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Never-die Hawks: Launch late rally to take down Kansas State

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Never-die Hawks: Launch late rally to take down Kansas State


What was profiled as a matchup between two of the best offenses in the Big 12 turned into a game where runs were hard to come by at Hoglund Ballpark on Friday night. Kansas found itself trailing 3-0 heading into the seventh, unable to get anything going against Jacob Frost. As soon as the Jayhawks (29-10, 10-6 Big 12) got into the bullpen, they managed a four-run inning and held on to win the Sunflower Showdown opener 5-3.

Frost tossed 6.2 shutout innings while striking out a career-high 10. He kept the Jayhawks’ high-powered offense at bay, limiting Kansas to two hits with a stymying low-to-mid 90s fastball and good off-speed mix.

“Early, we were way off the fastball, which is not like us at all,” Dan Fitzgerald said after the game. “When they sent him back out there for the seventh, I thought ‘Gosh, if we could just get him out of this game and get a couple runners on, we’ve got a chance.’”

The Jayhawks found their chance after chasing Frost from the game with two outs in the seventh. Kansas scored four runs in the seventh as Jackson Hauge hit his 17th home run of the season, a three-run shot to give the Jayhawks a 4-3 lead.

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“We’re the never-die Hawks,” Hauge said. “We’re gonna stay to our approach, keep fighting all nine innings and see what happens.”

It was clear from the first inning that Dominic Voegele didn’t have his best stuff. Although Kansas State didn’t score, the Wildcats got traffic with a leadoff walk—something that would become a common theme over Voegele’s start—and a hard-hit single.

Voegele battled through 5.2 innings, walking six, including three leadoff hitters. He allowed just three runs and shut down the Wildcats in the fourth and fifth innings to keep the Jayhawks close.

“The longer a starter can go and be quality, it just shrinks the game,” Fitzgerald said. “You save your bullpen… starting pitching, eating innings is a tale as old as time in the big leagues, but it’s certainly found its way to college too.”

However, the offense continued to search for the momentum-flipping rallies that the Jayhawks have showcased throughout the season. Kansas loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, but Ian Francis struck out looking. In the fifth, Sawyer Smith led off the inning with a bloop double, but Frost retired the next three hitters.

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Kansas State had a chance to extend its lead in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs via three walks. However, Manning West extinguished the threat, getting Seth Dardar to fly out to center field.

Kansas finally flipped the momentum after the Jayhawks chased Frost from the game following a four-pitch walk with two outs. Smith was the benefactor of the Frost walk, who reached base all four times out of the nine spot.

“I thought that was a huge at-bat, but I thought he had good ones all night,” Fitzgerald said.

James Guyette entered and immediately walked Derek Cerda on four pitches. Brady Ballinger put Kansas in the scoring column with an opposite-field single before Jackson Hauge hammered a ball over the left-field fence to put the Jayhawks ahead 4-3.

Alex Breckheimer entered in the eighth inning, searching for a six-out save. The first three came easily, retiring the Wildcats in order, including a strikeout on a 97 mph fastball.

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The Jayhawks got a crucial insurance run in the eighth after good fortune started to swing their way. Tommy Barth skied a ball that dropped harmlessly as the centerfielder and rightfielder tried to avoid collision, getting all the way to third base. Smith worked his third walk of the game, then Cerda blooped one to make it 5-3.

“I came back in here [the dugout] and I was a little nervous with the one-run lead,” Breckheimer said. “We scored the run, and it felt like a lot of pressure taken off my shoulders there.”

Breckheimer made quick work of the Wildcats in the ninth. He got the first batter to ground out before striking out the next two to clinch a hard-fought win in game one of the Sunflower Showdown.



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Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man

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Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a missing man.

Jacob Phillips, 30, was last talked to around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.

Phillips is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes, according to KCPD.

Police said his family is concerned for his well-being.

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If anyone sees Phillips, they are urged to call the KCPD Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5043 or 911.





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Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window

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Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window


A Kansas State University freshman died after he fell from a fraternity house window — just weeks away from the end of the semester.

Jack Fleischaker, 19, plunged from a second-floor window at the Sigma Chi house on the Manhattan, Kan., campus around 3:15 a.m. on April 25.

He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but died three days later, according to the Riley County Police Department.

Jack Fleischaker, 19, who died after falling from a fraternity house window at Kansas State University. KAKE News

Police are investigating exactly how the fatal fall unfolded, but said foul play is not suspected.

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“RCPD extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and the K-State community during this very tragic time,” the department said in a statement to People.

The fraternity said Fleischaker’s death appears to be accidental.

“This was a heartbreaking accident, and there is no indication that anyone is at fault,” Sigma Chi International Fraternity spokesperson Michael Church said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are actively supporting the chapter with mental health and wellness resources and are grateful for the assistance provided by Kansas State University’s administration as well.”

Fleischaker in the hospital surrounded by family and friends following the fall that later proved fatal. KAKE News

Fleischaker, from Overland Park, Kan., was studying accounting and finance and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, according to his LinkedIn and Instagram profiles.

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As police continue to investigate, Kansas State University said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The university has offered support to the family and has also offered assistance and student support resources to the fraternity members,” spokesperson Michelle Geering said in a statement to the Kansas City Star.

“We are reviewing available information to determine the next steps in accordance with our policies and procedures.”

The Sigma Chi fraternity house at Kansas State University where the tragic fall occurred. KAKE News

The horrifying incident comes four years after Sigma Chi’s University of Kansas chapter was shut down by its national organization in 2022 over hazing violations and lying about it.

There have been no recent hazing reports involving the Kansas State chapter, according to the Kansas City Star.

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Friends and family are reeling from the sudden loss.

“This is a tragic accident that nobody anticipated,” family pastor and friend Gar Demo told KMBC.

“Every trajectory in their life has changed in an instant,” he added.

Kansas State University is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Fleischaker’s death. jzehnder – stock.adobe.com

Demo said the family has faced devastating loss before. Fleischaker’s sister Natalie died 13 years ago from a brain tumor.

“[The family] went through the incredible pain of losing a child then, and I think they’re asking the question,” Demo said.

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“All of us who know them are asking, why did this happen? How could this happen to this family?”

“I think to walk with them again in a different kind of situation but still to lose another child is just not something I have a playbook for,” he said.

“But we walk with our faith and we walk there and we show our strength with them and surround them with the love that we can share.”

In the days after the fall, hundreds gathered at the hospital to say their goodbyes, according to KAKE News.

Fleischaker was an organ donor and is expected to help save lives.

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Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder

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Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder


WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man had his conviction in the 2021 killing of a Wichita teen upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday.

In a unanimous opinion, the court says that there was plenty of evidence to convict Tyler Kelly and that he had a fair trial.

Kelly was found guilty by a Sedgwick County jury in 2023 of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault in the July 17, 2021, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Florence. Court records show Kelly and a 16-year-old broke into Florence’s home to confront him over a girl.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder. He also got 43 months for aggravated burglary and 13 months for aggravated assault.

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The judge ordered that he serve the 25 years, plus the additional 56 months before he could be considered for parole.

Kelly appealed his conviction. He argued there was not enough evidence to prove he entered Florence’s home illegally or intended to commit a crime, and he made claims of multiple incidents of prosecutorial error. He also argued that the jury should have been given use-of-force instructions to support his self-defense claim.

In an opinion written by Justice Larkin Walsh, the court says there is more than sufficient evidence that Kelly entered the home illegally with intent to assault Florence. The justices determined that Kelly received a fair trial that was free from prosecutorial error.

“We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm these convictions,” the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “This ruling brings a final measure of justice to the victims and their families, and it validates the hard work of our prosecutors and local law enforcement in securing this conviction.”

Kelly is currently housed in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with an earliest possible release date of May 1, 2048, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

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