乌
Friday, May 7, 1976
University Daily Kansan
Surprising KU heads to Big 8
Bv JOHN HENDEL
Sports Writer
Staff photo by DON PIERCE
Floyd Temple has enjoyed KU's best season ever
The University of Kansas baseball team takes its 23-12 record south this weekend to compete in the first Big Eight Baseball Tournament. The opening game for KU will be Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Oklahoma State
All games of the tournament will be
in All-Stars Sport Stadium in
Oklahoma City.
Couch Floyd Temple likes the chances of his team in the tournament. In fact, he's got a 6-0 record.
"Any time you set a new record and have a chance to improve on it, you have to be pleased." Temple said yesterday. We realized last fall that we had a better turnout. The warm kids. The kids believe in themselves, and the results speak for themselves.
"YOU HAVE TO BE realistic and say that there are people with better talent than we have. But I believe and the kids believe that you put it all together, we can beat anybody."
Roger Stagle, the team's ace with a 7-2 record, takes his league-leading ERA of 1.33 against the Cowboys in the game on Saturday. Temple said Brian Rhodes, 5-2, would start the second game against either Kansas State or Colorado on Sunday.
"Although all of our pitchers have been throwing well, I believe that these are the pitchers (Single and Rhodes) who have thrown the best all season," Temple said.
Some sports writers have said the bracket that in snapping was the weaker one. I don't know why not say it,
"THE DRAW DOESN'T make that much difference," he said. "There are good teams in our basket, too. All the teams have there no way we can take anybody lightly."
When asked about KU's first opponent, Temple said, "I haven't seen Oklahoma State since last season, so I don't know much about them. But then they don't know much about us either, except you can bet that they're heard of Roger Slagle."
This is the first year that the big Eight conference champion will be decided by a panel of coaches.
Ensom Semore, the Oklahoma coach, has criticized it. Temple likes the idea.
"I think the tournament idea is good," Temple said, "Oklahoma doesn't like it because they're afraid that somebody will get hot down and beat them," he said.
TEMPEL SAID THE tournament acts as an equalizer for the teams.
"You have to take into consideration the climate," he said. "In the regular season, a southern school has the advantage since it is in the year. To me this is fair and I like it."
Going into the tournament, Missouri had played 62 games, Oklahoma 69 and Georgia 58.
"When I made up the original schedule, I thought we would play between 45-50 games."
and then in defense of the short schedule, he said, "My theory is that the primary reason that the kids go to school is to get an education." The only other schedule are unfair to the student. Some of
the opponents' ball players have com-
missioned that they have missed too much school."
Pitching has been the forte of this season's team, and Temple is glad to talk
"I feel that Roger Slagle is the best pitcher in the conference," he said.
BRIAN RHODES STARTED off well
according to Temple. But, he said Rhodes lost his control for a couple of games, but added that he had looked good in his last two or three outings.
Rob Allinden, who was the Jayhawk's hard-luck pitcher this season, Temple said, was a better pitcher than his 1-6 record indicated.
The pitching staff also had its surprises in Kevin Kerschen and Mike Love.
"Kerschen has only had one bad innning all season, and that was against Kansas State," he said. "And Love started shakily and then we didn't have a chance to use him, but he has been making excellent progress."
Injuries, a real problem to some clubs, have almost totally by-passed the Jayhawks. Randy Troutt was lost for the season a few weeks ago with a lung problem, and the only other injuries, according to the N.C. State Police, were by Mark Hammann, and a bad leg suffered by Tom Krautti in a collision. Krattil is expected to play this weekend.
THE JAYHAWKS REWRITE some records this season. They have topped the week in wins and the season in wins, surpassing the old standard of 20 in 1972. Single has tied the mark for the most victories by a pitcher in a season. His seven wins with Roni Willey, who pitched in the 1950s.
Asked who he thought had the best chance to win the tournament, Temple said, "You have to go with the odds-on-favorite, the team that spends all the money."
He never mentioned Oklahoma by name,
but it is apparent he meant.
Cornerback Eric Franklin undergoes knee surgery
Eric Franklin, sophomore cornerback and the leading kickoff returner for KU last season, underwent surgery yesterday for ligament damage in his left knee.
Franklin suffered the injury while playing in a pick-up basketball game Wednesday. He entered Lawrence Memorial Hospital Wednesday night.
was the No. 2 punt returner for
the game. KU in kickoff returns with a
32.1 average.
The 6-0, 190-pound from Gardenia,
alfair, ended spring practice two weeks ago.
He'll have to try to find a proper
practice.
Franklin had six tackles, five unaffected,
just season. He also played halfback,
and one tackle.
It isn't Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King, but the KU men's and women's tennis teams will stage their own "battle of the sexes" tomorrow when they meet on the Robinson and Alvamar Racquet Club courts.
Net teams host tourney
Franklin is the third KU defensive back who will enter drill drills off cow knee surgery. Safeties Chris Golub and Tom Kirkman will play winter and missed all of spring practice.
Officially, the meeting is called the Lawrence Open Tennis Tournament, and according to women's coach Kivisto, the contest is supposed to serve as a substitute for a Kansas women's tennis championship.
"Everyone else has their own state
championship, except un," said Kivito,
adding, "We'll have teams from Pittsburgh
to play."
The matches pitting KU men against KU women were added to space up the tournament. Kivisto told. All teams will play together. In fact, the kind used on the World Team Tennis circuit.
The tournament opens on the Robinson courts near Wakins Hospital tomorrow morning and resumes at the Alvamar Racquet Club, RR 4, at 2:30.
sports shorts
RUGBY-KU's rugby club ended the season on its losing note as it dropped an 8-4 match to the Kansas City Rugby Club Wednesday.
TAYLOR SIGNS—The Kansas City Chiefs announced yesterday that they had signed KU defensive back Steve Taylor and two other draft choices. Other signers were defensive tackle Willie Lee of Bethune-Caryi, Pat McNeil, a running back from Bavior.
The loss made KU's spring record 11-5.
Last weekend, KU made a creditable showing in the Sunflower Invitational in Manhattan. After losing a close game in the tournament, KU's swept past River Qay, the Kansas City Bulls and Johnson County to grab fifth.
SOCER—KU's soccer club winds up the spring schedule Sunday when it travels to Kansas City, Mo., for a heart of America Soccer Association tournament.
Coach Bench Mullin said yesterday that they were back to 11-4, had a good shot at winning the game.
Some of the teams entered in the tournament, which will be in Swope Park, include Kansas State, the Kansas City Internationals and NAIA power Benedictine.
TWO NAMED—KU basketball players Ken Koeins and Cris Barnhouse, both premed students with nearly straight A averages, have been named to the second team of the Academic All-America basketball squad.
--to
The Flower Shoppe
1101 Mass.
841-0800
Break Away from Studying and head out
for delicious hamburgers fish, drinks, shakes and much more.
$399
TOSSED SALAD, CHOICE OF VEGETABLE OR POTATO, ROLLS AND BUTTER, BEVERAGE
Holiday Dnn
23rd & Iowa Sts.
OFFER GOOD NOW THROUGH JUNE 6
Revolution 1976?
THE FBI. DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE
A film by Emile de Antonio
Mary Lampson
and Haskell Wexler
WITH THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
Billy Ayers
Kathy Boudin
Bernardine Dohrn
Jeff Jones
Cathy Wilkerson
A NEW YORKER FILMS RELEASE
Friday, May 7 Saturday, May 8
3:30 5:15 9:30
Sunday, May 9 2:30
Woodruff Aud. - 1