Liberty North, Blue Springs South win baseball tournament titles

Liberty North put together a historic baseball season last spring, compiling more victories than any team in program history.

A return to the basics — pitching and defense — has supplied the same effects this season.

In impressive style, too.

Josh Winkel fired a no-hitter Thursday as part of a 5-0 win against Liberty in the Northland Tournament championship game. Four days later, the Eagles upended Staley, the state’s top-ranked team, behind a quality start on the mound from Jake Bartshe.

“We pitched and played defense well all week,” Eagles coach Ryan Stegall said of the Northland Tournament championship. “... Hopefully we can continue to play with that energy and confidence for the remainder of the season.”

And perhaps they can carry that momentum into the state playoffs next month.

Liberty North was 27-5 last season, but lost to Liberty in the district championship game. The Eagles improved to 16-5 with Monday’s win against Staley.

Cale Hanson leads Liberty North with a .446 average, followed by Brian Sharp (.397) and Brady Kaplan (.394).

Cole Gacke is 5-0 on the mound this season, and he has allowed only one earned run allowed in six appearances.

Blue Springs South wins EJC tournament

On a weekday in early April, Blue Springs South hopped on its team bus and traveled to Sedalia for a pair of baseball doubleheaders on back-to-back days.

The trip didn’t start well. And it only got worse.

The Jaguars lost three of the four games, managed only five runs across those three losses and returned home with a losing record.

But that simply made last week’s turnaround all-the-more impressive.

Blue Springs South swept through the Eastern Jackson County Tournament with five straight victories and defeated William Chrisman to win the championship Thursday. The Jaguars outscored their opponents 54-14 over the five games.

“I think this past week has shown our guys that when we execute, we can be really solid offensively,” Blue Springs South coach Ben Baier said. “We understand that there is a lot of baseball left to be played this year.”

The Jaguars’ offensive surge — they’re now hitting .350 for the season — has paired rather nicely with a rotation that boasts four starters with an earned run average under 2.60.

Senior Ethan Frazier, a Nebraska signee, leads that group with a 1.08 earned run average.

Junior Tyler McKay, who is hitting .516 this season, and senior Nic Mertes, who has driven in 19 runs, have paced the offense.

New coaches at Truman, William Chrisman

Truman hired Dan Harper to take over its softball program next fall, the Independence School District recently announced. Harper will make the trek from Lee’s Summit West, where he was an assistant coach last season.

“I am excited and honored to become part of the academic excellence and competitive tradition of softball at Truman High School,” Harper said in a news release. “Having lived in or around Independence my entire life, I am all in and excited to get started.”

Truman won the Missouri Class 4 softball state championship in 2012. The Patriots were 7-18 last season and lost to Raytown in the opening round of the Missouri Class 4, District 14 tournament.

Harper won’t be the only coaching addition next year in Independence.

William Chrisman hired Riley Glasgow to take over its wrestling program next season, the district announced.

A graduate of Oak Grove in 2009, Glasgow served as an assistant coach for the Bears this season. He is already a teacher at William Chrisman.

Pembroke Hill coaching vacancy

Pembroke Hill is searching for a varsity girls basketball coach after the departure of Jim McMurray.

Interested applicants are asked to contact athletic director Don Earnest via email at dearnest@pembrokehill.org or by phone at 816-913-1570.

The Raiders finished 17-10 and reached the Missouri Class 3, District 14 championship game this season, which saw senior Allysa Lisbon reach both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestones.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Liberty North, Blue Springs South win baseball tournament titles."