Section:
The University Daily Kansan
B
team held on for its first win of the season at the Colorado-Stevinson Invitational.
SEE PAGE 3B
Softball Extra
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2000
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
After playing 32 of it's first 33 games on the road, the Kansas softball team is glad to be...
...and three Kansas catchers have been trying to fill the void left
Story by Rebecca Barlow & Matt James
during a recent
hitting slump. Whether it's filled when the 'Hawks begin play at home this Saturday or today in Fayetteville, Ark., one thing's for sure: there's no place like home.
Saturday, April 1 Kansas vs. Texas A&M 1 p.m. Jayhawk Field
t's not the favorite topic of conversation around the Kansas softball team right now.
Backup catcher Katie Campbell squirms a little in her chair, looks around and quickly moves to the next subject.
"We've had a little bit of trouble with that." she says.
Truth is, the Jayhawks have been struggling at the plate during the last two weeks. For instance, the team has had seven hits and no runs in its last three games. Kansas has been shut out 11 times this season and is now 17-16 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12. But no one is making excuses.
She's talking about hitting. And she's being nice.
"I don't think anybody on the team would say things have gone how we thought they would
go," says coach Tracy Bunge. "I think we thought we would have a lot more wins and would be more consistent offensively."
And because they need to find that consistency, nobody's starting spot is safe, says centerfielder Shelly Musser, who has the only Jayhawk batting average above .300, at .352. Bunge has changed the start line-up, the batting order and even has started players at different positions.
All that swapping has landed three Kansas catchers in the starting lineup at once on several occasions. Senior Heather Sims, sophomore Leah Tabb and Campbell have shared time behind the plate, with Sims getting most of the starts. But Tabb and Campbell have been hitting, and like Musser says, "you hit, you play."
Tabb has been starting at designated hitter, and Campbell has found her way into the lineup at first and third base.
"They're trying to mix things up a little," Campbell says. "I pinch hit a few times, and I just hit aggressive, so they've tried to get me in there. My heart is in catching, but wherever I play is fine."
But Bunge isn't giving up on her slumping hitters yet, and she's quick to point out the differences between baseball and softball — where the mound is closer and pitchers can not only change speeds, but make the ball break in four different directions.
College softball isn't a sport where hitters dominate. Musser says that for the most part, it's about slapping the ball, blooping hits and just making contact.
The Jayhawks are hoping that a few home games will get the bats going again. So far they have played only one of their first 33 games at home — a Feb. 29 game against Washburn, which began a six-game winning streak. Starting Friday
against Texas &M, Kansas plays eight of the nine games at home.
"Playing at home does make a difference," Tabb says. "You have your own fans out there. You just have a completely different feeling when you're at home."
That's a feeling that Campbell thinks the Jayhawks need.
"Some games we're fired up, and some games we just go out there and play," she says. "Once we get a hit, we get going. But if we don't get a hit, we kind of get down. We need to be more consistent."
there's that word again — consistency. And Bunge knows the Kansas catchers are crucial to accomplishing not only consistency, but also other team goals. She says it's not only their abilities, but their personalities — very different personalities — that
See CATCHERS page 8B
From left, sophiemores Katie Campbell and Leah Tabb and senior Heather Sims are splitting time at catcher this year. Sims usually starts behind the plate, Tabb has played a lot of designated hitter, while Campbell has played first base and third base. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
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