COLLEGE REPORT: Hewitt on title quest; Hall, Kaminska get 7th wins; Collier flexes muscles

Best in the nation.

That’s the quest for the Murray State (Tishomingo) softball team, whose key components include Oklahoma Union High graduate Chesnie Hewitt.

Hewitt and her teammates blazed through the regular season and the National Junior College Athletic Association divisionals with a 56-0 record.

Murray State is ranked No. 1 in the nation and the definitive favorite to win the NJCAA national championship. The national tournament is set to begin next Tuesday.

Last year, Murray State plowed into the NJCAA final, but lost and had to settle for the 2022 national runner-up honors.

Murray State answered with a rip-roarin’ campaign so far in 2023.

And, Hewitt has contributed plenty of offensive production, not to mention her defensive play.

In last week’s division playoffs, Murray State outlasted Highland Community College, 7-4; roughed up Johnson County Community College, 12-0; and thumped Labette Community College, 6-1.

Against Highland, Hewitt ripped two hits, drew a walk, scored a run and drove in another.

Against Johnson, she added more hits, walked twice, scored three runs and added another RBI.

Against Labette, she lashed a single and walked.

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JAKOB HALL

(Bartlesville)

Oral Roberts baseball

Hall is a key reason Oral Roberts has reached the 40-win mark (40-11).

In most recent start, Hall (7-3) loomed large on the mound in a 12-4 win against Southern Indiana.

Hall worked seven innings, scattered six hits, allowed two runs, walk one batter and fanned four others.

Hall and his ORU teammates open play Thursday in the Summit League tournament. They play at 3 p.m. at Western Illinois.

Logistically, Hall could garner the start on five-days rest.

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JACE KAMINSKA

(Caney, Kan.)

Nebraska baseball

Kaminska turned in one of the biggest clutch pitching efforts of the season in a 5-2 win against Penn State.

Kaminska (7-3) pitched seven innings, allowed four hits, gave up two runs, walked none and whiffed seven batters.

He carried a shutout into the seventh inning in what was one of several quality starts this season.

Nebraska (29-20) swept Penn State.

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NATHANIEL COLLIER

(Oklahoma Union)

Abilene Christian track

Since returning to full action, Collier has made a pounding impact.

During the recent Western Athletic Conference meet, Collier powered to second place in the men’s discus, with a distance of 175-feet-2-inches. He nailed it on his first throw and came very close to matching or surpassing it his remaining tries.

Collier also came in fourth in the men’s shot put, unleashing a throw of 52-feet-11-inches. He recorded that distance on his final throw.

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KYLEE GREENE

(Bartlesville)

Air Force Academy gymnastics

Greene, a freshman, made a shining effort at the USA Gymnastics Championships for college athletes.

She scored 9.825 on the balance beam, tying her career mark. That was good for sixth place (tie).

Greene also tied for eighth in the floor exercise (9.8).

She deadlocked for eighth on the vault (9.7).

Greene didn’t earn All-American honors but did help boost Air Force to third place in the team standings. Air Force won the team beam title with a score of 49.075.

Greene also has earned recognition from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. (MPSF).

She was named 2023 All-MPSF Second Team on the beam and the floor exercise.

Greene competed during her high school years with the Bartlesville Gymnastics Club. She qualified three times for national tournaments. In 2021, she earned the title of “Coastal Queen,” at a gymnastics competition in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

She forged a 4.0 grade point average at Bartlesville High and belonged to the National Honor Society.

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GABBY HIGBEE

(Dewey)

Tulsa softball

The Tulsa freshman has appeared in 24 games, been hit by a pitch and scored four runs.

During Higbee’s years at Dewey, the Lady Doggers qualified for state for three consecutive seasons and advanced once to the semifinals.

She also excelled in basketball and track.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: COLLEGE REPORT: Hewitt on title quest; Hall, Kaminska get 7th wins