Press Releases

2004-05 Recruits

Click here for 2004-05 recruits

05-10-04 Three Yellowjackets Named All-Conference Baseball

Tyler Moe, Fraser Vernon and Ryan Brickman were selected to the Heart of America All-Conference baseball team for the 2003-04 season.

Outfielder Tyler Moe (Fr., 6’0”, 190 lbs., R/R, Oakville, ON) received honorable mention designated hitter honors for his .327 batting average with 56 hits on 171 at bats. He was walked 18 times and had 9 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 31 RBI and 30 runs scored. Moe was also selected Graceland University’s team MVP of the season.

Senior Fraser Vernon (6’3” 195 lbs, L/R, Mississauga, ON) was selected as an honorable mention first baseman. Vernon led the Jackets with a .361 batting average with 35 hits, 22 runs scored and 24 RBI. He also holds the Graceland University record for fewest errors in a career for an infielder with 21 mistakes in 523 chances.

Ryan Brickman (Jr., 6’0”, 190 lbs. R/R, McAllister, OK) is an honorable mention starting pitcher for the 2004 spring season. His numbers include a 5-4 record in 11 starts and a total of 14 appearances. Brickman held a 5.23 ERA with 46 strikeouts, 32 walks, 76 hits and 52 runs.

The Graceland baseball team ended the season 19-35 overall and 8-12 in the conference.

05-03-04 Moe HAAC Player of the Week

Tyler Moe, a 6-0 freshman infielder from Graceland University has been named Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Week for April 26-May 1. Moe was 11-for-27 (.407) on the week with three home runs and seven RBI. The Oakville, Ontario native also scored seven runs in helping Graceland to a 5-3 week.

Moe was also selected Player of the Week February 23-28, when he collected seven hits in ten at-bats (.700) with three RBI and a home run.

The Yellowjackets ended the season with an 8-7 conference win over Missouri Valley College. In 2003-04, Graceland went 19-35 on the season with an 8-12 conference record.

Burnell Conference Player of the Week

Tyler Burnell, a 5-10 freshman shortstop from Graceland has been Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Week for April 5. Burnell, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, batted .524 for the Yellowjackets this week going 11-for-21 with a pair of doubles, a pair of home runs and a triple. He had 11 RBI and two walks in helping Graceland to a 5-3 week. Defensively he was perfect in the field with no errors in 20 chances.

03-31-04 Graceland Loses First Two Conference Games Versus Avila

Avila University 11 – Graceland 1
Avila University 5 – Graceland 2

Graceland University baseball opened up its 2004 Heart of America Athletic Conference season with a double header at home in Lamoni losing to Avila University 1-11 and 2-5.

Avila jumped out to an early lead where they scored three runs in the first inning against Yellowjacket starter Tom Hazell. Graceland answered back with a run of their own on a Kalev Betancourt double that scored courtesy runner Aaron Kentner.

Hazell had a rough time in the fifth inning where he gave up seven runs. Reliever Buddy Cronk also got roughed up by the Eagles as he gave up four runs on four hits.

Game two was a better showing for the Jackets as starting pitcher Ryan Brickman threw six and two-third solid innings. On the day Brickman gave up five runs on nine hits while striking out six Eagle batters.

Adrian Kerr, Kyle Olson and Tyler Belanger each had a pair of hits for the Jackets in game two. Kerr and Belanger also had the only RBI for the team on the day. The Jackets equaled the Eagles’ nine hits in game two but came up short on the final scoreboard.

03-30-04 Vernon Lifts Jackets Past Waldorf

Waldorf College 2 – Graceland 12
Waldorf College 6 – Graceland 11

On a chilly Tuesday afternoon, the Yellojacket baseball team took on Waldorf College for a pair of baseball games at North Park in Lamoni. Graceland won 12-2 and 11-6 in the double-header. Junior righty Josh Chernoff took the hill for the Jackets in game one of the twin bill. In his six innings of work Chernoff struck out nine Waldorf batters and gave up two runs on three hits.

Nine Yellowjacket batters had hits in the game. Leading the way were Tyler Moe who had two hits and Kalev Betancourt who had three hits. Francis Ambrosia and Ryan Brickman each chipped in with doubles of their own.

The big news on the day was the return of senior first baseman Fraser Vernon. Fresh from the doctor’s office where he had been cleared to play after undergoing knee surgery, Vernon was entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. With a 2-0 count Vernon hit a three-run walk off homerun. The bench erupted and after a 14 game absence the team’s captain was back.

Vernon did not stop with his game one heroics. In the second game of the double header Fraser hit a double and a single to go 2-4 with two RBI. Tyler Burnell hit a two-run home run as he went 2-3 in game two and Betancourt continued his hot hitting by going 2-3 and where he hit a double.

Matt Riley was the starting pitcher in game two. Riley gave up six runs on six hits while striking out six. Johnny Stewart picked up the win for the Jackets as he pitched two and two-thirds innings from the bullpen. Troy Sears came on to pitch the final inning for Graceland where he faced three batters.

03-21-04 Struggling Yellowjacket Baseball Team Sees Some Improvement

With a 3-19 record most coaches and fans would be ready to give up on their season and prepare for the next year. But Head Coach Brady McKillip still has plenty of optimism for the 2004 baseball season.

“We started off the year making a lot of mistakes,” says McKillip. “We are not puting up the W’s right now but we are playing the game and playing it well.”

The Jackets still have more than half of the season left to play and more important they are playing well just in time for their conference season that starts Saturday, March 27th at Baker University. “Conference is a 20-game horse race to the finish and everyone starts out 0-0, it’s a whole new season,” says McKillip.

Graceland sits at the bottom of the conference pile but with a couple wins early they will move up and try to claim one of the four spots that will make the play-offs. Baker University has had a good non-conference showing but both teams will be on a level plain as they will both open up their conference schedules on Saturday.

The Yellowjacket pitching staff has been the strong point thus far but the offense has picked it up a notch as of late. Early in the season the Jackets were scoring less than three runs per ballgame but over the weekend they averaged five runs per game as they hosted the William Penn tournament.

In game one of the three team tournament the Jackets blew a late in the game lead and lost 10-7 to Si-Tanka University (Huron, SD). Game two had the Jackets leading 4-0 in the top of the seventh but as starter Ryan Brickman got tired and the usually steady bullpen failed to get the key outs, the Statesmen of William Penn (Oskaloosa, IA) made a six run comeback and beat the Jackets 6-5.

The Jackets finally broke a 17-game losing streak by beating Si Tanka 6-1 in a game that saw starter Tom Hazell go the distance for the Yellowjackets. Hazell struck out three Screaming Eagle batters, walked two and only spread out our hits on the day. The Jackets had eight hits of their own; leading the way were Frankie Coccia and Tyler Burnell who each had a pair of singles.

The final game of the tournament had the Jackets squaring off against William Penn Sunday afternoon. Aaron Kentner pitched six solid innings but picked up the loss as the Statesmen outscored the Jackets 4-2. Kentner struck out five while walking only one. Josh Chernoff threw the final inning for Graceland where he gave up one run on one hit.

“We went 1-3 on the weekend but we could have won every game,” says McKillip. “I feel very good going into our conference schedule, all we have to do is take it up a notch and good things will happen.”

Graceland starts spring break on Saturday, March 27th at 1:00 p.m. at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. The team will return home Sunday the 28th versus Park University, 1:00 p.m. at North Park in Lamoni. Over the nine day break the Jackets will play 14 games, six of which will be conference games and ten at home.

03-07-04 More Road Woes for Yellowjacket Baseball

The Graceland University baseball team hit the road once again this weekend to take on the 5-5 Park University (Parkville, Mo.) and the 7-4 University of Saint Mary (Leavenworth, Kan.). The Jackets lost 15-2 and 11-0 to Park and lost 8-2 and 6-5 to St. Mary.

In the first double header versus Park, the Jackets struggled both at the plate and on the mound. The Jackets scored twice on six hits in game one and the only bright spot was freshman third baseman Tyler Moe who continued his seven game hitting streak going 1-2. Game two saw Moe’s hitting streak end as Park side arm pitcher Adam Clay threw a one hitter. In the Jackets’ final at-bat freshman catcher Matt Proctor broke up the no-no with a single up third base line. David Anderson took the loss in game one for the Yellowjackets while Matt Riley took the loss in game two.

Sunday had the Jackets traveling to Leavenworth, Kan. where they would continue a game that had started a week ago on Sunday, Feb 29th. The Jackets started the day in the bottom of the fourth down 4-1 to U. of Saint Mary. Junior Josh Chernoff threw a scoreless bottom of the fourth and the Jackets picked up one of their own in the top of the fifth as second baseman Frankie Coccia scored on a Moe single. That would be the last of the runs scored for the Jackets and St. Mary’s added two more runs in each of the final two innings. Matt Riley picked up the loss for the Yellowjackets.

In game two the Jackets came up short losing 6-5 but they finally played the complete game Head Coach McKillip had been looking for. Starting pitcher Ryan Brickman threw six solid innings giving up five runs, two of which were earned. A couple of miscues by the Jackets defense led to three of the Saint Mary’s runs but other than that, the Jackets played a good game. With closer Aaron Kentner on the hill and bases loaded the Jackets brought the infield in to cut the play off at home. Saint Mary third baseman Derek Brayton hit a bloop single to score the winning run and the Jackets went 0-4 on the weekend. Kentner picked up his first loss as a Yellowjacket.

The 2-9 Yellowjackets travel to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa to take on the 4-5 Tigers of Iowa Wesleyan College on Tuesday, March 9th. Game one is set to start at 1:00 p.m.

02-29-04 Road Woes Continue for Jacket Baseball

The Yellowjacket baseball team traveled to Point Lookout, Mo. for a three-game weekend set versus the Bobcats of the College of the Ozarks. In game one Tom Hazell took the mound for the Jackets and after three almost perfect innings (0 runs, 0 hits, 2 K’s) Hazell had to be removed due to a lat strain. Josh Meyer took over on the mound for the Jackets and he pitched a great three innings giving up two runs--one earned--on three hits with two K’s, but suffered the loss.

Offensively the Jackets struggled but did out hit the Bobcats seven hits to four. Leading the way was Kyle Olson who went 2-3 in the game. Hot hitting freshman third baseman Tyler Moe continued shine at the plate going 1-2 in the first game of the twin bill.

Game two saw Ryan Brickman on the hill for the Jackets, who proved that he is a legitimate starter as he picked up a win, pitching five and two-thirds of an inning (3 runs, 1 earned, 3 hits, 7 K’s). Aaron Kentner came in with two out in the sixth, got a quick out and then shut the door in the bottom of the seventh facing four batters total. The win was Brickman’s first as a Yellowjacket while Kentner earned his second save.

Offensively the Jackets out-hit the Bobcats for a second straight game 10-3. Three Jackets had multi hit games as Fraser Vernon went 3-4 with one RBI and Tyler Moe also went 3-4 at the dish. Kyle Olson went 2-3, and rounding out the offense was Tyler Burnell who went 1-2 with two RBI.

Games one and two saw the Yellowjacket defense go error free but game three on Sunday was a different story. Seven errors by five different players gave nine un-earned runs to the Bobcats as they went on to beat the Jackets 13-11. For the third game in a row the Jackets out hit the Bobcats (13-10) but came out on the short side of the scoreboard. Four Jackets had multi hit games: Kalev Betancourt 2-4, 1 RBI; Frankie Coccia 3-4, 1 RBI; Tyler Moe 3-4, 3 RBI; Tyler Burnell 2-4, 2 RBI. Getting in on the hit parade were Mark Jurczynski who went 1-3 with 2 RBI and Kyle Olson who went 1-4 with 2 RBI. Tyler Belanger picked up the final Jacket hit as he went 1-2 in the game.

Starting pitcher David Anderson struggled with his control but only gave up three earned runs out of seven scored. Buddy Cronk came in and the defensive woes hurt the Jackets as five runs were scored against Cronk while zero were earned. Clint Gore pitched the final four innings for the Jackets and gave up one run on four hits and one strike-out.

On the whole the Jackets played a little better this weekend but they still struggled to put together a complete game. Sunday’s games against the University of St. Mary’s in Leavenworth, Kan. were rained out and will be made up at a later date. The next action for the Jackets will be their home opener versus Park University. Game one of the double header will start at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 6th at North Park in Lamoni, Iowa.

03-04-04 Graceland Baseball To Play this Weekend

The Graceland University baseball team will travel to Parkville, Mo. to play Park University on Saturday, March 6 for a 1:00 p.m. double-header. On Sunday, March 7, the Jackets will go to Leavenworth, Kan. to finish the postponed game from last weekend’s rain-out with St. Mary College. The rescheduled game will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by the second game of the double-header.

03-02-04 Moe Named HAAC Player of the Week

Tyler Moe, a freshman third baseman from Graceland University, has been selected Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Moe collected seven hits in ten at-bats (.700) with three RBI and a home run this week. The Oakville, Ontario native is batting .673 this season.

The Yellowjacket baseball team is currently 2-5 on the season with wins over Bethany College (Kan.) and College of the Ozarks (Mo.). The Jackets host a double-header with Park University this Saturday, March 6, with games beginning at 1:00 p.m.

03-01-04 Cochran Signs with Pro Baseball Team in Holland

Former Graceland University baseball pitcher Shawn Cochran has signed a contract to be a player/coach for the Star 2B Orioles in Rotterdam, Holland from March 7-September 5, 2004.

Along with being on the field, Cochran will also help direct a youth program and give clinics to children as the Star 2B Orioles try to spread the game of baseball throughout Europe, much like the spread of soccer through the United States.

Rotterdam’s Star 2B Orioles are in Division II, which is comparable to an independent league in the United States. Last year, the Orioles were in Division I, which is comparable to the minor leagues in the U.S., but after a tough season, they have been dropped to the second division. The Orioles’ goal is to once again reach the top division of baseball in Holland.

Cochran pitched for the Yellowjackets one year and attended and played at the University of Nebraska at Kearney prior to coming to Lamoni. Although his career as a Jacket was short in his one season, he set the standard with the lowest ERA on the pitching staff, and was honorable mention All-Conference. Shawn had planned to coach for the Yellowjackets this year, where his main job would have been to assist with the pitching staff.

Shawn spends his summers coaching back home in Ogallala, Neb. where he coaches 16 and under and 14 and under Babe Ruth baseball. In the last two years he has taken teams to state championships.

02-29-04 Road Woes Continue for Jacket Baseball

02-26-04 On The Road Again

The (1-3) Yellowjacket baseball team hits the road Thursday afternoon, headed to Point Lookout, Mo. to take on the (5-3) Bobcats of the College of the Ozarks in a three-game weekend set. After a rocky start against Sterling College (Sterling, Kan.) and Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kan.) the Jackets hope to improve on their 1-3 record.

“Last weekend was our first time on the baseball field, we hadn’t even had a chance to practice outside, so we were a little rusty,” said Head Coach Brady McKillip. “I expect to play a more complete game this weekend.”

Starting on the hill for the Jackets on Thursday will be Tom Hazell and Ryan Brickman. Saturday the Jackets will hand the ball over to Josh Chernoff who will get his first start in the blue and gold. Sunday at University of St. Mary, (Leavenworth, Kan.) the Jackets will go to David Anderson and Matt Riley on the mound.

02-18-04 Rain, Sleet, or Snow!!!!

TheYellowjackets baseball team has had a tough time preparing for their first game of the season this Saturday, February 21, 2004 in Sterling, Kan. against Sterling College at 1:00 p.m..

Head coach Brady McKillip was relieved to find out that the weather was finally going to give the team a break. With the temperature at 45 degrees McKillip took his team outside for the first time since a monster snowstorm hit Lamoni about two weeks ago and left its mark by dropping 15 inches in about three days.

The Yellowjackets also play on Sunday, February 22, 2004 against Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. at 1:00 p.m.

09-03-03 Ambrosia to Catch for the Yellowjackets

Francis Ambrosia from Saint Paul High School in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Graceland University on September 3, 2003.

Ambrosia is a catcher/fielder and should be a valuable asset for the Yellowjackets. He was a nominee for Senior Male Athlete of the Year two years in a row and also the captain of his high school varsity baseball team. Ambrosia, along with being a great athlete, is a scholar student making the honor roll for three years of his high school career. Ambrosia also received the School Spirit Award his senior year. Being involved in his high school Ambrosia spent two years on student council, four years on the debate team, two years on the web design team, and was a member of the Mayor’s Youth Niagara Advisory Committee.

“ We are very excited about signing Francis,” says Brady McKillip, head baseball coach. “He is an outstanding catcher yet has the speed that allows him to play the outfield as well. He will be a big part of this years team.”

Francis is the son of Joseph and Tessie Ambrosia and a sibling to Bernadette, Maggie, and Tanya. He is planning to major in computer science and information technology at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.