Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Big Mac — big stud
Sports
Mark McGwire connected on his 1,500th career hit yesterday on, go figure, a home run, the 524th of his career.
Inside: The women's tennis team couldn't pull together on Senior Day, losing to Oklahoma State, 7-2. SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Cincinnati Bearcats senior Kenyon Martin was named the Wooden Award winner yesterday.
SEE PAGE 5B
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2000
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Nebraska sweeps Kansas
12 pitchers used by 'Hawks in series
By Amanda Kaschubs sports@kansan.com
Kansas writerwriter
The 'Hawks and the'Huskers both cleared out their bullpins this weekend, but dominant Nebraska pitching had the upper hand as Kansas dropped three straight games for the first time this year.
The Jayhawks used 12 pitchers in the three-game series, but each time the relievers failed to cool Nebraska's hot bats.
"We didn't pitch well at all," said coach Bobby Randall after yesterday's 18-11 loss. "We couldn't get anything out of our bullpen. It was a weird game."
The three-and-a-half hour marathon produced 35 combined hits, including eight Nebraska doubles. Both teams scored five runs in the first inning, but Kansas pulled ahead to 7-6 in the fifth inning off a single from sophomore Matt Oakes that scored senior Shane Wedd from second base.
Sophomore infielder Ryan Klocksien, who went one for four yesterday, said it was difficult to adjust to the high-quality hurlers.
"These pitchers are a step up from others." Kloksen said. "You just have to take one bat at a time."
Nebraska evened the score at seven after five innings, but it went on to record multiple hits off junior reliever Sam Gish and senior Ryan Schmidt in two five-run innings in the seventh and eighth.
Kansas made a run in the eighth inning, cutting down the 'Husker lead to two runs — all with two outs. A double from Oakes triggered the four-run onslaught, but freshman designated hitter Kevin Wheeler grounded to end the inning.
In the ninth, trailing by seven, the Hawks went down one-two-three to end the game.
Randall said he was pleased with the fight Kansas put up, regardless of the outcome.
"We fought our tails off aggressively," Randall said. "But we couldn't hold the score."
The two teams played a doubleheader Saturday after high winds canceled Friday's match-up. The Jayhawks lost 9-3 in the first game, despite a home run from junior Doug Dreher, his third of the season. Nebraska pitcher Shane Komine fanned 17 batters for a new "Husker record."
Two Jayhawks — junior Jesse Gremminger and Klocksien — saw their career-high hit streaks come to an end at 12 and 10, respectively.
Kansas fell again in the second contest, 14-2, when the 'Hawks could muster only
five base-knocks. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh because of the 12-run rule.
Kansas will practice today before the team travels to Wichita State tomorrow for its second consecutive Tuesday night match-up against the Shockers. The Jayhawks beat the Shockers 10-5 last week at Hoglund Ballpark.
BOX SCORES
Saturday, Game One
Saturday, game one
Kansas 000 120 100 3 5 0
Nebraska 012 030 30x 9 12 1
Kansas  P   H   R   HR  BB SO
Rusty Philibrick  5   6   6   6   3 2
Jeff Davis  1/3/6 3 3 0  1
Nick Selibert  1/2/3 0  1 0
Saturday, Game Two
Kansas   000 002 0xx    2 5 1
Nebraska  400 224 2xx    14 11 0
Kansas IP 5 H R ER BB SO
Brandon O'Neal 5 6 8 8 32
Grant Williams 1/3 2 4 4 1
Nick Selbert 2/3 0 0 0 2
Eric Thompson 0 1 2 2 2
Kevin Wheeler 1/3 2 0 0 0
Sunday
Kansas 500 020 040 11 13 1
Nebraska 501 020 55x 18 22 2
Kansas IP H R ER BB SO
Pete Smart 4/1 3/18 11 6 8 I
Dan Olson 2 1 4 3 9 1 1
Ryan Schmidt 1/3 1 3 5 1 2
Ryan Schmidt 1/3 1 5 5 1 2
Softball offense struggles in losses
By Rebecca Barlow sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Kansas softball can't shake its case of the slumps.
The team, 21-23 overall, 1-8 in the Big 12, was caught in an offensive onslaught last weekend. The team lost to Oklahoma State, 5-1 and 4-1 during a Friday doubleheader and to Texas Tech 8-0 Saturday and 1-0 yesterday.
Sophomore Courtney Wright bats in Saturday's game against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders hold Kansas scoreless in the two-game home series. Kansas has scored only twice in its last four home games.
Photo by Brad Drier/KANSAN
The 'Hawks' lack of offensive firepower has been its biggest problem all season — they've been shut out 13 times this season. Their troubles continued last week. Kansas managed only 13 hits and two runs compared to the 37 hits and 18 runs tallied by Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Yesterday's game against Texas Tech was the best game for the Jayhawks this weekend. Although Kansas has struggled with its confidence this season when losing, the team kept its heart in the game, despite a second-inning Texas Tech run.
"Emotionally I really think they stayed in it seven innings today, and they really fought and hung in there," coach Tracy Bunge said.
"The result was not what we would have liked, but it was not due to being flat or anything else other than we still don't have a lot of confidence at the plate."
Kansas pitcher Melanie DeWinter didn't lack anything on the mound against Texas Tech. Her performance was one of the weekend's
"I just felt that I needed to do well and to keep my team in it," DeWinter said. "My drop ball was probably my best pitch — it was a good day."
bright spots, pitching all seven innings yesterday, giving up six hits and one run.
Bunge has noticed not only DeWinter's performances on the mound, but also how she is helping her team through the rough spot.
"I can't say enough about her and her performance today," Bunge said. "Melanie DeWinter really deserves
some credit. She works really hard and has thrown the ball extremely well for us. She has been somebody who has emotionally taken the team on her shoulders and is trying to do everything she can."
Kansas did not have it easy in the batter's box, facing tough pitchers from both Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Texas Tech pitcher Amanda Renfro pitched both games for the Red Raiders, giving up only two hits.
"When you have a pitcher that can throw the ball both up and down and mixes her speeds in our game that is somebody that is tough to hit," Bunge said.
Texas Tech's offense, as well as its pitching, took advantage of four Jayhawk errors on Saturday. Only one starting Red Raider did not log a hit.
The Jayhawks tried to rally in the first game's sixth inning when they were down four runs, but they only were able to score one run. The Jayhawks scored first in the second game on a home run by first baseman Shannon Stanwix. Kansas was unable to score any more runs while Oklahoma State tallied four.
Oklahoma State's pitchers Lauren Bay and Karla Rivera each struck out seven Jayhawks during Friday's doubleheader.
The Jayhawks will try to get their offense going against Missouri at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Jayhawk Field.
high
Two 'Hawk pole vaulters give towering performances
By Sarah Warren sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Pole vaulters Greg Steele and Vadim Gvozdetskly didn't need to haul out the intimidation tactics to scare off their competitors Saturday at the Emporia State Relaws.
Many of their competitors moved themselves out of contention before the two Jayhawks even started. Not only did two thirds of the field bow out before Steele, a junior, and Gvozdetskiy, a freshman, even attempted a height, but three freak accidents occurred just as they entered the competition.
One pole vaulter from Fort Hays State caught his foot around the bar and hung suspended horizontally between his pole and the bar until he managed to make his way to the mat a few seconds later. And two competitors shattered their poles, hurling them and fiberglass pole chunks through the air.
"You've got to cheer and make them feel alive after breaking a pole or they get scared," said Steele, leading Gvozdetskiy and an injured teammate, sophomore Justin Stancil, in a round of applause on the sidelines.
Steele won the event, jumping 16-1,
while Gvozdetskly picked up four
place by making 15-5 on his last attempt.
"Today was a breakthrough meet for me because I've been jumping like poop lately," Steele said. "I'm looking forward to jumping a little higher each meet."
And this breakthrough performance came with some of Steele's teammates away at the Texas Relays. Thirteen Jayhawks had qualified for the larger meet in Austin, Texas.
Emporia also provided a breakthrough atmosphere for multievent athlete Andy Morris, who set personal bests in the discus and the 110-meter hurdles, which he won with a time of 14.86 seconds. And for Morris, the personal bests mean more than the ESU Relays shirt he received for placing first.
"In track all that matters is that you make it to finals because then it's anybody's race," Morris said. In fact, "anybody's race" came where Kansas least expected it — in the middle distance men's competition — when Kansas gave Division II middle distance/distance track and field powerhouse,
See TRACK on page 2B
Junior Greg Steele pole vaults at the Emporia State Relays. Steele won the competition with a vault of 16-1 Saturday. Photo by Carolyn Mollet/KANSAN
Football scrimmage showcases talents of both offensive and defensive units
sports @ kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
By Allan Davis
"I told the football team, it was almost a head coach's dream, in the sense that I thought the offense, in the first half, totally dominated the scrimmage, and the defense, in the second half, totally dominated the scrimmage," Allen said. "You don't like one side dominating the other side for the whole scrimmage. You like the idea that both of them have some highs and lows."
Coach Terry Allen was extremely pleased with the Kansas football team's balanced effort in Saturday's scrimmage.
"We took them down and put them on the one-inch line and asked the offense to get the ball out of the end zone, and the defense came up with two or three safeties in a row." Allen said.
But the defense hit a high in the second half.
The Jayhawks came out of Saturday's scrimmage only slightly banged-up. Their satisfactory condition prompted Allen to virtually guarantee that the spring game April 15 at Memorial Stadium would be a genuine game and not just a glorified scrimmage. The team captains, with the assistance of the coaches, will draft players for the opposing squads. The captains probably will be announced today.
One reason that the defense may have performed well in that instance is that backback Moran Norris took a blow to the head early in the scrimmage and, as a precaution, sat out the rest of the day.
"He's got the potential to be pretty good." Allen said. "He just needs the reps, and he's getting the reps. You see him get better and more confident each and every day."
Quarterback Dylan Smith continued to improve his understanding of the offense.
Smith saw room for improvement in his performance.
"I've just got to stay well-focused in practice and pay attention in the meetings," he said. "I've been paying attention, but I really need to look at the little things a little more.
I'm more comfortable, knowing the coverages before I go out there. I think with more practice, I'll get a lot better." Smith said he was more comfortable being a team leader this year than he was last year, when he was a junior college transfer who replaced co-captain Zac Wegner as the starting quarterback by the fifth game of the season.
Allen: Please with performance of offense, defense
"I kind of felt like it wasn't my place to tell them what to do," Smith said. "But now that I know the offense a little better, I can tell
them where to go and tell them what to do."
Wide receiver Harrison Hill will be one of Smith's receiving targets. Last year, Hill finished second on the team with 29 receptions and earned honorable mention on the All-Big 12 team.
"Harrison's got great hands," Allen said. "He's got great hand-to-eye coordination. He really does a good job."
Tight end Jason Gulley also was positive about Smith.
"Dylen's progressed a lot since he first came in," Hill said. "He's always had a lot of talent, but now he's starting to learn the offense more. He's looking real good."
Hill has high hopes for next season. "We've got a lot of guys returning — a lot of older guys," he said, "So we're looking for some big things. I want our team to go to a bowl game."
Hill spoke highly of Smith's transition from junior college transfer to Big 12 starting quarterback.
As a tight end in high school, Gulley did a lot more blocking than pass catching.
"He's a good quarterback," Gulley said. "He's got a good arm. He's building up his confidence. We're going to be good together."
More information For the Kansas football team's depth chart, See page 4B
"I came from a wishbone
offense in high school, so it's a change of pace," he said. "But I like it."
The University is looking into replacing the Memorial Stadium playing surface early and with a different type of turf. Natural grass was scheduled to be installed in a few years as part of the stadium's renovation plan. University officials are evaluating two new types of artificial turf because the stadium's Astroturf, installed in 1990, has deteriorated significantly.
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