Buhler High School alumnus Diana Miller to be inducted into Kansas State Hall of Fame

Diana Miller, a graduate of Buhler High School and Kansas State University will be inducted into the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame and nine others.

Miller is a 1987 graduate of Buhler High School, where she was a two-time all-state selection in 1986 and 1987. 

Miller played basketball at Kansas State, where she graduated in 1991 as the all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,705 points. She is currently seventh on the all-time scoring list.

In 1990, Miller was named an Honorable Mention All-American, a Kodak all-district team selection and the 1990 co-Big Eight Player of the Year after averaging 17.3 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game and leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament.

She earned All-Big 8 First Team honors in both 1990 and 1991. In 1991, she averaged 19.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.

During her career, Miller scored in double figures in 88 of 114 games, with 28 20-plus point games.

She started 113 consecutive games during career and ranks in the top 10 in 15-of-18 K-State career categories.

In addition to Miller, the 2024 Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame class also includes two football greats in Nick Leckey and Kevin Lockett, a pair of men's basketball legends in Askia Jones and Jacob Pullen, former women's basketball head coach Deb Patterson, Scott Sellers (track and field), Kim Zschau (volleyball) and Carl and Mary Ice (contributors).

The class is the 14th in the history of the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame, including the charter class of 1990, and will be honored during the weekend of Aug. 30.

Official induction ceremonies will take place on Aug. 30 (Friday), before the inductees are recognized at halftime of the football game against the University of Tennessee-Martin Aug. 31 (Saturday).

More ceremony details will be announced later this summer.

Kyle Pugh named head men’s basketball coach at Cloud County, was HutchCC assistant coach for one season

Cloud County Community College hired former Hutchinson Community College assistant coach Kyle Pugh as the seventh men’s basketball coach in the program’s 58-year history.

Pugh rejoins the Cloud County Community College men’s basketball program following one year at Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference school HutchCC.

“We are all very excited to bring Kyle back home to lead our men’s basketball program,” said Cloud County athletic director Matt Bechard. “His incredible work ethic, relationship building skills, and care for his student-athletes is unmatched.”

Pugh served as an assistant under former Blue Dragon head coach Tommy Desalme (now the head coach at Bartlesville High School in his hometown of Bartlesville, Okla.).

HutchCC posted a 29-7 overall record and an appearance in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Elite Eight. The Blue Dragons lost to Connors State, Okla., in the NJCAA quarterfinals.

“I’m extremely excited to have been chosen to lead a program with the tradition of the Cloud County men’s basketball program,” Pugh said in a Cloud County press release. “Thank you to athletic director Matt Bechard, president Amber Knoettgen, the hiring committee and the entire Cloud County family for entrusting me with this opportunity.

“I also want to thank my family and mentors who have instilled the values that we will work to uphold as a program on a daily basis. Cloud County Community College is a special place that I’m excited to work towards building a culture of toughness and togetherness at.”

Cloud County also named TJ Segebart as the 12th head softball coach in the program’s 54-year history.

Former Blue Dragon Ben McLaughlin belts two 3-run homers for Arkansas in NCAA regional game

Former Hutchinson Blue Dragon baseball player Ben McLaughlin belted two three-run homers for the University of Arkansas Friday as the Razorbacks defeated Southeast Missouri State 17-9 in the first game of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.

McLaughlin went 3-for-5 with six RBI, his most since a 2021 game while playing for HutchCC. 

The No. 5 national-seeded Razorbacks homered six times in front of an announced 11,062 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas (44-14) is scheduled to play Saturday at 8 p.m. against the winner of Friday night’s game between the region’s No. 2 and 3 seeds, Louisiana Tech and Kansas State.

The winner of Saturday’s late game will move into the regional championship round.

SEMO (34-26), the region’s No. 4 seed, will play the loser of Friday night’s game in an elimination game Saturday at 2 p.m.

Hutchinson Monarchs season opener postponed

The Hutchinson Monarchs season-opener will have to wait one day.

Rainy weather has made the playing field in Haysville unplayable, said Marc Blackim, general manager of the defending National Baseball Congress champion Monarchs.

“Well, Mother Nature loves messing with opening night for the Monarchs,” Blackim posted on the Hutchinson Monarchs Facebook page.

The Monarchs will play a doubleheader against the Haysville Aviators Saturday at Haysville. Game times will be announced.