2014-15 Barton Softball News
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Barton Softball’s Harper named NFCA All-American
June 03, 2015Erica Harper of the Barton Community College softball team was recently named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) third team recognizing Division I players of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Emporia State University signee was also recognized by the NFCA as one of four outfielders to garner first-team honors in the West Region team. The accolades follow a record breaking season by Harper earning the Most Valuable Player and first team awards in both Region VI and the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). -
Harper named MVP, Barton Softball lands four on All-Conference Division I team
May 23, 2015Four Barton Community College softball players were recently named to the KJCCC Division I All-Conference Team. Sophomore Erica Harper led the selections earning the Most Valuable Player award with fellow sophomore Bailey Hensley and freshman Kylie Everill joining Harper on the first team while sophomore Briana Ward landed on the second team. The awards follow second-year Head Coach Marc Benjamin and the Lady Cougars’ Region VI Championship season falling just shy of a trip to nationals in the District E Championship finishing the 2014-15 campaign at 36-20.
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Barton Softball's road to nationals ends in Nebraska
May 08, 2015Trying to match the 1993 team’s accomplishments of capturing the last Region VI title and berth to nationals, the 2015 version of the Barton Community College softball team had its stellar season come short one step away from nationals falling in two games to Western Nebraska Community College Thursday in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, for the District E Championship. Two fifth inning runs proved to be the difference in the Region VI Champions falling 6-4 in the opening best of three series game while five unanswered runs by the Region IX Champions in the final three innings put the Cougars away 7-4 in the nightcap. Winning fifteen more games than the 2014 squad, Barton finishes the season at 36-20 while WNCC improves to 56-12 and 24-0 at home in advancing to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament next week in St. George, Utah.
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Barton Softball captures Region VI title, blanks Garden City 6-0 in Championship game
May 03, 2015A day prior the Barton Community College softball team had the spark of an underdog knocking off two higher seeds in the first day of the Region VI Tournament. On Sunday the Lady Cougars took El Dorado's East Park with a champion?s confidence shutting out and defeating Garden City Community College 6-0 to earn the school?s first Region VI Division I Championship since 1993. The victory improves Barton to 36-18 while ending Garden City?s season for the second straight year as the Broncbusters finish the 2015 campaign at 34-27. Next on the mission for a berth to nationals will be a trip to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, for a three game series against the 53-12 Western Nebraska Community College Cougars. The teams will play a doubleheader on Wednesday and if needed, a rubber match game on Thursday. First pitch times to be announced.
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Barton Softball earns berth into Region VI Championship game
May 02, 2015The Barton Community College pulled off a couple of upsets Saturday at El Dorado's East Park earning their way into Sunday's Region VI Division I Championship game. The Lady Cougars, seeded fifth in the region, knocked off top seeded and host Butler Community College 5-4 before taking care of Garden City Community College 3-1 in the winner's bracket final. Improving to 34-18 on the season, the Lady Cougars will await the winner of Sunday's noon contest between Garden City and Butler for the 2:00 p.m. championship game. In the double elimination format, Barton is in the driver's seat in being one victory away from its first Region VI Championship since 1993. Complete video and live stat coverage of the Lady Cougars championship run can be found at www.BartonSports.com.
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Everill joins Posegate for second straight Barton Softball conference honor
April 30, 2015Kylie Everill added her name alongside three other members of the Barton Community College softball team earning conference recognition recently being named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Division I Co-Softball Player of the Week. Hitting two home runs and driving in four runs last week, Everill helped lead the Lady Cougars to a doubleheader split versus Pratt Community College. Batting .600 (3-of-5) in the twin bill held at the Great Bend Softball Complex, Everill had a 1.800 slugging percentage and .667 on-base percentage as the Utah redshirt freshman hit her twelfth and Region VI fourth best thirteenth homerun of the season.
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Team effort leads Cougar softball in come-from-behind victory, advance to Region VI final four for third straight season
April 30, 2015In perhaps its biggest team-wide effort of the season, the Barton Community College softball team rallied from a five run deficit Thursday at Cougar Field to defeat Dodge City Community College 11-5. Winning the best of three first round series improves Barton to 33-18 on the season while more importantly advances the Lady Cougars to the final four of Region VI Division I softball tournament play for the third straight season while ending Dodge City’s season at 23-22. Barton will next head to El Dorado, Kansas, where the Lady Cougars will take on top seed and Western Division champion Butler Community College as the 33-13 Grizzlies play tournament host. First pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. as the Lady Cougars and Grizzlies will follow the 12:00 p.m. between Seward County Community College and Garden City Community College.
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Season undecided as Cougars and Conquistadors split first round games
April 29, 2015It seemed only fitting after splitting the regular season series, the Barton Community College and Dodge City Community College softball teams wouldn’t leave Cougar Field with anything decided as the teams split Wednesday’s postseason doubleheader. In a best of three series to advance to the final four of Region VI, Dodge City held off Barton in the opener 7-6 while the Cougars had to hold off the Conquistadors in the nightcap winning 9-8. Barton, 32-18 on the season, and the 23-21 Conquistadors will return Thursday to Cougar Field for the deciding 2:00 p.m. contest with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 2:00 p.m. game against host and Jayhawk West Champion Butler Community College.
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Barton Softball and Pratt exchange blowouts to wrap up regular season
April 22, 2015Needing a sweep to work into a third place tie in the final Jayhawk West standings, the Barton Community College softball team left the Great Bend Sports Complex Wednesday evening with the taste of a disappointing doubleheader split against Pratt Community College. The Cougars scored nine second inning runs in winning a five-inning 9-1 opener but dug a ten run hole in the nightcap eventually falling 12-3 in six innings. The split leaves Barton in fourth place in the final standings at 12-12 and 31-17 while Pratt finishes the conference regular season in ninth place at 6-18 and 9-35.
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Cougar softball takes out vengeance to earn split with Garden City
April 15, 2015Following a disappointing 4-2 loss in Wednesday’s first game at Cougar Field, the Barton Community College softball team took out some frustration with a 9-0 shutout in six innings to earn the split with Garden City Community College. The battle for third place left both teams where they began on the day with the Lady Cougars moving to 11-11 in conference play and 30-16 overall while Garden City left town at 11-11 and 25-24 on the season. In reaching the thirty win mark, the 2015 version of the Lady Cougars are the first to reach the mark since the 2005 squad went 30-36 and have secured the best season since the 40-19 2002 squad. Wednesday’s action was the first of eight games Barton will play in the upcoming four days as the Lady Cougars have road doubleheaders at Tabor College junior varsity on Thursday and Kansas State University Club Team in Manhattan on Saturday before returning home for a doubleheader on Sunday against the junior varsity of Kansas Wesleyan University.
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Nine run inning propels Barton softball to 13-2 non-conference rout
April 12, 2015Barton Community College softball team stepped out of conference play Saturday evening taking care of the junior varsity squad from Sterling College 13-2 in a game shortened five innings. Scheduled for a pair of games, inclement weather forced the cancellation of game two as the Lady Cougars led 2-0 in the top of the second. The trip to Sterling concluded a three win two loss four-day road stretch for Barton improving to 29-15 on the season heading into Wednesday’s conference battle for third place with Garden City Community College. The Lady Cougars, 10-10 in the Jayhawk West, host the Broncbusters sitting at 9-9 and 23-22 on the season in a 3:00 p.m. first pitch doubleheader at Cougar Field.
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Cougar softball drops doubleheader at Butler
April 11, 2015Two days after a sweep in Dodge City, the Barton Community College softball team dropped a pair of Jayhawk West contests Friday afternoon in El Dorado falling 7-3 and a 3-2 tenth inning pitcher’s duel to Butler Community College. The losses keep the Lady Cougars in third place at 10-10 and 28-15 overall setting up a pivotal conference doubleheader Wednesday hosting fellow third place Garden City Community College while Butler jumps into first place at 12-4 and 25-13 on the season. Barton will wrap up their four-day six day stretch Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at the Sterling College junior varsity.
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Two grand slams highlight Barton’s Harper third straight conference award lifting Lady Cougars to 5-1 week
April 09, 2015The outstanding season for Erica Harper of the Barton Community College softball team continues week after week as the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) again recently named her the Division I Softball Player of the Week for Week 9. The award marks the third straight week and fourth time this season the sophomore from Topeka, Kansas, has received the honor. Hitting two grand slams in a three home run week, Harper drove in fourteen runs batting 12-for-20 (.600) with a 1.150 slugging percentage and .667 on-base percentage. The 5’5” right fielder lifted Barton to a pair of road victories to begin the week batting .778 (7-of-9) before sparking the Lady Cougars’ mid-week sweep at Colby Community College with two grand slams driving in nine runs batting .500 in the series. Winding up the week with a series split with first-place Seward County Community College, Harper continued to be a baserunner for her team with a .571 on-base percentage while hitting her then NJCAA leading 16th home run and second best 67th RBI.
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Barton softball avenges earlier meeting, sweeps Dodge City
April 08, 2015The Barton Community College softball team completed its second conference sweep in the last three conference series taking care of Dodge City Community College Wednesday in Dodge City. Avenging a disappointing sweep on the Cougars’ field nearly a month ago, Barton turned the tide on the Conquistador’s home turf with five home runs in a come from behind 11-6 game one victory followed by a 9-1 five inning run rule in the nightcap. The sweep improves the third place Lady Cougars to 10-8 in the Jayhawk West and 28-13 overall while dropping Dodge City to the fifth slot at 7-9 and 20-14. Barton will continue their four-day six day stretch with a trip to El Dorado on Friday taking on Butler Community College who sit atop the standings at 10-4 and 23-13. The teams split their two-game series two weeks ago at Cougar Field as Barton snapped a twenty game losing streak to Butler with a 11-3 five inning run rule in game one with Butler getting revenge in the nightcap with a five inning 12-4 victory.
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Barton’s Harper wins second straight conference award, third on the season
April 04, 2015For the second straight week and third time this season, Erica Harper of the Barton Community College softball team was named earlier this week the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Division I Softball Player of the Week. Harper hit five home runs and drove in sixteen runs batting .621 last week (18-of-29) with a 1.241 slugging percentage and .645 on-base percentage. The 5’5” sophomore right fielder had multi-hit games in all but one of the eight played, including three or more hits in three of games. Leading Region VI and the NJCAA in home runs, the Topeka, Kansas, native not only drove in eight runs in a 5-for-9 effort against Pratt Community College, but followed it up with a 4-for-6 two RBI series versus Butler Community College helping the Lady Cougars snap a twenty-game losing streak to the Grizzlies. Over the weekend the Topeka Seaman High School graduate added two more homeruns and six runs batted in bringing her leading homerun total to thirteen and a nation’s sixth best fifty-three RBI.
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Snapping streaks, Barton Softball and Seward County split twin bill
April 03, 2015Friday’s action at Cougar Field was going to snap either the Barton Community College softball team’s five game win streak or Seward County Community College’s ten game winning streak. Both events happened in six inning run-rule fashion as the Cougars took the first 12-4 while the Lady Saints shut out Barton for only the second time this season taking the nightcap 8-0. The split leaves Barton in third place in the Jayhawk West at 8-8 and 26-13 overall while Seward County remains atop the standings at 11-3 and 28-14. The Lady Cougars will take a few days off for the Easter break before embarking on a six-game road stretch beginning next Wednesday with a 2:00 p.m. conference doubleheader at Dodge City Community College.
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Hurlers shut down Colby, Barton Softball scores nineteen unanswered in doubleheader sweep
April 01, 2015With the pitching staff holding its own it took the bats from the Barton Community College softball team awhile to get going but once they did, the Lady Cougars scored nineteen unanswered runs in sweeping a pivotal conference doubleheader Wednesday at Colby Community College. Behind the first of two grand slams from Erica Harper on the day, Barton scored five in the fourth inning to win 7-0 in game one. In the nightcap the Lady Cougars scored in four of the five innings including busting the game wide open with a six-run sixth highlighted by Harper’s second four-bag homerun for her nation leading fifteenth of the season as Barton run ruled the Trojans 12-1 in five innings. The pair of victories improves Barton from fifth to third place in the Jayhawk West at 7-7 and 25-12 overall while dropping Colby to 5-9 in the West and 17-22. The Lady Cougars’ next action will come Friday as first place Seward County Community College comes to town for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader at Cougar Field.
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Lady Cougar softball wraps up road trip with sweep in Oklahoma
March 30, 2015The Barton Community College softball team concluded its three-day six-game road trip with a doubleheader sweep Monday in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, over the junior varsity squad of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The Lady Cougars pounded out thirteen hits in each game scoring in all but two of the first game’s innings to win 8-1 then erupted for ten runs in the final three innings to win 10-3 in the nightcap. The pair of victories improve the Lady Cougars to 23-12 on the season heading into Wednesday’s conference doubleheader at Colby Community College. With both teams sitting fourth in the Jayhawk West race at 5-7, the 2:00 p.m. twin bill proves pivotal in reaching the top half of the standings as the teams split their earlier doubleheader at Cougar Field.
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Barton Softball finishes 2-2 over the weekend at BUCO Bash
March 29, 2015The Barton Community College softball team wrapped up its weekend play at the BUCO Bash in El Dorado, Kansas, with a 6-5 victory Sunday over Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. Finishing the four-game weekend at 2-2, Barton moves to 21-12 on the season. The Lady Cougars will stay on the road and head south to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, playing a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader against the junior varsity squad from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
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Down goes another streak, Barton Softball splits with Butler to end long drought
March 26, 2015Taking another positive step in the program, the Barton Community College softball team split a pair of five-inning games with Butler Community College Thursday afternoon at Cougar Field. In the first game, the Lady Cougars knocked off the Grizzlies 11-3 to break a twenty-game losing streak to Butler dating back to 2010 including nine straight on the Lady Cougars’ home turf. The Grizzlies got revenge in the second game behind an eight run fifth inning leading to a 12-4 to send Barton to its fifth conference doubleheader split of the season. Barton moves to 5-7 in Jayhawk West play and 19-10 on the season while Butler goes to 7-3 in the Jayhawk West and 18-11 overall. The Lady Cougars will hit the road for their next eight games beginning with four games this weekend at Butler’s Buco Bash before heading to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to take on Oklahoma Wesleyan University on Monday. Barton will then return to conference play on Wednesday with a trip to Colby Community College before its next home games coming Saturday, April 4, against Seward County Community College.
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Barton Softball blasts Pratt before last at-bat spoils sweep
March 24, 2015Judging by the 16-2 five-inning blasting in Tuesday’s conference game in Pratt, the Barton Community College softball team looked to be headed for a doubleheader sweep at Pratt Community College but instead returned home sour after a bottom of the seventh 7-6 loss in the nightcap. Splitting their fourth conference doubleheader Barton moves to 4-6 in Jayhawk West play and 18-9 on the season while Pratt goes to 3-5 in the Jayhawk West and 3-17 overall. The Lady Cougars look to regroup in a hurry as the Jayhawk traditional power Butler Community College Grizzlies roll into town Thursday for a 2:00 p.m. conference doubleheader.
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Lady Cougars pound Garden City to salvage doubleheader split
March 21, 2015Dropping the first of two Saturday 9-8 in nine innings, the Barton Community College softball team buried the host Garden City Community College 11-2 in the game shortened six innings in the nightcap to salvage the conference doubleheader split. Barton moves to 3-5 in Jayhawk West play and 17-8 on the season while Garden City stands at 3-7 in the West and 11-13 overall. The Lady Cougars next action will be Tuesday, March 24, as Barton travels to Pratt Community College for 3:00 p.m. conference doubleheader.
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Seventh inning collapse leads to Cougars dropping doubleheader to Dodge City
March 14, 2015The Barton Community College softball team never recovered from a disastrous seventh inning in Saturday’s first game versus Dodge City Community College as the Conquistadors swept the conference twinbill at Cougar Field 7-3 and 5-2. The pair of losses sends Barton into its spring break at 2-4 in the Jayhawk West and 16-7 on the season as Dodge City improves to 2-0 in the West and 15-5 overall. The Lady Cougars next action will be Saturday, March 21, as Barton travels to Garden City Community College for 2:00 p.m. conference doubleheader.
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Barton softball breaks streak, earns doubleheader split at Seward County
March 11, 2015Dating back to 2007 the Barton Community College softball team had been unable to win in Liberal, Kansas, but the 2015 edition of the Lady Cougars erased the streak earning a doubleheader split Wednesday at Seward County Community College. Breaking a twelve game stretch of losses in Liberal, the Lady Cougars also snapped a twenty-four game losing streak to the Lady Saints with a come from behind 3-1 victory in the opener before falling 8-3 in the nightcap. Off to its best start in school history, Barton returns home 16-5 on the season and 2-2 in conference play while Seward County goes to 13-9 and 4-2 in the Jayhawk West. Needing a much needed rest playing eleven games in the last week, the Lady Cougars will have a couple days away from action before hosting Dodge City Community College in a 2:00 p.m. conference doubleheader on Saturday at Cougar Field.
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Barton softball recovers from escaped victory, takes nightcap to split conference opener
March 09, 2015The Barton Community College softball team squandered the first game of Monday's doubleheader but bounced back to take the second game at Cougar Field to split the conference opener against Colby Community College. Colby erased a two run Barton lead with a three run sixth then tacked on two more in the seventh to win the opener 6-4. The Lady Cougars then built a five run lead through the nightcap's first three innings and pounded out thirteen hits in earning the split with a 9-4 victory. Barton moves to 15-4 on the season while Colby leaves town 9-6. Coming off a nine-game five-day stretch, the Lady Cougars will one day's rest before heading to Liberal, Kansas, on Wednesday to take on Seward County Community College in a 2:00 p.m. Jayhawk West doubleheader.
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Cougar Softball sweeps opponents to finish 4-1 at Cloud County Tournament
March 08, 2015The Barton Community College softball team swept both opponents Sunday in the final day of the Cloud County Tournament held in Concordia, Kansas. The Lady Cougars took care of Brown Mackie College 9-2 to begin the day then held off a pesky Southeast Community College squad in the second game 6-3. The pair of victories improves Barton to 14-3 on the season going into Monday’s conference opener at Cougar Field hosting Colby Community College in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader.
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Bugner with thirteen strikeout no-hitter as Cougar Softball goes 2-1 after first day of Cloud County Tournament
March 07, 2015The Barton Community College softball team went 2-1 Saturday on the first day of the Cloud County Tournament held in Concordia, Kansas. The Lady Cougars dropped the first game of the day 8-3 to Division II No. 8 ranked Highland Community College before winning the next two to wrap up the day. Getting thirteen strikeouts and a no-hit performance from freshman Taylor Bugner, Barton shut out host Cloud County Community College before rolling over Riverland Community College 13-3 in a game shortened five innings. Barton improved to 12-3 on the season going into Sunday’s games beginning at 11:30 a.m. against Brown Mackie College and a 1:30 p.m. contest versus Southeast Community College.
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Barton Softball’s Harper picks up national award
March 06, 2015Erica Harper of the Barton Community College softball team was recently awarded the national Division I Player of the Week honor given out by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Earlier in the week Harper became the third consecutive Lady Cougar to be named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Softball Player of the Week. Joining Bailey Hensley and Holly Posegate who won the award the previous two weeks, Harper batted 5-of-7 (.714) with a 1.571 slugging percentage and .778 on-base percentage in the only two games last week as the Lady Cougars went 1-1 at Fort Scott Community College. The 5’5” sophomore right fielder from Topeka, Kansas, also drove in eight runs including two home runs in the second game helping Barton recover from its first loss of the season to improve to 9-1 on the 2015 campaign.
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Barton Softball splits doubleheader at Bethany College
March 05, 2015Opening the 2015 season with a sweep of the junior varsity squad from Bethany College, Thursday in Lindsborg was a much different result as the Barton Community College softball team split the doubleheader with the Swedes winning game one 7-2 but dropping the nightcap 7-3. A five-run first inning led to game one’s victory while a Bethany five-run fifth inning led to the loss in game two. The split takes Barton’s record to 10-2 on the season going into this weekend’s five games at the Cloud County Community College tournament in Concordia, Kansas. The Lady Cougars will then have quick turnaround before opening up conference play on Monday at Cougar Field hosting Colby Community College in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader.
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Harper becomes third straight Barton Softball player to earn conference award
March 03, 2015For the third straight week the Barton Community College softball team has a player recognized for their performance on the field as Erica Harper has been named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Softball Player of the Week. Joining Bailey Hensley and Holly Posegate who won the award the previous two weeks, Harper batted 5-of-7 (.714) with a 1.571 slugging percentage and .778 on-base percentage in the only two games last week as the Lady Cougars went 1-1 at Fort Scott Community College. The 5’5” sophomore right fielder from Topeka, Kansas, also drove in eight runs including two home runs in the second game helping Barton recover from its first loss of the season to improve to 9-1 on the 2015 campaign.
