Out in Leftfield

BASEBALL

Pate Katechis (Niwot) is second on the team in homeruns with three for Kearney-Nebraska. Katechis, who plays leftfield, is hitting .228 on the season, with 15 RBI. He had two doubles, scoring a run and driving in two runs, in an 11-2 win over Washburn March 31.

Greg Reynolds (Silver Creek) is hitting .342 for Colorado Mesa this season. Reynolds, who started at shortstop and moved to third base, had two hits including a double, scoring a run in an 11-10 win over New Mexico Highlands April 1.

Ford Ladd (Niwot) is hitting .500 for New York University while posting the 3rd-best ERA on the team at 3.86. Ladd has pitched in five games, starting three. He picked up his first win March 14 in a 12-7 victory over Edgewood, allowing one earned run in five innings of work.

David Bote, son of former Niwot High Baseball Coach Bob Bote, had an impressive spring training with the World Champion Chicago Cubs. Bote was not officially in the Cubs camp, but saw action in 11 games as an infielder and late-game replacement. He posted a .300 average, and was included on team trips to Las Vegas and Houston. The last trip allowed Bote to showcase his defensive skills on national TV (MLB-TV) March 30 as he made a sliding catch in foul territory after sprinting from the shortstop position against the Astros. Bote had replaced Cubs MVP Kris Bryant at third base, but a defensive shift for left-handed batter Brian McCann made the play exceptionally difficult.

SOFTBALL

Nickie Blue (Niwot) leads South Carolina pitchers with a 2.77 ERA. Blue has posted a record of 8-6, striking out 60 in just over 83 innings of work. She won her eighth game of the season with a complete-game 2-hit shutout of Alabama, winning 14-0 in six innings. She posted four strikeouts and did not walk a batter.

Shelby Keil (Silver Creek) leads the University of South Dakota with a .357 batting average. Her 20 runs scored are tied for the team lead, and she is third in RBI with 19. She had two hits including a double and drove in a run in a 7-6 win over rival South Dakota State in the first game of a doubleheader April 1.

McKenna Kostelecky (Silver Creek) is hitting .429 for Dickinson State in four games. On March 14, Kostelecky had a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning, which led to the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Dickinson College.

Bailey Kleespies (Niwot) is hitting .276 for Colorado Mesa, starting 12 of the 15 games she has played in. Her 16 RBI rank sixth on the squad, though she has played in only half of the team’s games. Kleespies, a third-baseman, had a walk and a single, driving in two runs in a 15-3 win over Fort Lewis April 1.

Ashley Beavers (Silver Creek) is the starting leftfielder for Fort Hays State University. Beavers, a senior, had a single and a sacrifice in a 5-4 loss to Missouri Southern March 30.

Jordyn Ballard (Silver Creek) is hitting .200 for Black Hills State University. Ballard, a first baseman, has played in 10 games, starting four.

Cassie Jones (Silver Creek) is hitting .488 for Western Nebraska Community College. Jones, who plays leftfield, has scored 15 runs on the season. She had two hits and two walks in an 18-1 win over Northeastern Junior College, scoring three times and driving in a run.

Meghan Waidler (Niwot) is hitting .241 for UCCS this season, starting 20 games and playing in all 25 of the team’s contests. Waidler’s ten RBI are second-highest on the team, and she leads the team in bases on balls with 11. She had one hit in three at bats in each of two games March 26 against Colorado Christian, driving in runs in each game, and scoring once in the first game. Waidler also pitches for UCCS, appearing in 11 games, primarily in relief.

GOLF

Cole Nygren (Dawson) finished in a tie for 69th place for Cal Poly at The Goodwin, hosted by Stanford April 1, helping his team to an 11th-place finish. Nygren was third among his teammates.

Adara Pauluhn (Niwot) was the number two finisher for Boise State and tied for 40th overall with a 3-day total of 326 at the Entrada Classic March 14. Pauluhn is a sophomore who lettered last season as a freshman.

Kelsey Webster of Gunbarrel won the Skyline Invite March 14 with an impressive performance. Webster, a junior at Fairview, finished five strokes under her closest competitor, with a 77 on a windy day that frustrated most of the golfers.

TENNIS

Harrison Lang (Niwot) won the No. 2 singles match for Creighton University against Luther College April 1, helping his team sweep the match. Lang has nine singles victories this season, which is tied for tops on the Bluejays’ squad. Lang won his match 6-1, 6-4, then followed with a victory at No. 1 doubles.

Max Petrak (Niwot) won his match at No. 6 singles for Montana State March 25, helping his team to a 6-1 victory. Petrak is a freshman.

TRACK & FIELD

Valarie Allman (Silver Creek) took first in the hammer throw and ninth in the discus at the Stanford Invite. Allman, who posted a throw of 60.82 meters in the hammer, competed unattached in the events for the Invite in the Women’s division.

Elise Cranny (Niwot) finished 11th at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3000 meter run for Stanford March 10-11. Cranny is a junior.

Dana Maydew (Niwot) has the 3rd-best time in the 800 meters for Clemson this spring. Maydew, a junior, ran 2:13.63 in the Hurricane Invitational, finishing 10th. She also has the 7th-best time in the 400 meters for Clemson in the 400 meters.

Lorne Jenkins (Niwot) finished fourth in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump for Campbell College at the High Point University VertKlasse Invitational March 31. Jenkins, a senior, had a leap of 14.56 meters in the triple jump, and a mark of 6.78 meters in the long jump.

Gabby Casey (Niwot) won the pole vault for Colorado Mesa with a vault of 3.55 meters at the CMU Invite March 25. Casey is a sophomore for the Mavericks.

HOCKEY

Matias Cleland (Niwot) has played all 40 games for New Hampshire, scoring three goals with 32 assists, second-highest on the team. He scored his last goal on a power play March 11 in a 3-1 loss to the University of Massachusetts.

Michael Sdao of Niwot has played in 59 games for the Colorado Eagles this season. Sdao, a defenseman, has nine assists and four goals on the season.