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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014
PAGE 3B
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BASEBALL
Kansas hopes to continue momentum at home
BEN FELDERSTEIN sports@kansan.com
Having swept Baylor in Waco and defeating Wichita State in Wichita for the second time in their mid-week matchups, the Jayhawks are currently on a four game winning streak. Freshman right-hander Jon Hander picked up his second win of the season, going five strong innings and allowing only one run.
The Jayhawks got off to a fast start, putting up four runs in the first inning. Junior designated hitter Dakota Smith drove in three runs against the Shockers. The Kansas bullpen was strong, only allowing two runs the rest of the way. Freshman righty Stephen Villines threw a perfect ninth.
The Jayhawks will open up a three-game series this weekend at Hoglund Park, while hosting Texas Tech. Kansas has improved its record to 27-20 on the season and is .500 in Big 12 play. Texas Tech is 11-7 in the Big 12 conference, which is third in the conference. The Red Raiders are 36-13 on the season. Texas Tech has won four straight as well and eight out of its last 10.
Freshman Jon Hander pitches a strike during Kansas' game against Missouri State on April 23. Hander picked up his second victory of the season against Wichita State on Tuesday, going five strong innings and allowing only one run.
JAYHAWKS WILL WIN IF.
The Jayhawks will win if their starting pitching is as
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
strong as it was last weekend. Senior Jordan Piché won Big 12 Player of the Week honors after he threw a complete game shutout while giving up just one hit. Piché walked only two and struck out five. Junior right-hander Robert Kahana threw seven strong innings, allowing only two runs with one being earned. Junior Drew Morovick came in and pitched two shutout innings to close it out. Senior right-hander Frank Duncan threw 6.2 innings, only allowing two earned runs. Villines picked up his fifth save of the season to clinch the sweep. Kansas' offense has been stable all year, but it only goes as far as its pitching.
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JAYHAWKS WILL LOSE IF...
The Jayhawks will lose if they allow Texas Tech batters to put a bat on the ball. Texas Tech is tied for the conference lead with a .292 batting average. Eric Gutierrez is a focal point to the Red Raiders offense. He leads the Big 12 in homeruns with 10, RBIs with 47. He also in the top 10 in hits, runs scored and batting average.
PLAYER TO WATCH
The designated hitter has eight hits on the Jayhawk's current four-game winning streak. When he is hot at the plate, he takes pressure off Suiter and
Junior designated hitter Dakota Smith has done everything for Kansas this year. Smith hits in the five hole for the Jayhawks and
McKay. — Edited by Alec Weaver
also pitches in relief. Smith is hitting .324 and has a 3.57 ERA. Smith has only allowed nine earned runs on the season and has only given up
more than one run once. He has struck out 22 batters and walked 12. Smith has 27 RBIs on the season including a walk off double early on the season.
COMMENTARY
Turner chooses Texas, shouldn't affect Kansas
Bucket hats are in.
When Myles Turner slipped his burnt orange one on his head, months of speculating about what school Turner will be playing for came to an end. He picked Texas. His bow tie and bucket hat made the statement that he'll stay home and be a foe instead of friend for Kansas.
Sure, it will impact Kansas to have Turner, a 7-foot, bluechip freshman, playing against the jayhawks every year. Here's the big question: Does it really matter?
Will it truly make any difference at the end of the year in the Big 12 standings? History says no. History says that Kansas will still finish the year sitting on the lush throne as Big 12 champions.
Eventually the streak of 10 straight conference championships will come to an end. Odds are, Myles Turner won't be the sole reason that day comes. Bill Self will figure out a way to make it work. He once plucked Kevin Young from Loyola Marymount and made it to the national championship. Perhaps Hunter Mickelson can channel his inner Kevin Young to make a difference.
Remember back before Andrew Wiggins? When Kansas fans complained that Bill Self was whiffing on top recruits? When Le'Bryan Nash put on a foam Cowboys hat announcing his intentions to play in Stillwater?
This is different. Wayne Selden Jr., Perry Ellis, Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre will be as talented a bunch as there is in the conference. With Bill Self running the show, Kansas will be fine.
In fact, it may be better off without Turner. If he came to Kansas, Self would once again be faced with juggling a talented and loaded front court. It's a good problem for Self to have, but a problem nonetheless. There won't be the rotational issues like last year, where a Conner Frankamp gets limited minutes and then plays crucial ones because of a better tournament matchup. Landen Lucas will have a chance to
prove himself as a valuable asset to the team. After all, Self has said he won't redshirt a player if he doesn't think it will benefit the Jayhawks in the future.
Senate leader: Redskins should change name
Players will have more defined roles that they'll learn throughout the season because Kansas won't be quite as deep as it's been in recent years. Different Jayhawks will have to learn to play through their mistakes, as Self won't have the liberty of pulling them uckily if they mess up.
Sure, Turner would be a good asset for Self to use. But he's not a necessary one. And if he's not necessary, then it really doesn't matter that much to Kansas next year.
Reid called on Snyder "to do what is morally right" by changing the name. Reid has criticized the name before, telling The Washington Post in March that he thinks it will be changed within three years.
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says it's time for the NFL's Washington Redskins to change their name, linking the issue to racist comments by a professional basketball team owner.
Reid said his state has 22 tribes and that the only tradition behind the Redskins' name was one of racism.
In a Senate speech Wednesday, the Nevada Democrat said Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is hiding behind tradition in retaining his team's name, which critics call racially offensive.
Reid congratulated the NBA for banning Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling for life. Sterling was caught in an audio recording making racist comments about blacks.
Other prominent politicians have criticized or questioned the Redskins' name. President Barack Obama told The Associated Press in October: "If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team — even if they've had a storied history — was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it."
Myles Turner will have a fine career in Austin, playing for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns. Barnes has a track record of turning players into top NBA Draft picks and you can't blame Turner for staying close to home.
The kid wore a bow tie, put on a bucket hat and made the best decision for himself. In the long run, it may end up being the best decision for Kansas, too.
Several members of Congress, including Republicans and Democrats, have urged Snyder to change the team's name.
Reid said it's time for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to follow the NBA's lead and rid his league of bigotry and racism.
Associated Press
Edited by Brook Barnes
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