News Six sign with Division I schools during early signing period November 9, 2011   The early signing period for Division I baseball opened Wednesday, and six current Panthers have signed a Letter of Intent for next season.  “I think we have a great group of sophomores that accomplished a lot as freshman. Today they reaped the benefits of their hard work over the past year and a half. Now that these guys have signed, it’s time for us to devote our complete focus back on accomplishing our goals for this spring,” said Head Coach Steve Murry.   All American first baseman and right hand pitcher Adam Giacalone will play at the University of Tennessee next season. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a Volunteer next year. I was fortunate enough to visit some very impressive programs, but in the end it was the coaching staff at Tennessee that really helped make the decision, “ said Giacalone.   Left hand pitcher Matt Strahm will head to Lincoln, Nebraska to pitch for the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten. “I visited a number of different schools, but when it comes down to it, Nebraska really felt like home to me. I am very excited about the direction the program is headed,” Strahm said.   Right hand pitcher Daniel Peterson and Catcher Tyler Palmer will team up next for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Daniel Peterson said, “I only had to visit one school to know where I wanted to be. The minute I stepped foot on campus, I knew it was the place for me.” On his signing with the Cowboys, Tyler Palmer said ,“I’ve grown up watching Oklahoma State my whole life. It is a program I have always looked up to and admired, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”   Two more Panthers will stay together next season as right hand pitcher Max Ising and third baseman Garrett Schaede will head to Omaha to play for Creighton University. “The facilities at Creighton are incredible,” said Ising, “that combined with one of the best pitching coaches in the country made it a no brainer for me to choose Creighton.” Schaede added that, “the campus and school are amazing, but the stadium is incredible. Being able to go to the ballpark every day that hosts the College World Series will be an awesome opportunity.”    Palmer takes 2011 Homerun Derby Title October 21, 2011 Sophomore catcher, and Oklahoma State University commit, Tyler Palmer walked away with the 2011 Neosho County Panther Homerun Derby title today at Hudson Field. Palmer, the fourth seed, knocked off the number one seed Adam Giacalone by a score of 6-4 to advance to the finals. Palmer would face the two seed Nick Feigner, who defeated three seed Garrett Schaede by a score of 2-1 in the other semi-final game. Palmer would outslug Feigner in the Finals by a score of 3-1 to pick up the victory.     Teams announced for annual Orange/White World Series October 20, 2011   The teams for Neosho County’s annual Orange/White World Series were announced today. The teams were selected by the captains as Tyler Palmer will manage the White team and Adam Giacalone will manage the Orange team.   Orange Team White Team Manager: Adam Giacalone Manager: Tyler Palmer 1)      Nick Feighner 1)      Matt Strahm 2)      Jordan Miller 2)      Chance Sinclair 3)      Daniel Peterson 3)      Garrett Schaede 4)      Dalton Cox 4)      Max Ising 5)      Rowdy Dove 5)      Tyler Kjellsen 6)      Tanner Dahl 6)      Robbe Ewing 7)      Josh Merrill 7)      Matt Milner 8)      Connor Kohlscheen 8)      Danton Maddox 9)      Mason Marshall 9)      Jordan Musto 10)   Kenny McKee 10)   Dalton Majors 11)   Jeff Boyd 11)   Michael Kirkland 12)   Taylor Graham 12)   Evan Smith 13)   Keith Winterowd 13)   Jacob Walters 14)   Jackson Rowe 14)     Injured Players Kas Sanders Alec Naifeh Tyler Toma Jon Furlong   The Orange/White World Series will kick off on Friday October 21 with the annual home run derby beginning at 2:00 pm.  The Orange team will hold home field advantage for the series. Game One starting pitchers will be Matt Strahm for the visiting White team and Adam Giacalone for the Orange team.   Game times for the World Series will be: Game 1- Saturday October 22 at 10:00 am Game 2- Sunday October 23 at 1:00 pm Game 3- Monday October 24 at 2:15 pm Game 4- Tuesday October 25 at 2:15 pm Game 5- Wednesday October 26 at 2:15 pm (if necessary) Game 6- Thursday October 27 at 2:15 pm (if necessary) Game 7- Friday October 28 at 2:15 pm (if necessary)     Giacalone, Palmer, and Sanders named captains for 2012. October 11, 2011 Head Baseball Coach Steve Murry announced today that Adam Giacalone, Tyler Palmer, and Kaz Sanders have been chosen as captains for the 2012 season. These three were voted as captains by their teammates.     “I think these three guys really represent Panther baseball on and off the field and will do a great job in leading us to our goals for the upcoming season,” said Coach Murry. Adam Giacalone is a sophomore first baseman and pitcher from Shawnee, KS. Adam was named a first team All American in 2011 as well as setting school records for wins on the mound (10) and RBI’s (102) while being named the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year. Tyler Palmer is a sophomore catcher from El Reno, OK. As a freshman Tyler hit .266 with five homeruns and driving in 23 runs while allowing only one passed ball on the season. Tyler also threw out 11 of 37 would be base stealers. Kaz Sanders is a sophomore shortstop from Fletcher, OK. Kaz hit .321 as a freshman while driving in 29 runs. As a freshman he started games at third base and right field before becoming the Panthers everyday centerfielder. The Panthers will open the 2012 season on February 15 when the host Ottawa University for a double header starting at 1:00pm. Panthers to host high school showcase October 5, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers will host a showcase for high school players this Saturday October 8th at Hudson Field. Regristration for the event will begin at 8:00am with the showcase beginning at 9:00. The showcase will give unsigned seniors and up and coming juniors the chance to be seen and evaluated by the Panther coaching staff. There is no cost for this event. For more information email Mike Saddler at msaddler@neosho.edu Panthers Announce 2012 Spring Schedule October 4, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers have released their spring schedule for the 2012 season. The schedule includes a full slate of Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference games as well as a tough docket of non-conference games. The Panthers will play 33 of their games at the friendly confines of Hudson Field where they were nearly unbeatable in 2011, posting an impressive 28-3 home record. Neosho County is scheduled to open the 2012 season on February 15th when they will host Ottawa University for a two game set. The non-conference schedule also includes games against Baker University, Des Moines Area Community College, Brown Mackie College, and Seminole State College. The Panthers will play eight of their non-conference games against teams that were ranked in the top 25 during the 2011 season. The Jayhawk Conference schedule will once again include four game weekend series with each team. The Panthers will kick off their conference schedule when they host Coffeyville Community College on March 3-4. Neosho County will also host Kansas City Kansas Community College, Labette Community College, Cowley College, and Allen County Community College this season. Date Opponent Location Time February 15 Ottawa University JV Hudson Field 1:00 February 18-19 Brown Mackie College Hudson Field 1:00 February 22 Ottawa University JV Ottawa, KS 1:00 February 25-26 Des Moines Area Community College Hudson Field 1:00 February 29 Crowder College Neosho, MO 2:00 (1x9) March 3-4 Coffeyville Community College Hudson Field 1:00* March 7 Baker University JV Hudson Field 1:00 March 10-11 Fort Scott Community College Fort Scott, KS 1:00* March 14 Seminole State College TBA 1:00 March 17-18 Independence Community College Independence, KS 1:00* March 24-25 Kansas City Kansas Community College Hudson Field 1:00* March 31-April 1 Labette Community College Hudson Field 1:00* April 6-7 Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS 1:00* April 11 Baker University JV Baldwin City, KS 4:00 April 14-15 Highland Community College Highland, KS 1:00* April 17 Crowder College Hudson Field 2:00 (1x9) April 21-22 Cowley College Hudson Field 1:00* April 28-29 Allen Community College Hudson Field 1:00* May 5-7 Region VI Playoffs TBA   May 12-14 Central District Championship Wichita, KS     A Number of Panther’s Earn Post Season Honors May 23, 2011 The Jayhawk Conference and Region VI post season awards were recently announced and the Neosho County Panthers led the way. Ten different Panthers earned All-Conference Honors while four were named to the All-Region First Team. The five All-Region selections include four on the first team, a school record. Adam Giacalone: The freshman from Shawnee, Kansas had one of the best seasons in school history. The two-way star led the team in eight categories including: homeruns (18), RBI’s (102), Slugging Percentage (.786), Wins (10), ERA (2.10), Innings Pitched (83.1), Strikeouts (83), and Opponents Batting Average (.229). His RBI and Win totals are school records in addition to tying the record for most Game Winning RBI’s with 11 and Strikeouts in a Game with 17. Giacalone was named the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week twice as a hitter and once a pitcher in addition to being named the NJCAA Player of the Week once as a pitcher. Jayhawk Conference Freshman of the Year Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year 1st Team All Conference First Baseman 1st Team All Conference Pitcher 1st Team All-Region First Baseman 2nd Team All-Region Pitcher Austen Colt: The sophomore second baseman from Owasso, OK led the team in At Bats (227), Triples (5), and Stolen Bases ( 17) as well as finishing second on the team in Doubles (21), Homeruns (14), RBI’s (58), and Slugging Percentage (.705). His 272 At Bats is a new school record. 1st Team All Conference Second Baseman 1st Team All-Region Second Baseman Eric Dawson: The sophomore shortstop from Olathe, KS set a new single season record by scoring 77 runs on the year. His 134 runs scored during his Neosho career are also a school record. He also set a school record with 302 assists over the course of his Neosho career. Dawson also tied for the team lead with 17 stolen bases. He was an Honorable Mention All-Conference second baseman in 2010. 2nd Team All Conference Shortstop Nick Doughty: The sophomore designated hitter/first baseman from Raytown, MO tied a school record with his team leading 28 doubles, while breaking the career mark with 45 over his two years. He also led the team with a fielding percentage of 1.000 making no errors in 136 chances. Doughty finished third on the team with 55 RBI’s, and his 79 hits were second on the team. He was named the Conference Player of the Week one time during the season. 1st Team All Conference Designated Hitter 1st Team All Region Designated Hitter Caleb Compton: The sophomore left fielder from Owasso, OK for the second year in a row led the team in batting average with a .399 season this year. Compton also led the team with 44 walks to set a new school single season record in addition to the career record with 75 walks in his two years. Compton also recorded the fifth longest hitting streak in school history by hitting safely in 18 consecutive games. Compton was named the Conference Player of the Week one time during the season. 1st Team All Conference Outfielder 1st Team All Region Outfielder Thomas Keith: The sophomore catcher from Norman, OK set a school single season record with his 1.000 fielding percentage making no errors in 208 chances. Keith allowed only two passed balls on the year while picking off five runners and throwing out 30 percent of would be base stealers. Keith also set a career record with his .992 fielding percentage making only four errors in 520 chances. For his career Keith picked off 11 runners and threw out 30 of 84 runners. Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year Region VI Defensive Player of the Year Honorable Mention All Conference Catcher Matt Strahm: The freshman left hand pitcher from West Fargo, ND led the team with nine complete games and two shutouts. Strahm finished second on the team in ERA (2.82), Wins (9), Innings Pitched (67) and Strikeouts (77). Strahm was named the Conference Pitcher of the Week once during the season. 1st Team All Conference Pitcher Daniel Peterson: The freshman right hand pitcher from De Soto, KS finished the year 4-2 in his 12 starts with a 3.81 ERA. Peterson tossed three complete games on the season. He finished the year third on the team in Innings Pitched (64.1) and strikeouts (48) 2nd Team All Conference Pitcher Nick Fowble: The freshman left hand pitcher from Norman, OK finished the year third on the team with six wins to go with zero losses. Fowble tossed a pair of complete games and recorded one shutout on the season. Honorable Mention All Conference Pitcher   Panther’s 2011 Season a Record Setting One May 23, 2011 The 2011 Neosho County baseball season came to a disappointing end at the Region VI Super Regional last week. The season, however, was one for the record books. The Panthers tied or broke 31 school records including the best record in school history (46-14, .766) and the longest winning streak in school history (21 games). On the season the Panthers set 15 team records as well as five career records. Here is a look at all the records set this year: At batsseason 227 Colt Walks season 44 Compton Walks career 75 Compton Walks by team in season 256 Runs scored season 77 Dawson Runs scored career 134 Dawson Runs scored by a team 520 Sacrifices in season Pomatto and Sanders 16 Sacrifices by a team 103 RBIs season 102 Giacalone RBI’s team 467 Doubles in season-tied Doughty 28 Doubles career 45 Doughty Triples by a team 26 Game winning RBI tied by Giacalone 11 Game winning RBI by team 46 Double Plays by team 46 Fielding PCt season Tommy Keith 1.000 Field Pct career- keith tied at .992 Fielding pct team .964 Putouts by team 1302 Assists in career Dawson 302 Best record by team 46-14 .766 Best record as pitcher tied Giacalone 10-1 ERA by team 3.16 Appearances 23 Ising Appearances by team 60 Most strikeouts team 399 Most innings pitched by team 434 Most wins by team 46 Longest winning streak 21 Panther’s season comes to a disappointing end May 14, 2011 The 2011 Panther baseball season came to a disappointing end Saturday as they fell in the Region VI Super Regional. Neosho County dropped their opening game of the tournament to the Seward County Saints 6-8 before falling to Colby Community College 4-1 to end their season. Game1: Neosho County 6 – Seward County 8 Ben Jacks tossed four innings of relief allowing only a pair of runs, and Adam Giacalone blasted his fourth grand slam of the year, but it was not enough to overcome an early deficit. The Panther’s got on the board first with a single run in the first inning, but the Saints answered right back with four of their own and never looked back. They would tack on two more runs in the third to extend their lead to 6-1. After the two teams traded runs in the fourth, the Panthers battled back to within a run on Giacalone’s grand slam. That is all the runs they would manage however and Seward County would tack on an insurance run in the eighth. Seward starting pitcher Logan Hall earned the win tossing 8 2/3 innings of work while striking out eight. Game 2: Neosho County 1- Colby 4 The Panther’s faced a quick turnaround after dropping the opener and for the second year in a row faced the Colby Community College Trojans with the season on the line. Nine innings would not be enough to decide the pitcher’s duel as the teams headed to the tenth tied at one. The Panther bullpen struggled in the tenth allowing a pair of walks to start the inning. After a strikeout and an intentional walk to load the bases, the Trojans would get their only hit of the inning to take a one run lead. A sac fly and a hit batter with the bases loaded would plate two more to put the Trojans ahead by three. Colby starting pitcher Matt Stevens picked up the complete game win tossing a scoreless tenth. The rough tenth inning spoiled a tremendous start for Adam Giacalone who tossed a season high nine innings allowing only one run on six hits while striking out 10. Nick Doughty and Jon Pomatto lead the way offensively as they each had a pair of hits.   Panthers set to host regional tournament. May 4, 2011 After a strong regular season, the Panthers are set to begin regional play Saturday as they will host a four team regional beginning Saturday morning at 9:30. The first game of the day will pit Barton County against Johnson County. The Panther will play their first game of the tournament at 12:30 when the face off against Pratt Community College. 2011 NJCAA Region VI Baseball Super Regional Sat/Sun/Mon. May 7, 8, 9 - Times Set Below East #2 Super Regional at Chanute, KS Games May 7 G1 9:30AM #3 Barton (37-19) vs (31-24) #6 Johnson County G2 12:30 #2 Neosho County (43-12) vs (23-33) #7 Pratt G3 3:30 Loser G1 vs Loser G2 Games May 8 G4 TBA Winner G1 vs Winner G2 G5 TBA Winner G3 vs Loser G4 Games May 9 G6 TBA Winner G5 vs Winner G4 (Championship) G7 TBA (If Necessary)   Crowder sneaks past Neosho in final regular season game 2-1. May 3, 2011 The Panthers faced the Rough Riders of Crowder College on Tuesday for their final tune up before post season play gets under way this weekend at Hudson Field. The Panthers would lose 2-1 and fall to 43-12 overall.  It marks the tenth time this season that the Panthers have lost by two runs or less. Neosho 1-Crowder 2 Crowder starting pitcher Mike Sisco was dominant on the mound for the Rough Riders allowing only two hits in eight innings of work while striking out 11. His only real blemish came in the second win Nick Doughty blasted on 0-1 pitch over the right field wall for his eighth homerun of the season. That would be the only run the Panthers would plate on the day. Jon Furlong took the loss on the mound allowing only a pair of runs in his five innings of work. Clint Barnes tossed three scoreless innings of relief, and Tyler Kjellsen tossed a scoreless ninth, but it would not be enough. The Panthers finish the regular season 43-12 overall and 26-3 in conference play. They will now host the first round of the regional tournament starting on Saturday morning.   Panthers must settle for split in final conference series against Cowley May 2, 2011 Needing to take three of four games from Cowley College to wrap up a Jayhawk Eastern Division title, the Panthers came up a game short as they split a pair of double headers. With the split, the Panthers finish the conference season in second place at 29-7, a game behind Cowley for first. Game 1: Neosho 7-Cowley 8 (12 Innings) The first game of a series to decide a conference champion was all that any fan could ask for and more as the teams battled for 12 innings before Cowley finally pushed the winning run across with one out in the bottom of the 12th. The loss snapped Neosho’s school record win streak at 21 games. The Panthers touched up Cowley starting pitcher Andrew Polly for five runs in his 6.1 innings of work. The sophomore lefty had allowed only 6 runs in his previous 64.2 innings of work; however Cowley closer Robbie Rea tossed 5.2 innings allowing only two runs to pick up the win. Neosho starting pitcher Daniel Peterson tossed 5.1 innings, allowing only a single run through his first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. Cowley would push across four in the sixth to chase Peterson. Lefty Dalton Cox came out of the pen to relieve Peterson and would strand a pair of runners on base. The Panthers would finally plate a run in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, and would finally regain the lead in the eighth only to see Cowley answer back with a pair of runs of their own. Dalton Majors threw three scoreless innings before finally surrendering the winning run in the bottom of the 12th. Every Panther starter collected a hit in the game; however they would strand 16 runners in the contest. Caleb Compton led the way at the plate going 3-4 with a pair of runs driven in and a walk. Game 2: Neosho 10-Cowley 5 The Panthers would fall behind 2-0 after two innings in the second game of the double header before scoring runs in each of the next five innings to pick up the victory 10-5. Adam Giacalone went the distance on the mound for the Panthers to pick up his ninth win of the season. Giacalone allowed only 2 earned runs while walking none and scattering eight hits in his seven innings of work. It was a balanced offensive attack for the Panthers again as 8 different batters collected a hit and 7 different people scored a run. Eric Dawson led the way at the plate going 2-5 with a pair of RBI’s and a pair of runs scored. Austen Colt chipped in a pair of RBI’s and his team leading fifth triple of the year. Game 3: Neosho 1-Cowley 4 Rain on Sunday would force the teams to wait an extra day to decide the conference championship. When baseball finally resumed on Monday, the Panthers would struggle against Cowley starter Storm Marlar as they could only muster five hits on the day while only pushing one run across on a wild pitch in the fifth inning. The loss would secure a first place finish for Cowley, and would mean the Panthers would finish in second in the conference. Matt Strahm went the distance for the Panthers; however the lefty allowed four runs on 10 hits in his six innings of work. The big blow came in the second inning when the Tigers plated three runs to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Game 4: Neosho 5-Cowley 4 For the second time in the series, the Panthers would bounce back after losing game 1 to take the second game of the double header. Nick Fowlbe allowed four runs in 5.1 innings of work, but left the game with the Panthers trailing 4-3. Dalton Cox tossed a season high 2.2 scoreless innings of work to pick up his fourth win of the season. The Panthers scored a single run in the second inning, and two more in the fifth inning, but took the lead for good in the top of the 8th. With two on and one out the nations RBI leader Adam Giacalone drove in his first runs of the series with a 2 RBI double to put the Panthers on top for good. The RBI’s pushed Giacalones season total to 90. The Panthers 43-11 after the weekend, and will face Crowder College on Tuesday for a single nine inning game starting at 2:00. The Rough Riders are currently receiving votes in the NJCAA national poll.       Panthers move into top 25 April 27, 2011 Riding a 19 game win streak and winners of 31 of their last 33 games, the Neosho County Panthers are 19th in the latest NJCAA rankings. This marks the first time the Panthers have been ranked since the 2006 season.   The latest rankings set up a Top 25 showdown with a conference championship on the line this weekend as the Panthers travel to Cowley to take on the 14th ranked Tigers in a four game series. The Panthers must win three of four games to win the Jayhawk Eastern Division title.   Panthers announce changes to upcoming schedule April 25, 2011 Poor weather over the weekend has forced the Neosho County Panthers to alter their schedule for the final weeks of the season. Heavy rains over the weekend forced the Panthers to move their originally scheduled game with Crowder College to Tuesday May 3. The Panthers will play 1 nine inning game beginning at 2:00. The Panthers have also added two more home games with Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Panthers will host Oklahoma Wesleyan on Wednesday April 27. The teams will square off for a double header with first pitch coming at 2:00. Panthers continue winning ways, extend streak to 19 games April 23, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers continued their winning ways as they completed a four game sweep of Highland Community College to push their school record win streak to 19 games. The victories give the Panthers a record of 39-9 overall and 27-5 in conference play. The Panthers have now won 31 of their last 33 games. Game 1: Neosho County 11-Highland 1 Matt Strahm tossed his sixth complete game in a row and seventh of the season as the freshman lefty picked up his eighth win of the season. Strahm allowed only four hits, while walking one and striking out nine Highland batters. The top of the Panther lineup packed a serious punch in the contest as the first four hitters combined to go 10-14 at the plate. The group also totaled eight RBI’s and seven runs scored. Adam Giacalone led the way going 2-3 at the plate with a double and a homerun while driving in three runs. The three RBI’s tied him for the school’s single season record with 78. Austen Colt also was perfect at the plate going 4-4 with a pair of runs and RBI’s. Game 2: Neosho County 12-Highland 6 It didn’t take Adam Giacalone long to break the record he tied in game one. The freshman went 2-3 at the plate with a double and his second grand slam of the season. He broke the record, however, in an unusual fashion as he drew a bases loaded walk to give him his 79th RBI. For the game he drove in six runs, which is the sixth time this season he has driven in five or more runs in a game. For the game the Panthers knocked out 15 hits including five extra base hits. Austen Colt picked up two doubles while Garrett Schaede went 3-4 at the plate with a double and a pair of RBI’s. Caleb Compton walked three times in the game, but saw his 18 game hitting streak come to a halt as he went 0-2 in his other at bats. The 18 game streak is the fifth longest in school history. Nick Fowlbe picked up his sixth win of the season tossing six innings while allowing three runs and five hits. Tyler Kjellsen, Dalton Cox, and Dalton Majors each tossed a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the victory.   Panthers extend winning streak to 17 games April 22, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers took a pair of games from Highland to push their school record winning streak to 17 games. The wins move the Panthers to 37-9 overall and 25-5 in Jayhawk Conference action. The wins secure the Panthers a top two spot in the Jayhawk Eastern Division, which means they will be a regional host on May 7-8. Game 1: Neosho County 4- Highland 1 Daniel Peterson tossed six strong innings allowing only three hits while striking out eight to pick up his third win of the season. The freshman righty allowed only a single run in the second inning. Max Ising came on in the seventh to pick up the save allowing one hit while striking out two. Nick Doughty continued his hot streak at the plate following his Player of the Week honors by going 3-3 at the plate with three doubles and three runs scored. Caleb Compton was also perfect at the plate as he also went 3-3 with a double in the game. In a game in which the top of the order combined to go 0-7, the bottom of the order drove in three of the Panthers four runs led by Kas Sanders 2-3 day at the plate. Game 2: Neosho County 9-Higland 5 Adam Giacalone broke out of a mini slump at the plate by going 2-3 at the plate with a homerun and five more RBI’s. The five runs driven in put Giacalone three RBI’s short of the school single season record of 78. Eric Dawson went 4-5 at the top of the order while driving in two runs and scoring three more.  Tyler Palmer also went 2-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored in the game. Giacalone was also busy on the mound as he tossed eight innings allowing only a pair of earned runs while scattering seven hits. The righty walked two while striking out eight to pick up his team high eighth win of the season. The Panthers will look to complete the sweep tomorrow as first pitch of the double header is scheduled for 1:00. It will the Heart Association Game and the team will wear Red Jerseys for the contest. Chanute resident and heart transplant survivor Jeremy Gant will be on hand to throw out the first pitch.   Panthers continue hot streak and take two from Maple Woods April 12, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers took a pair of games from Maple Woods Community College Tuesday to extend their season long win streak to 11 games. The win streak is the second longest in school history, and one win shy of tying the school record. With the victories, the Panthers move to 31-9 on the year and 19-5 in conference games. Game 1: Neosho County 13- Maple Woods 3 Maple Woods jumped out to a 1-0 lead after three innings, but the Panthers would respond with five runs in the fourth and seven more in the sixth to end the game due to the 10-run rule. Eric Dawson and Austen Colt each went 3-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBI’s in the game. A homerun from Tyler Palmer tied the game up in the fourth, and a two run triple from Austen Colt gave the Panthers the lead for good. Nick Doughty would hit his sixth homerun of the year in the fifth to extend the Panther lead. Eric Dawson led off the sixth inning by being hit by a pitch to get the big rally started. The Panthers would score seven runs thanks to six hits by the Panthers. Eric Dawson would end the game with a two RBI single in his second at bat of the inning. Nick Fowble picked up his fourth win of the year for the Panthers tossing all six innings and allowing only three runs. Fowble struck out five Monarch batters, while walking only one and allowing six hits. Game 2: Neosho County 7- Maple Woods 2 After recording 13 runs on 15 hits in the opening game of the series, the Panthers had to rally from behind and scored seven runs on only five hits to pick up the win in game two. The Panthers found themselves trailing 2-1 entering the fifth inning after allowing a pair of unearned runs. The Panthers took advantage of eight walks and four errors to score three runs each in the fifth and sixth inning. Nick Doughty led the way for the Panthers offensively as he went 2-5 at the plate with a double while driving in five of the seven Panther runs. Jon Furlong got the win the for the Panthers as he tossed six innings allowing only two hits and a pair of unearned runs while striking out five and walking one. Max Ising tossed a perfect seventh inning while recording two strikeouts to end the ballgame. The Panthers will look to extend their win streak Saturday when the host Johnson County Community College for the first two games of a four game set. First pitch both Saturday and Sunday is set for 1:00 pm.    Panthers complete sweep to extend season long win streak to nine games April 11, 2011 The Neosho County offense came out firing on all cylinders as they scored 45 runs on the weekend while recording 47 hits including 14 homeruns to sweep the Labette Cardinals over the weekend. The four wins push the Panthers current win streak to a season long nine games, while they have also won 21 of their last 23 games. The Panthers are now 29-9 overall and 19-5 in conference play. Game 1: Neosho County 17-Labette 6 Adam Giacalone continued his great season at the plate as he belted two more homeruns and drove in a season high eight runs including grand slam while going 3-4 at the plate. Austen Colt and Nick Doughty each also went 3-4 at the plate while scoring five total runs. Garrett Schaede also chipped in a homerun in the game. Michael Kirkland picked up the win on the mound tossing 4.1 innings of relief allowing only a single run while walking one and striking out three. Game 2: Neosho County 6- Labette 2 After driving in eight runs in game one of the series, Adam Giacalone took to the mound in game two and tossed seven strong innings allowing only one run while striking out eight to pick up his team leading sixth win of the season. Nick Doughty and Caleb Compton led the way offensively as they each went 2-4 at the plate. Both Compton and Doughty blasted solo homeruns in the game. Game 3: Neosho County 10- Labette 2 For the fourth game in a row Matt Strahm tossed a complete game picking up his sixth win of the year. The lefty allowed only two runs while scattering six hits over his seven innings of work, and has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last four starts. Garrett Schaede led the charge offensively going 2-4 at the plate with a double and a homerun, while Caleb Compton scored two runs while going 2-3 at the plate. Austen Colt and Adam Giacalone each belted homeruns while Taylor Smith came off the bench to blast his first homerun of the season. Game 4: Neosho County 12- Labette 11 Austen Colt finished his strong weekend performance with a bang as the sophomore belted homeruns in each of his first three at bats. Colt would hit a solo homerun in the first, a two run homerun in the third, and a three run homerun in the fifth. Colt Would finish the game 4-6 with three homerun, six RBI’s and three runs scored. Nick Doughty belted another homerun as well.  Nick Fowble picked up the win in relief tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief while allowing only one hit.    Giacalone earns Player of the Week honors again April 11, 2011 For the second week in a row Adam Giacalone was named the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week. It is the third time Giacalone has earned a weekly award this season as he was named the conference and national pitcher of the week earlier in the season. The freshman first baseman hit .455 (10-22) while belting four homeruns and driving in 16 runs on the week to extend his national lead. Giacalone is now hitting .405 on the season with 12 homeruns and 64 RBI’s. The Panthers have now had the conference pitcher and player of the week three times each. Caleb Compton is the other hitter to be named the player of the week, while Ben Jacks and Matt Strahm have each been named the pitcher of the week.   Panthers take 3 of 4 to move into second place in the conference April 4, 2011 After dropping the series opener to 3-2 to Kansas City Kansas Community College the Panthers bounced back to win the final three games convincingly by scores of 11-2, 9-2, and 17-10. Neosho County has now won their last three conference series and sit alone in second in the Jayhawk East at 15-5. The loss in the opener snapped a season long six game winning streak; however the Panthers have now won 15 of their last 17 games. Game 1 KCK starting pitcher Jake McMains had the Panthers number early in game one as he allowed only a pair of walks through the first five innings. The Blue Devils offense jumped on Neosho starting pitcher Daniel Peterson scoring a single run in each of the first three innings while recording five hits. The Panther offense would finally get to McMains in the sixth inning with back to back hits from Eric Dawson and Austen Colt. A pair of sacrifice flies off the bats of Caleb Compton and Adam Giacalone would cut the lead to one at 3-2. That is all the scoring the Panthers would muster as KCK closer Logan Forbis would leave the bases loaded to end the threat. Peterson was the hard luck loser tossing six innings and allowing three runs, only two of which were earned, while walking three and striking out seven. Game 2 Adam Giacalone would allow a single run in the first inning, and that is all the Blue Devils would get before tacking on a late run off reliever Max Ising. The freshman tossed eight innings allowing only the one run on three hits while walking one and striking out five to pick up his fifth win on the season. The game was tight for seven innings before the Panthers blew it wide open scoring seven runs in the eighth inning to take an 11-1 lead. The Panthers would take advantage of three Blue Devil errors in the inning to score their seven runs on only four hits. For the game eight different Panthers recorded a hit while seven different players scored a run. Game 3 For the second game in a row, the Panthers and Blue Devils would battle early before a big inning from Neosho County would put the game out of reach. The Panthers trailed 2-1 heading into the fifth inning when a leadoff double from Nick Doughty would get the rally started. After a sac fly from Jon Pomatto tied the game up, the Panthers would rally for four more runs with two outs. Eric Dawson was then hit by a pitch before Austen Colt blasted his fifth homerun of the season to put the Panthers on top for good. Matt Strahm earned the victory by allowing only one earned run while walking one and striking out 11 and scattering six hits. The lefty has now tossed three complete games in his last three starts while strking out 40 in 21 innings of work. Game 4 The Panthers would set new season highs for hits and runs in the series finale as the recorded 21 hits and 17 runs to pick up the series victory. Six different Panthers would record multi-hit games and eight different players would record a hit in the game. Adam Giacalone and Nick Doughty would each blast a homerun as the two combined to go 8-11 with a double, two homeruns, eight RBI’s and four runs scored. Caleb Compton went 3-5 at the plate and scored four runs. The switch hitting left fielder would come up a homerun short of hitting for the cycle. The Panthers would score runs in every inning except the third and fourth on their way to a season high 17 runs. Sophomore Ben Jacks looked like he would cruise to his fourth win of the season on the mound as he faced the minimum through three innings and was working with a 3 run lead. The righty would run into trouble in the fourth as he would surrender five runs on six hits to give up the lead. A homerun to lead off the fifth inning would chase Jacks who allowed six runs, four of which were earned, nine hits while walking none and striking out three in 4+ innings of work. After Dalton Majors allowed two more runs in the fifth inning, the bullpen would settle in and allow only two unearned runs the rest of the way. Four the game five Panther relievers would combine to toss five innings allowing only three hits while walking three and striking out two. The group would allow four runs, however only two of the runs would be earned. Michael Kirkland picked up the win in relief tossing a scoreless inning of relief. Neosho County moves to 23-9 on the season, and 15-5 in Jayhawk Conference action while KCK falls to 22-11 overall and 12-8 in conference play. The Panthers will be back in action April 6 when the head to Baldwin City, KS for a rematch with Baker University. First pitch for the double header is scheduled for 5:00 pm. It will be the first night game of the year for the Panthers.   Gicalone and Strahm earn Player/Pitcher of the Week honors April 4, 2011 Freshmen Adam Giacalone and Matt Strahm have been named the Jayhawk Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week respectively for the week of March 28-April 3. It marks the fifth time that a Panther has earned either pitcher or player of the week honors in the Jayhawk conference. Adam Giacalone was named the Conference Player of the week after going 10-18 at the plate (.550) while driving in 11 runs in six games to push his team leading total to 49 for the season. Gicalone also drilled his team leading eighth homerun of the season and scored seven runs as the Panthers went 5-1 on the week, all in conference play.  This is the second time Giacalone has earned a weekly award as he was named the Conference and NJCAA pitcher of the week on March 21. Gicalone is the second hitter to earn the award this season as Caleb Compton was named Conference hitter of the week on March 14. Matt Strahm was named the Conference Pitcher of the Week after picking up two complete game wins. On Tuesday against Independence the lefty tossed seven innings while allowing only one run and striking out a career high 12 batters. He followed that up tossing seven more innings while allowing two runs and striking out 11 more. The West Fargo, North Dakota has now earned a complete game victory in each of his last three starts allowing only three runs and striking out 40 in 21 innings of work. Strahm joins Giacalone and Ben Jacks as the third pitcher to earn the weekly award.   Panthers sweep Pirates in series finale March 29, 2011   The Neosho County Panthers picked up their first sweep of a four game conference series as they took a pair from Independence today by scores of 6-1 and 11-3. The wins moved the Panthers to 20-8 overall and 12-4 in Jayhawk Conference play. The two wins also push the Panther winning streak to a season-long six games.   Game 1 Freshman Matt Strahm tossed his second complete game in as many tries to pick up his fourth win of the season. The lefty allowed a single run on a pair of hits in the first inning and would not allow another hit the rest of the day and while retiring the final 11 batters he faced in order. On the day Strahm allowed one run on two hits while walking two and striking out a season high 12 in his seven innings of work. Eric Dawson went 2-2 at the plate and scored a pair of runs out of the leadoff spot. Freshman Adam Giacalone continued to produce at the plate for the Panthers as he drove in two more to push his season RBI total to 40. Caleb Compton and Garrett Schaede each drove in a pair of runs apiece as well to complete Panther attack.   Game 2 The bottom of the Neosho lineup lead the charge offensively as the Panthers would score 11 runs on 14 hits to pick up the series finale. The 6-9 hitters in the Panther lineup combined to go 8-15 at the late while driving in nine runs and scoring six more. Austen Colt would also enjoy a solid game at the plate as he went 4-4 with a run scored while Adam Giacalone scored three runs while walking three times. Ben Jacks picked up his third win of the season on the mound tossing six innings while allowing three runs, only two of which were earned while scattering seven hits and a walk and striking out five. Clint Barnes, Dalton Cox, and Max Ising would combine to shut the Pirates out over the final three innings allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out three. The Panthers will be back in action Saturday April 2, 2011 as they travel to Kansas City to take on Kansas City Kansas Community College at Community America Ballpark for the first two games in the four game series. First pitch is set for 1:00 pm. The games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1460 or online at http://kkoy.com/.   Panthers sail past Pirates to open series March 28, 2011 After poor weather over the weekend forced Neosho County and Independence push back the start of their series, the Panthers came out hot despite the cold temperatures. After winning game one of the series 8-3, the Panthers would cruise in game two winning 14-4 in 8 innings. The Panthers would total 25 hits to score their 22 runs on the day including a season high 16 hits in game two. Game 1 Daniel Peterson would go the distance on the mound allowing three runs, only two of which were earned. Peterson would allow only three hits while walking five and striking out five in his 7 innings of work to pick up his second win of the season. The Panthers would stake Peterson to an early lead scoring three in the bottom of the first capped by a two-run homerun off the bat of third baseman Garrett Schaede. After the Pirates battled back to tie the game in the top of the third, the Panthers would answer with a run of their own on a sac fly from catcher Tommy Keith. The Panthers would tack on four insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth including a two run double from Adam Giacalone. The freshman first baseman would finish the game 3-4 while driving in three runs to push his team leading total to 38. Game 2 The Panthers would record a season high 16 hits in game two including eight extra base hits. Nick Doughty would lead the way offensively in game two going 3-5 with a double, a triple, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Jon Pomatto would go 2-3 at the plate while driving in four runs while Garrett Schaede would blast his second homerun of the day, a solo shot to lead off the eighth inning. Adam Giacalone would pick up his team leading fourth win of the season on the mound. The righty would toss 6 innings allowing four runs, only three of which earned while giving up six hits and three walks and striking out eight. Dalton Cox and Dalton Majors would each toss a scoreless inning of relief to close out the win for the Panthers. With the wins, the Panthers move to 18-8 overall and 10-4 in conference action, while Independence falls to 2-22 overall and 1-13 in the conference. Neosho and Independence will be back in action Tuesday with the first pitch of the double header scheduled for 1:00 pm. The games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1460 and online at http://kkoy.com.   Giacalone earns national recognition March 23, 2011 Freshman right hand pitcher Adam Giacalone was named the NJCAA National Pitcher of the Week as well as KJCCC Conference Pitcher of the week for his performance against Fort Scott Community College. The Shawnee native set a new school record with 17 strikeouts while allowing only six hits and a walk in his nine innings of work. Giacalone is the second consecutive Panther to be named the KJCCC Pitcher of the Week after Ben Jacks earned the honor the week before following a pair of nine inning complete game victories. Caleb Compton was also named the Conference Hitter of the week for the week of March 16 after going 10-21 at the plate while driving in three runs and scoring three more.   Panthers notch a pair of run-rule victories March 23, 2011   The Neosho County Panthers picked up a pair of non-conference wins Wednesday when Baker University visited Hudson Field. Neosho County swept the double header by scores of 10-0 and 15-0. On the same day Adam Giacalone was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week, he went 3-6 at the plate while hitting his sixth and seventh homeruns while driving in four runs to push his team leading total to 35. On the mound Nick Fowble picked up the win in game one tossing four scoreless innings allowing only one hit and walk while striking out six. In game two is was Jon Furlong who picked up with win striking out five while allowing only a single hit in his three innings scoreless innings. Neosho County moves to 16-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play with the victories. The Panthers have now won eight of their last nine games. They will be back in action Saturday March 26 when they host Independence Community College for the first two games of a four game series. Independence comes into the weekend with a 2-20 record overall and 1-11 in Jayhawk Conference play. Game time is set for 1:00 on both Saturday and Sunday. All games can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1460 as well as online at http://kkoy.com/   Panthers must settle for split in series finale March 21, 2011 After sweeping the first two games of their Jayhawk Conference series with Fort Scott, the Panthers were forced to settle for a split on Monday as they won game one of the double header 8-0 before falling in the final game 16-9. Neosho County moves to 14-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play while Fort Scott goes to 17-5 overall and 7-5 in the conference. Game 1 Panther starting pitcher Matt Strahm allowed three hits over the first two innings of work before settling down and holding the Greyhounds at bay the rest of the day. Strahm would retire the final 10 hitters he faced after a walk in the fifth inning. He picked up his third win of the season tossing a complete game shutout allowing only four hits and a walk while striking out seven. The Panthers were able to jump on the Greyhounds early in the ballgame as they scored three runs in the bottom of the first to give Strahm a cushion to pitch with. A pair of singles with two outs by Garrett Schaede and Tyler Palmer would plate the first three runs of the day for the Panthers. After going scoreless inning in the second, the Panthers would add three more runs in the bottom of the third. After Caleb Compton singled to lead off the inning, Adam Giacalone would blast his team leading fifth homerun of the season. Garrett Schaede would score on a wild pitch after reaching base on an error to finish the scoring in the inning. Jonathan Pomatto and Eric Dawson would each drive in a run in the sixth inning to put the game well out of reach. Eight Panther hitters collected a hit in the ballgame, while 6 different hitters drove in runs in the contest. Game 2 Fort Scott would get a measure of revenge in the final game of the series as they would score 16 runs on 15 hits while collecting eight walks in the ballgame. The biggest hit of the game would belong to Fort Scott centerfielder Jordan Stull as he would blast a grand slam in the sixth to extend the Greyhound lead and put the game out of reach. After falling behind 4-1 after one inning, the Panthers would battle back to take the lead after scoring five in the bottom of the second. Panther starting pitcher would toss a pair of zeros in the second and third inning before running into trouble again in the fourth. A two out three run homerun off the bat of Gavin Stark would give the Greyhounds a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Panther bullpen struggled in the series finale as they allowed nine runs on six hits while walking six over the final four innings of baseball. Freshman Ethan Ericson and Stephen Williams were each effective late for the Panthers as they combined to toss 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. A two run homerun in the eighth off the bat of Austen Colt would cut the Greyhound lead to seven, but it was too little too late as that would be all the offense the Panthers could muster. The loss snapped a season long six game winning streak. The Panthers will be back in action Wednesday March 23 as the host Baker University JV for a pair of non-conference games. First pitch Wednesday is scheduled for 1:00 pm. The games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1460 as well as online at http://kkoy.com/   Giacalone enjoys record setting day as Panthers take two from Fort Scott March 20, 2011 Neosho County stormed back from a 4-1 deficit to win game one of a Jayhawk Conference double header by a score of 11-5. A pair of three run homeruns in the sixth inning were enough to put the Panthers on top for good as the bullpen threw four innings of one run relief. In the nightcap Adam Giacalone was dominant as he broke the single game strikeout record by sitting down 17 Greyhounds on strikes in the game. With the wins the Panthers move to 13-7 overall and 7-3 in conference play while the Greyhounds fall to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the conference. Game 1 Fort Scott came out with bats blazing in game one of the double header as they rapped out nine hits and four runs over the first three innings. An RBI double in the second would get the Panthers on the board, but Fort Scott would answer back with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the third. The Panthers wouldn’t go away easy however as a Garrett Schaede single drove in a pair of runs with two outs to get them back within a run. Neosho County would finally close the game all the way in the bottom of the fourth as Jon Pomatto scampered home when Austen Colt reached base on an error. The Neosho County lead would be short lived however as the Greyhounds would answer right back with a run of their own in the top of the fifth inning to take a one run lead. After the Greyhounds held the scoreless in the fifth, the Panthers broke the game wide open in the sixth. Tommy Keith would lead the inning off with a walk before Taylor Smith would reach base on an error. A pair of strikeouts looked to end the Panther rally, but a three run homerun from Austen Colt would put the Panthers back on top. Three more singles would plate another run followed by a three run blast off the bat of Garrett Schaede would push his RBI total to five for the game. Three Panther relievers combined to allow only one run over the final 4 innings of baseball after starter Daniel Peterson was knocked out early. Dalton Cox earned the win in relief tossing a perfect sixth inning before Max Ising came in to throw a scoreless seventh to close out the win. Game 2 Adam Giacalone was special in game two as he tossed a 9 inning complete game scattering seven hits and two walks while only allowing a pair of runs. The real story however was how Giacalone got his outs. Giacalone began racking up the strikeouts early as he struck out five over the first two innings. He was only getting started however as the strikeouts began piling up. The previous record for strikeouts in a game was 15, held by Boomer Potts (2006), and Vince Peters (1993). Giacalone tied the record with his 15th strikeout in the seventh inning before setting a new record as he struck out a pinch hitter for his 16th strikeout of the day to end the inning. A strikeout looking in the ninth would finally set the record at 17 for the game. Offensively the Panthers were led in the game by Nick Doughty who went 3-4 at the plate with a double and a pair of RBI’s. Taylor Smith would chip in a double of his own and two more RBI’s as well. The Panthers will be back in action Monday March 21 as they look to wrap up the series with Fort Scott. First pitch is set for 1:00pm and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1460 as well as on the internet at http://kkoy.com/   Panther sail past Brown Mackie March 17, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers returned home after a 12 game road trip to take on the Lions of Brown Mackie College. The Panthers would easily handle the Lions with a 12-3 game one win and an 18-1 game two victory. Game 1 Eight different Panthers would record a hit in the game as Neosho County cruised to a 12-3 victory. Freshman Nick Fowble would get his first start on the mound in a Panther uniform and had an up and down day. The lefty would strike out 5 in his three innings of work, but would allow three runs including a two run homerun in the third to give the Lions the lead. That lead would be short lived however as the Panthers would storm back in front in the bottom of the third with four consecutive two outs hits. A single off the bat of Caleb Compton would be followed with an RBI triple from Adam Giaclone. Garrett Schaede would then drive Giacalone in with a single of his own before Tyler Palmer capped the inning with a triple of his own to score Schaede. Freshman Taylor Smith made his first start of the season in right field and made the most of the opportunity going 2-2 at the plate with a double and a pair of RBI’s and runs scored. Palmer would finish the day 2-3 at the plate adding a two run homerun in the fifth to go with his RBI triple. Four Panther relievers would combine to hold the Lions scoreless the rest of the way allowing only two hits and walk while striking out six over the final four innings. Dalton Cox would pick up the win for the Panthers tossing a perfect fifth inning while striking out two. Game 2 The Panther offense would break out in a big way in game two setting season highs for hits and runs scored on the way to an 18-1 victory. Taylor smith would once again lead the charge for the Panthers at the plate finish his day perfect at the plate by going 3-3 in the nightcap while driving in five runs. Not to be outdone by his catching counterpart, Tommy Keith went 3-4 at the plate with a homerun of his own while driving in 4 runs and scoring 3 more. Adam Giacalone would also enjoy a big day at the plate going 3-3 with four runs scored and five RBI’s of his own. Jon Furlong would earn the win on the mound for the Panthers tossing four scoreless innings while striking out four to even his record at 1-1 on the year. The Panthers move to 11-7 on the season with the victories. Up Next The Panther remain home and will host the Greyhounds of Fort Scott Community College. Fort Scott is currently 14-5 on the season and 6-2 in Jayhawk Conference play following a three to one series victory over the visiting Allen County Red Devils. Game times for this weekend will be at 1:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1460 as well as online at http://kkoy.com/.       Panthers must settle for a spilt at Coffeyville March 14, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers were back on the road for this weekend as they took on the Coffeyville Red Ravens in a pair of double headers. The Red Ravens would win game one of each double header while the Panthers would win the nightcap both days to earn the split. Game 1 For the second time in as many weeks the Panthers would fall in extra innings to open up the series. Freshman Daniel Peterson would allow a single run in the second before firing five scoreless innings before handed the ball off to the bullpen. Peterson would strike out seven while walking one in his seven innings of work. Max Ising would toss a scoreless inning of relief to send the game to the ninth. An RBI single off the bat of Eric Dawson would put the Panthers on top heading to the bottom of the ninth. A pair of walks off reliever Tyler Kjellsen would set the table for the Raven comeback as they would push two across to win the ball game 3-2. Game 2 Adam Giacalone would once again take the hill looking to even the series after an opening game loss. Giacalone would toss six innings allowing two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out eight to pick up his second win of the year by a final score of 8-3. Austen Colt led the charge offensively for the Panthers going 3-4 with three RBI’s while picking up his team leading 10th double of the season. Sophomore left fielder Caleb Compton would continue his hot streak at the plate following his 2-2 performance in game one by going 2-4 in the second game. Game 3 Eric Dawson would go 3-3 at the plate and Caleb Compton would go 2-3, but it would not be enough as a late rally by the Ravens would hand the Panthers their 5th one-run loss on the year by a final tally of 5-4. Freshman lefty Matt Strahm would dominate the Ravens for four innings before running in to trouble in the fifth inning. Coffeyville would score three runs in the fifth and tack on two more in the sixth before Max Ising would enter the game to end the inning. Strahm would strike out eight in his 5 2/3 innings of work, but would surrender five hits while walking two to take the loss and fall to 2-2 on the year. Game 4 Less than a week after a complete game win in the series finale against Allen County, sophomore Ben Jacks would deliver another gem. The righty would allow a run in the first before tossing eight more scoreless innings scattering three hits and three walks while striking out eight to move his record to 2-0. Offensively Adam Giacalone went 4-5 at the plate with a double and Eric Dawson went 2-4 with an RBI and a double of his own. Up Next The Panthers move to 9-7 on the season and 5-3 in the conference after the weekend. The will be back in action Wednesday March 16 as they return home to host Brown Mackie in a double header. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm and can be heard on the radio on KKOY 1460 AM and online at http://kkoy.com/   Panthers win three on the road at Allen County March 8, 2011 The Neosho County Panthers opened up the 2011 conference season with a four game set at Allen County. Inclement weather pushed the series that was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday to be pushed back one day. After dropping game one of the series, the Panthers battled back to win the series three games to one. The Panthers move to 7-5 on the season, and 3-1 in the conference, while Allen County falls to 3-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference. Game 1 The Panthers would open the scoring up in the first inning with an RBI single off the bat of Caleb Compton and a double steal to take a 2-0 lead. The Panthers would add a single run in the third with an RBI from catcher Tommy Keith and tack on another single run in the fifth. After leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, sophomore second baseman Austen Colt would lead off the sixth with a solo homerun. Caleb Compton would add another run with an RBI single to push the Panther lead to 6-0. Freshman Daniel Peterson got the start on the mound for the Panthers and was brilliant for the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. A leadoff homerun from Allen right fielder Nick Fountain would get the Red Devils on the board. Three hits in a row capped by a three run homerun from designated hitter Garrett Hess would end Peterson’s day.  Clint Barnes would relieve Peterson and end the threat. The bullpen which had been a strong point to date would falter down the stretch. After allowing a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, the Red Devils would plate two more in the eighth inning off reliever Michael Kirkland to pick up the victory 8-7. Game 2 The Panthers would shake off the loss quickly as they scored runs in each of the first four innings to jump out to an 8-0 lead on their way to a 9-0 win. That would prove to be more than enough run support for starting pitcher Adam Giacalone. The freshman righty would bounce back in remarkable fashion from his first start needing only 78 pitches to throw a two hit shutout while striking out seven and walking none over seven innings. Several Panthers had big games at the plate lead by Giacalone who went 2-4 with a double, two RBI’s and a run scored as well as a stolen base to complement his stellar day on the mound. After going 3-3 in game one of the double header, Caleb Compton would stay perfect going 2-2 while driving in two runs. Freshman third baseman Garrett Schaede would chip in a pair of doubles for the game.   Game 3 The Panther offense would break out in a big way in game three of the series as they would pound out 10 hits on their way to scoring a season high 15 runs en route to a 15-3 run rule victory. First baseman Adam Giacalone picked up right where he left off the day before going 3-3 at the plate with a homerun, five RBI’s, three runs scored and a stolen base.  Austen Colt would continue to swing a hot bat also as he drove in a pair of runs on two hits. Freshman catcher Tyler Palmer went 2-4 at the plate while driving in 3 runs. Freshman Matt Strahm would go the distance for the Panthers to pick up his second win of the season. Strahm was effectively wild as he scattered five hits and two walks while striking out seven in his five innings of work. Game 4 Runs would prove to be much tougher to come by in the final game of the series. As darkness fell and temperatures dipped into the low 40’s, Neosho sophomore Ben Jacks and Allen sophomore Dylan Bowman squared off in a pitcher’s duel. Each pitcher would allow a single run in the second inning before settling in and matching each other zero for zero for seven innings. The Panthers were finally able to put something together in the eighth inning after a pair of walks from Bowman would end his day. An error by relief pitcher Zack Mickens would load the bases. After a fielder’s choice and strikeout, Nick Doughty would cap a 4-4 day at the plate with a double driving in two runs to put the Panthers on top. Right fielder Alec Naifeh would drive in two more with a double to push the lead to 5-1. Ben Jacks would go the distance on the mound for the Panthers scattering nine hits and a walk while striking out five Red Devils needing only 82 pitches in his nine innings of work. Up Next Neosho County will be back in action March 12-13 when they travel to Coffeyville, KS to take on the Ravens in a pair of double headers. Coffeyville is currently 4-9 on the season and 1-3 in the conference. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 both days. Panthers split a pair with 10th ranked Iowa Western February 18, 2011 One day after a pair of run-rule wins over Brown Mackie, the Panthers were back in action against the defending NJCAA National Champion Reivers from Iowa Western.  Iowa Western came in to the game ranked 10th in the latest NJCAA national poll.  Neosho County picked up the win in game one of the double header by a score of 4-2 before falling in game two 10-11. Freshman Daniel Peterson picked up right where the pitching staff left off the day before, picking up the complete game win while needing only 69 pitches. Peterson allowed 6 hits and walked one while allowing only 2 runs, both of which were earned.  Freshman Adam Giacalone also continued his hot start at the plate going 3-3 with 2 more RBI’s to add to his season total.  Tyler Palmer’s fifth inning two out double down the left line drove in a pair of runs to put the Panthers on top for the first time in the game.  Giacalone would add an insurance run in the sixth with another two out RBI and it would be all the offense Peterson needed. Game two would not start out well for the Panthers.  Adam Giacalone was roughed up in his first start on the mound allowing 7 runs 1 1/3 innings of work.  The Reivers would take on 4 more runs in the third inning capped by a two out three run homerun from Damek Tomscha. Four Panther relievers would hold the Iowa Western scoreless over the final four innings as the offense began to chip away at the lead. A pair of runs in the third followed by single runs in the fourth and fifth innings would cut the Reiver lead to seven.  Eric Dawson and Austen Colt would lead off the seventh to get the Panther rally started.  Garrett Schaede would drive in a pair of runs with a double to cut the lead to 4.  Alec Naifeh’s three run homerun with two outs would pull the Panthers within a run, but that would be the final run for the Panthers. The Panthers move to 3-1 on the season with the split while Iowa Western goes to 3-5.  Neosho County will be back in action Wednesday February 23 as they travel to Neosho, MO to take on the Riders of Crowder College.  Crowder is currently receiving votes in the latest NJCAA poll. Panthers open 2011 with a pair of wins The Neosho County Panthers kicked off the 2011 campaign with a two game sweep of the Lions of Brown Mackie winning by scores of 10-0 and 12-1. Good pitching and timely hitting were the formula used to pick up the pair of wins. The pitching staff combined to allow 4 hits and 1 unearned run while walking 3 and striking out 24 on the day. Offensively the Panthers used a combination of speed and power as they stole 8 bases on the day while belting 6 homeruns. Freshman lefthander Matt Strahm got the nod on the mound for the Panthers in game 1 and picked up the win throwing two scoreless innings while striking out 4. Four relievers combined to throw the final 4 innings, striking out 10 and allowing only 1 hit. Offensively freshman first baseman Adam Giacalone kicked his career off with a bang as he drilled a long two-run homerun to right with his first swing of the day. Caleb Compton chipped in with 2 RBI’s in the first game as well. The Panthers also were able to pick up seven stolen bases in the game with 2 each coming from Eric Dawson and Jon Pomatto. Game 2 was more of the same for Neosho County as five pitchers combined to allow 1 run on 3 hits while walking 2 and striking out 10 more Lion batters. Freshman Dalton Majors picked up the win in game two by throwing a scoreless inning of relief and striking out 2. Offensively the Panthers used a balanced attack as 9 hitters each picked up RBI’s led by Giacalone’s second homerun of the day, this one a 3 run shot. Freshmen Garrett Schaede came off the bench to drive a pitch to deep to left for a 2 run blast while Jon Pomatto scored 2 runs and picked up another stolen base.    Neosho County will back in action tomorrow as they host the Reivers of Iowa Western Community College at 1:00pm at Hudson Field. Iowa Western is the defending NJCAA National Champion and comes in the game with a record of 2-4.     Panthers post 2011 Preview The 2011 edition of Panther Preview is now posted on the season preview on the buttons on the left. Although many things change throughout the year, this is where the Panthers feel they will start the 2011 season. Coach Gordon heads to Texas Assistant Coach Cole Gordon has accepted a position with NE Texas CC in Mount Pleasant, Texas. He will take over as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator along with being the hitting coach there. “We wish Cole the best of luck and appreciate his work ethic and all he has done for the Panther program over the last 2 and ½ years, ” stated Head Coach, Steve Murry. Gordon will take over at NE Texas on January 1, 2011.  Dawson wins Homerun Derby Sophomore SS, Eric Dawson, out of Olathe, KS won the 2010 HR derby that always precedes the Panther World Series. Dawson beat Freshman, Adam Giacolone for the title. The Panther World Series begins Oct. 23rd and is a best of seven series. Following Game 1, the Panthers will host a parents luncheon.    Panthers Announce Captains The 2010-11 Panthers announce that this year's tri-captains are Eric Dawson, Austen Colt and Ben Jacks. Each year, by team vote, anywhere from two to four captains are selected. This year, Eric Dawson, a sophomore SS from Olathe, Austen Colt, a sophomore 2B from Owasso, OK and Ben Jacks, a sophomore RHP from Pryor, OK will lead the Panthers into the 2011 season. Endowment Association introduces Coach Murry Bobbleheads The Coach Murry Bobblehead dolls are now for sale. They are $20 a piece or $25 with an autograph from Coach Murry. The Coach Murry bobblehead will raise funds for the NCCC Endowment Foundation and for the Dean Honas Endowed Baseball Scholarship Fund. Honas was a baseball player for the Panthers who has passed away. Several of his former teammates, in cooperation with the Honas family, wanted to honor Dean with a scholarship for student-athletes. This baseball scholarship will be the first endowed athletic scholarship in the history of NCCC! If you interested in supporting, call the Foundation at 431-2820, ext. 501.