Latest news with #Kirn
Dominion Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
No. 23 WVU headed for Big 12 semifinals after pounding Cincinnati
ARLINGTON, Texas – A former NCAA Division II pitcher lifted the No. 23-ranked WVU baseball team to its best season in 133 years of competition, with what Mountaineers first-year head coach Steve Sabins called 'a heroic performance' on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field. 'Griffin Kirn was ridiculous — he threw 129 pitches – each of them with conviction and grit,' Sabins said after the top-seeded Mountaineers' 10-3 win over No. 8 seed Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. 'He's a horse. He looked like he could have thrown 150 pitches today.' Kirn (5-2) threw his first complete game of the season, allowing three runs on eight hits, while striking out nine Bearcats and walking one in his first complete game of the season. Kirn has 95 strikeouts and will have a chance to reach the 100-strikeout mark in the NCAA tournament next weekend. 'I felt like I just got better as the game went on – I wanted the ball,' said Kirn, who spent the past four years pitching for Quincy University in his hometown of Quincy, Illinois. The Mountaineers will face No. 4 seed Arizona (37-18) – a 4-1 winner over BYU on Thursday – in the Big 12 semifinals at 5 p.m. today. The Wildcats defeated the Mountaineers in two out of three games, March 21-23, in Morgantown. The opening game of that series was a 6-4 Arizona victory in 16 innings. WVU pitcher Griffin Kirn pitched a complete game and finished with nine strikeouts in the Mountaineers' 10-3 win against Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) WVU improved to 41-13 on the season, setting a new program record for wins in a season. The Mountaineers previously reached the 40-win mark in 2023 and 1994, respectively. 'The record means a lot,' Sabins said. 'I've been with the program for 10 years, and a lot of people have worked hard for a really long time. West Virginia only has 1.8 million people. We have to recruit tough kids, develop and get them better. Every day we go to work for our state, university and community.' WVU has a chance to win a conference tournament for the first time since it won the 1996 Big East tournament in the first season of the Greg Van Zant era. It took an explosive fourth inning for the Mountaineers to erupt for five runs and thus, change the trajectory of the season after WVU lost six of their past seven games. 'We just hadn't had quality at bats the past two weeks,' Sabins said. Sabins also led the Mountaineers to their first Big 12 tournament victory at Globe Life Field after entering the game at 0-6. Sabins is a native Texan who played a year of junior college baseball in the state. All of this happened after WVU stumbled into the conference tournament with six losses in its past seven games. WVU had only scored in double figures one other time since April 26. WVU improved to 4-0 on the season against Cincinnati (32-23). The Mountaineers trailed 1-0 in the first inning, but senior left fielder Kyle West belted a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth that broke up a no hitter at the Texas Rangers' stadium. It was West's 10th home run of the season. 'It was a weight lifted off of our shoulders,' West said. 'As a team, we set the tone. We're a relentless offense.' Sophomore third baseman Spencer Barnett hit an RBI single after Bearcats pitcher Adam Buczowski loaded the bases. Senior first baseman Grant Hussey (2 for 3, with an RBI) connected on a liner that hit Buczowski, who left the game with an injury. A run scored on the play. 'The at-bats got grittier and gritter as the game went on,' Sabins said. Senior shortstop Brodie Kresser's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 4-1, and West picked up his second RBI of the game on a bases-loaded walk. The Mountaineers added some insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. Junior designated hitter Sam White scored Kresser and Hussey in the bottom of the sixth. Kresser hit a sacrifice fly, followed by junior center fielder Skylar King's fielder's choice for a 10-3 advantage. Kresser finished the game with three RBIs. Freshman second baseman Gavin Kelly went 2 for 4 with three runs scored. 'He's one of the best freshmen in the country,' Sabins said.
Dominion Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Logan Sauve, Griffin Kirn named all-Big 12 first teamers
MORGANTOWN — Logan Sauve and Griffin Kirn led a pack of nine WVU baseball players who were selected to the all-Big 12 team Monday, as voted by the league's coaches. Cincinnati's Kerrington Cross was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after batting .414 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs. Kansas coach Dan Fitzgerald was named the league's coach of the year after guiding the Jayhawks to the most wins in program history, as KU finished 42-14 overall. Out of the 42 wins, the 20 road wins and 20 Big 12 wins both set program records. Houston's Antoine Jean was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after recording the lowest opponent batting average (.162) in the Big 12, as he held batters to 36 hits in 222 at-bats in 20 appearances. He's the first reliever to be selected as the league's top pitcher. Arizona State's Matt King and Oklahoma State's Harrison Bodendorf shared co-newcomer of the year honors, while TCU's Sawyer Strosnider earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Sauve was named to the first team as a catcher and Kirn was named to the first team as a pitcher. It is the fourth straight season that the Mountaineers have had multiple selections on the first team. Sauve's selection to the first team is his second all-Big 12 honor, after being named an honorable mention selection as a freshman in 2023. This season, he's played in 47 games and is hitting .287 with seven home runs, six of which came against Big 12 opponents, and 33 RBIs. Kirn, who came to WVU this season as a transfer from the Division II level, finished 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA and a team-high 83 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched across 14 starts. Among qualified pitchers, he had the fifth-lowest ERA and the sixth-most strikeouts in the Big 12. Kirn has three double-digit strikeout games this season, including a season-high 14 against Utah. WVU, which won the Big 12 this season for the second time in program history, also placed outfielder Kyle West and pitcher Jack Kartsonas on the all-Big 12 second team, while pitchers Reese Bassinger and Chase Meyer, as well as outfielder Jace Rinehart and utility man Sam White were named honorable mention. WVU second baseman Gavin Kelly was named to the all-Freshman team. West led the Mountaineers with a .352 batting average, nine home runs, a .616 slugging percentage and a .493 on-base percentage. Against Big 12 opponents, West has been even better with a .381 batting average and six home runs. It is his second all-Big 12 selection after being an honorable mention last season. Kartsonas led all Big 12 qualified pitchers with a 2.29 ERA in 55.0 innings this season. He made 17 appearances on the mound with six starts, all of which came in conference play. He is 6-2 on the season and has 63 strikeouts against just 13 walks. Kartsonas went 5-1 against Big 12 opponents and held hitters to a .226 batting average. Kelly played in 44 games and made 38 starts at multiple positions, including catcher, second base, and the outfield. He hit .304 with a home run, 32 RBI, and 30 runs scored while stealing 14 bases. He is the first WVU player to be named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team since J.J. Wetherholt and Chris Sleeper in 2022.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Marine officer trio recognized for saving life of woman who overdosed
Three Marine officers were walking to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 7 when they saw a woman beside a bus stop, her body folded at the hip, her head between her splayed legs on the pavement. 'She was folded like a sandwich, which people don't naturally sit that way,' said Maj. Michael Farnan, a military defense council judge advocate for the National Capital Region. 'Obviously, something was wrong,' said 1st Lt. Max Goldberg, also a military defense council judge advocate. Marines commended for lifesaving efforts in near-drowning incidents As the trio got closer to the woman they saw a small group, which appeared to be part of the city's unhoused population, according to a Defense Department media release. 'Two other bystanders were attempting to sit her up, but her whole body had gone limp, and she kept collapsing on the ground,' said Capt. Harald Kirn, a judge advocate with Legal Services Support Team, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. What the trio did next resulted in each receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for their actions this week. Kirn thought perhaps the woman had overdosed, which he had seen before. Farnan called 911 while Kirn assessed the woman's condition. Another woman nearby had a clear plastic bag with a lot of items inside. Goldberg asked if she had Narcan, a drug administered to assist in opiate overdose. Goldberg retrieved the Narcan and gave it to the prostrate woman, whose breathing and pulse immediately got stronger, according to the release. Farnan directed emergency medical personnel to the woman, flagging them down as they drove to the scene. Kirn said he felt a hesitation for 'two seconds' but was inspired by how quickly Goldberg reacted, snapping him back to the moment to help. 'It is easy to do the right thing when you're surrounded by other people who are also doing the right thing,' Farnan said. 'One of the advantages of being a Marine is that you're surrounded by people who are signed up to do a 'good thing.'' Each credited Marine Corps training with their reactions to the situation. 'Marines are taught to be we're more than just ourselves,' he said. 'Resist that modern temptation to just walk by — pause for a moment, even if you don't know them, and if someone needs help, you should stop what you're doing and help them.'
