffon baseball team.
This year’s Wendy’s Hall of Fame Weekend is set for Sept. 27-28. A reception that is free and open to the community will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 at the Stoney Creek Inn. The induction ceremony brunch will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Fulkerson Center on campus. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased by calling Athletics at (816) 271-4481. The Hall of Fame ring ceremony will be held at halftime of the 6 p.m. football game against Fort Hays State in Spratt Memorial Stadium.
Tailgate with us this fall!
The defending MIAA Champion football team has six exciting regular season home games on the calendar this fall. Prior to each game, we invite you to come early and tailgate. Bring your own tailgate or join in on one of the many organized tailgates in Lot H in front of the Baker Fitness Center. Best tailgate each game wins a $25 Hy-Vee gift card, and will be featured on the Griffon Sports Network’s radio pregame show and the following week’s episode of Griffon Sports Insider. New this year, for each home game, we’ll award another $25 Hy-Vee gift card for the week’s best tailgate recipe selected at our Twitter handle @gogriffons or our Facebook fan page: Missouri Western Griffon Athletics.
NFL opportunities
In April, the National Football League draft weekend was highly anticipated by many at the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex as defensive end David Bass and running back Michael Hill were picked to continue their careers in the NFL. Bass was selected in the seventh round by the Oakland Raiders and Hill was signed as a rookie free agent by the San Diego Chargers. Bass became the fourth Griffon to be selected in the NFL Draft, joining current Rams placekicker Greg Zuerlein, running back John Fisher and lineman Vince Thomson ’86.
Griffon Gear Fridays
Wear your Griffon gear every Friday during the football season, tweet us your best picture or post it on Facebook and win a prize!