THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 2005
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 9A
TODAY
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
- Men's golf, Del Walker Intercollegiate, all day, Long Beach, Calif.
- FRIDAY
- Swimming vs. Iowa and Missouri State, 6, m. Robinson Natatorium
Tennis at Western Michigan, all day,
Kalamazoo, Mich
**Men's golf.** Del Walker Intercollegiate, all
**dv. Lunge Beach, Calif**
SATURDAY
- Women's golf, The Derby Invitational, all day, Auburn, Ala.
Football vs. Nebraska, noon, Memorial Stadium
Volleyball at Kansas State, 7 p.m. Manhattan
Tennis at Western Michigan, all day,
Kalamazoo, Mich.
♦ Women's golf, The Derby Invitational, all day. Auburn, Ala.
- Rowing, Head of the Hooch, all day, Chat tanooga, Tenn.
SUNDAY
- Women's basketball vs. Pittsburgh State, 1 p.m. a.m. Fieldhouse
- Women's golf, The Derby Invitational, all day. Auburn, Ala*
Kansas safety Jerome Kemp takes Nebraska fullback Dane Todd down in the third quarter of the game last season in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska came away with a 14-8 victory, its 36th straight against Kansas. The Jawhays take on the Cornshuske at noon Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
- Tennis at Western Michigan, all day,
Kalamazoo, Mich.
- Rowing. Head of the Hooch, all day, Chat, tannooa, Tenn.
BASKETBALI
Top high school player commits to Kansas
Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self might have landed the Jayhawks another recruit, this time for the class of 2007. Recruiting Web site rivals.com reported that Cole Aldrich, a 6-foot-10-inch junior forward/center from Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minn., has given the Jayhawks a verbal commitment.
"I have made my final decision and I am going to attend the University of Kansas," Aldrich told rivals.com.
FOOTBALL
Aldrich, the No. 9-ranked player in the country by rivals. com, told the site that he made his decision on Monday, which was also his 17th birthday. He said he called Self Monday morning and told him his decision. He chose Kansas over Minnesota and North Carolina.
—Miranda Lenning
Kansas wants to lose losing streak
'Hawks have lost 36 games to 'Huskers
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTWRITTER
Kansan file photo
The last time Kansas defeated Nebraska, Kansas football coach Mark Mangino was in junior high school in western Pennsylvania and had never been to the state of Kansas.
That was in 1968, when No. 9-ranked Kansas knocked off No. 6 Nebraska 23-13 in Lincoln, Neb.
For 36 straight contests, Nebraska has dominated the series and has compiled victory after victory.
Now, this weekend, Mangino and the rest of the Kansas team will try to put a stop to one of the more embarrassing streaks in the country. Only Navy's 41-game losing streak to Notre Dame is longer.
Mangino said that although the team was aware of the streak, it was not affecting its preparation for the game. He said he knew what a victory would mean to the Jayhawk nation.
"For all of our great fans that have been loyal Jayhawk supporters, it would mean so much for them," Mangino said. "But all we can do is take care of our preparation. We are not going to be stuck on this streak thing. It is the 2005 Jayhawks versus the 2005 Huskers."
Although Mangino said he would ignore the streak this week in practice, several players said they were well aware of Nebraska's dominance.
"There's definitely the knowledge there that they have beaten us so many times in a row," Kevin Kane, senior linebacker, said. "You try to ignore it, but we know it's there."
Kane said continuing the momentum gained from defeating Missouri last weekend 13-3 was more important to focus on.
He said if the team could feed off the momentum and keep playing sound, fundamental football, the streak would take care of itself.
If Kansas does come out victorious Saturday against Nebraska, the question will be whether fans storm the field and attempt to tear down the goal posts as they did last weekend after the victory against Missouri.
Mangino said there was not
We are not going to be stuck on this streak thing. It is the 2005 Jayhawks versus the 2005 Huskers."
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
a lot he could do to control the situation but that he preferred fans stay in the stands after the game.
"I can't stand under the goal posts and prevent it," Mangino said. "But I prefer they stay in their seats. It is the safest place for everyone involved. It is a
tradition we could live without."
Theo Baines, senior cornerback who had the game-clinching play last weekend, said he thought it was exciting when all the fans came onto the field but knew it was a dangerous tradition.
"If we win, I think they will try to get them down again," Baines said. "It's not scary for me as a player to see them on the field, but anything can happen. I think it's exciting to see the fans running out."
BASEBALL
Jerome Kemp, junior safety, said the team's plan after the game against Missouri was to go over to the student section and thank them for coming. Kemp said if the team were victorious again this weekend, he would prefer that instead of the fans coming onto the field.
— Edited by Erin Wisdom
BY SHAWN SHROYER
sshroyer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Fall practice for the Kansas baseball team ended in mid-October and the team is optimistic and confident for its first game on Feb. 1. With only 15 days to practice, the team changed the routine it used last season, which was daily scrimmages in order to play as many innings as possible, to a traditional practice and play format.
Jayhawks confident after fall practice Depth and experience will be key during spring season and junior Dylan Parzyk will enter the spring as the top candidates. things done and im skillse
"I thought it was the most productive fall we've had in the four years that I've been at KU," Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price said. "But I also think that that's a byproduct of having so many experienced players back that are familiar with the system and have been successful at this level, you know, but I feel very, very good about the fall."
Price already named the captains for this year's team. They will
be senior outfielder Matt Baty, senior pitcher Don Czyz and senior infielder Ritchie Price.
Price said he was impressed with the improvement of the infield, as all four starters are returning.
Kansas will look to fill spots vacated by pitcher Mike Zagurski and catcher Sean Richardson, who were lost to graduation. Former outfielder A.J. Van Slyke signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being drafted as a junior into the Major League Baseball amateur draft last spring. Because of these losses, fall practice showcased key position battles.
Price said that senior pitcher Ricky Fairchild, who transferred to Kansas from Tulane, would replace Zagurski in the starting rotation. Sophomore outfielder John Alman will look to fill the third outfield spot. The competition to replace Richardson at catcher wasn't settled, so freshman Buck Afenir
For Price and Baty, fall practice has become routine. However, some freshmen, such as pitcher Paul Smyth, weren't sure what to expect.
"It itse like there's a lot more focus and dedication to actually use a practice to, you know, get
"It's actually really, really exciting to watch the competition because it's never been that deep since I've been here," Baty said.
"The biggest difference is, I think we've got three solid pitchers that can start anywhere in the Big 12, and I think that's going to make a big difference this year." Baty said. "We've still got the offense that's always been here and the defense, but we were always lacking the pitching."
Baty said this was the best fall practice he'd witnessed, and he said he thought the pitching staff made the most progress. Fairchild, junior Sean Land and senior Kodiak Quick will anchor the rotation, Baty said.
things done and improve their own skills, as opposed to high school, where there's people just kind of sitting around all the time," Smyth said. Another new face on the team will be assistant coach Rick Sabath. Sabath came to Kansas after coaching three seasons at Garden City Community College.
"The coaching staff are really good people and that made it an easy adjustment, and the players have been very receptive and fun to get to know," Sabath said. "Plus, just coming to work here every day at Allen Fieldhouse is an awesome thing for me and I couldn't be happier, really."
Price said the team must wait until Jan. 15 to begin practicing for the spring. Until then, position coaches can work on fundamentals with as many as four players at a time. Baty said the team could also have scrimmages before Jan. 15 as long as no coaches were involved.
Ryne Price, then freshman infielder, throws back to first during a game last season. The baseball team recently concluded its fall practice season.
While some players use the time between fall and spring practices for workouts and scrimmages, others will use the time to recover from
Kansan file photo
injuries.
Two such players are Quick and junior pitcher Ryotaro Hayakawa, who are recovering from arm injuries. Both were able to pitch on limited pitch counts the last weekend of fall practice and will likely be ready to go in January.
— Edited by Anne Burgard
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