The Republic Tigers finally hit the field this week in their home opener against Willard! I talked to Coach Kurt Thompson about his team’s final week of practice, and what he expects out of Willard when the teams face off Friday.
Appleberry Homers in Lady Tigers Win
August 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Stephanie Eckhoff allowed just three hits, and pitched around four Republic errors, to lead the Lady Tigers to a 7-1 win over Cassville to open the season. Eckhoff struck out five and walked none.
Payton Appleberry had three hits and scored three runs, including a 2-run homer in the 6th inning. Rachael Michaelis added two hits for Republic.
The Lady Tigers never trailed, after jumping on top 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning. They added two more runs in the 3rd. Cassville’s only big threat came in the top of the 4th, when two Republic errors opened the door for a rally. Eckhoff pitched around the trouble, allowing just one run.
Republic put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the 6th, highlighted by Appleberry’s home run to left-center field.
The JV team won 6-2.
The Lady Tigers are back in action Thursday against Reeds Spring.
(Listen to postgame comments from Coach Mike Thorne below. And, as always, you can receive every postgame interview automatically by subscribing to the Republic Tiger Sports Radio podcast in iTunes. Just click that button over on the right side of the page to sign up.)
What a Difference a Year Makes
August 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Republic soccer coach Mike Hines is excited about the improvement he’s seeing in his team in its second year of existence. I talked to him before practice last week about the changes he expects this season.
Thompson, Tigers Look for Turnaround
August 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Coming off a 1-9 season, there are lots of areas for improvement for the Republic Tigers. But Coach Kurt Thompson says the attitude of the team during summer training, despite last year’s disappointment, has never wavered. I talked to Thompson about the upcoming season on the latest episode of the Republic Tiger Sports podcast.
(You can listen below, or download the file for later. And you can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to get every new episode delivered to your mobile phone or music player. Just click the “Republic Tiger Sports Radio” button on the right side of the page to subscribe.)
Softball Returns 7 Starters in Thorne’s Final Season
August 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Softball coach Mike Thorne goes into his final season at Republic with high expectations. The team returns seven starters from last year’s squad, which finished 21-7. That includes last year’s starting pitcher, Stephanie Eckhoff. And shortstop Payton Appleberry is back, and will move behind the plate this season.
I sat down with Thorne before a preseason practice to talk about what’s coming up this fall. You can listen to the interview below. (And, as always, you can get new episodes of the Tiger podcast automatically on your phone by subscribing with the Republic Tiger Sports Radio button on the right side of the page.)
New Facility, High Expectations for Girls Tennis
August 10, 2011 By 1 Comment
The Republic Lady Tigers tennis team will see a lot of changes this year — but most of those changes won’t have anything to do with personnel. Coach Eric Hanson says he’s looking forward to a season that sees lots of players return from last year’s success.
The team will be competing in a new facility, currently under construction next to the high school. That construction is on track to be complete in time for the girls’ home opener in two weeks.
I talked to Hanson about that new facility, and about what he expects from the team this season.
(Listen to the interview below, or download the file to your computer. And you can sign up to receive new shows automatically on your phone or audio player by clicking the “Subscribe to Republic Tiger Sports Radio” button on the right side of this page.)
Lady Tigers Volleyball Preview 2011
August 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Republic Lady Tigers have gone through a lot of changes since the last volleyball season ended. Gone are head coach Katie Kreimer and assistant Ryan Lacson, and stepping into the head coaching job is Piper Wright.
Wright came to Republic from Springfield Parkview during the off-season. I sat down with her before one of the team’s early-morning preseason practices to talk about what she expects from the upcoming year.
“What a Dream Job…”
July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Republic Volleyball Coach Piper Wright (Photo: Republic Monitor)
New Lady Tigers volleyball coach Piper Wright is already starting to feel comfortable in her new surroundings.
Wright came to Republic a few weeks ago from Parkview, where she was head coach for two seasons. I caught up to her in Nixa, where she was coaching the freshman team in a tournament, to ask her about making the switch to a new program, and what she has planned for Republic volleyball.
Soccer Post-game Audio & Video
March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
After the game, I talked to soccer coach Mike Hines about his team’s effort. You can listen below. And there’s also a video clip of his post-game talk to the team.
Postgame Comments – Kris Flood
March 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Coach Kris Flood talked after the game about the Lady Tigers’ difficult loss to St. Francis Borgia. Republic lost an 8-point lead in the 4th quarter. Flood says that kind of finish was out of character for the Lady Tigers.
