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Volume 126 Issue 98
kansan.com
Monday, March 31, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Piché struggles against Oklahoma
WIGGINS PRESS CONFERENCE
Follow @KansanSports for updates from the press conference at 2 p.m.
Well, Sunday came, and with it the opportunity to avoid the sweep against Oklahoma. And for eight innings it seemed like the Jayhawks would do just that.
At least that was until closer Jordan Piché took the mound
After Frank Duncan's eight innings and 120 pitches, there shouldn't have been much worry that Piché would finish out the game with a 3-1 lead. He owns one of Kansas' most talented arms and has demonstrated it over and over again.
— the otherwise calming presence who lately has been anything but.
The Kansas baseball team has figured out its rallying cry this season. Really, it's more about survival than anything else. No matter what happens during the week, the Jayhawks know that the final game is theirs.
"It's all about Sunday," they shout in the clubhouse.
Except he hasn't been doing that lately. On Sunday the Jayhawks were supposed to own, yet Piche' nearly gave the game away. If Kansas is going to sustain its early success, getting senior-transfer Piche back to form has got to be the top priority.
"I have a pretty good feeling of my body," Piché said. "I can definitely feel it was a little off today."
"He's got too good of stuff to be struggling like that," coach Ritch Price said.
His breaking ball hasn't had as much depth and he's releasing his fastball too early, according to Price. And both issues have made it harder for Piché to command the ball.
Kansas has a month and a half left before the Big 12 Tournament to get Piché throwing at the level he was when the conference named him Newcomer of the Week three times earlier this year. And if it does, Sunday won't be the only game it's all about.
But on Sunday the struggle didn't stop the Jayhawks. Dakota Smith belted a shot off the left field wall for a game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth, giving Kansas a 4-3 victory.
But even relieving the closer of his duties might not be enough. Price said what he's seen mechanically has been every bit as troubling as Piché's mindset.
"We've got to get his mindset right to where he doesn't feel like every pitch is thrown with the game on the line," Price said. "I may change his role here for a little bit to try to take that mental pressure off him."
It was Piche's fourth straight blown save and fifth this year. At the start of the season closing out games was a bright spot for Kansas. Now it's looking more like a black hole.
It was the opposite of a scene that played out half an inning earlier where Piché gave up three hits, one walk and two runs — the second of which came off a throwing error by catcher Ka'iana Eldredge.
Edited by Amber Kasselmah
BASEBALL
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
The Kansas baseball team celebrates after beating Oklahoma 4-3 on Sunday in Lawrence. Junior outfielder Dakota Smith hit a game-winning walk-off hit that spurred the celebration.
Jayhawks end series with win against Sooners
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
The wind had been howling all game. Any ball hit to right field was caught by the wind and died almost immediately. But, if you could find the right spot in left, the ball would carry.
That's just what junior designated hitter Dakota Smith did in the home half of the ninth during Sunday's game.
"It felt real good," Smith said. "I had kind of been struggling all weekend. It was a great confidence builder. I knew I had a good piece of it, the wind grabbed it and carried it over his head."
Smith entered the ninth inning 0-4 until he sent a double over the left fielder's head. Smith's hit helped avoid a sweep from the Oklahoma Sooners and lead Kansas to the 4-3 victory.
Senior right-handed pitcher Frank Duncan got the nod for the Jayhawks. Entering the
I felt great out there today," Duncan said. "I could have went nine, but Jordan [Piché] was our guy last year, so we're going to ride him."
day, Duncan had an ERA of 1.79, and improved it to 1.69 on the season.
Piché got two quick outs before things started to fall apart. Oklahoma strung together a few hits and scored on a throwing error by senior catcher Ka'iana Eldredge.
Kansas rallied in the ninth and was able to put up a fourth run after leading most of the game 3-1. Junior outfielder Michael Suiter continued his impressive offensive campaign as he went 3-5 with three singles and an RBI.
"Jordan and I are going to sit down and talk this week," coach Ritch Price said. "He's got too good of stuff to be blowing saves like this."
Kansas took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning and called on 2013 Big 12 newcomer of the lordan Piché.
The Jayhawks came into Sunday's game after losing twice to the Sooners on Friday and Saturday.
"These series was dominated by pitching," Price said. "Both of our first two games could have gone different ways. We could easily be talking about us getting a sweep today."
Oklahoma rallied late in the first game of the series on Friday as they handed Piché another blown save and his second loss of the season.
"It's a mental thing." Price explained. "I may switch up his role to give him a bit of a mental rest."
Kansas' bats were silenced again on Saturday as the Sooners pitching staff allowed the Jayhawks to record only five hits.
Kansas left a combined 19 runners on base in their first two losses of the series. Junior right fielder Connor McKay, who leads the Big 12 in RBIs, hasn't driven home a run since March 22.
"Our right handers had been struggling this series," Price said. "It was a good day to get guys like McKay a rest and put some lefties in the lineup."
Junior third baseman Aaron Hernandez carried momentum from the Creighton game into the weekend. He drove in Kansas' lone run on Friday with an RBI double.
The Jayhawks were unable to do what they've been doing so well this season in the series against Oklahoma. Kansas had been hitting .301 with two outs and hadn't been leaving many men on base. Kansas scored just two runs on Friday and Saturday.
Kansas needed to get a stop on Sunday, and Frank Duncan has been able to do just that this season.
"The way I look at it we have three Friday night guys on our team this year," Duncan said. "Skip has given each one of us great confidence for our starts. I got the call this year on Sunday. It helps being a senior and having a lot of experience. Every one of us gives you a chance to win. You never want to get swept, we needed to flush the last two games from our memory, it's a new day and a new jet to fly."
Junior shortstop Justin Protacio reached base safely in all three games this series, extending his on base streak to 38 straight games. He scored two runs in the series finale.
"People look at Protocacio and his 5-foot-6-inch frame and wonder what he's doing on a division one baseball diamond." Price said. "But he's one of the best college baseball players out there."
Kansas is now 3-3 in the Big 12 and is gearing up for a series against Kansas State in Manhattan this weekend.
"This win was crucial." Price said. "It's a two game swing, if we lose, we're a game under .500, and now we're right there and ready to make a push."
— Edited by Callan Reilly
SOFTBALL
Kansas sweeps series against Oklahoma State
LAMIE JUST
sports@kansan.com
For the first time in five years, Kansas opened up conference play with a win. Kansas didn't win just the first game either. They swept the series.
In the first game of the series, it took an extra inning and one RBI from freshman outfielder Katelyn Schumacher to make the difference. Kansas (27-10, 3-0 Big 12) defeated Oklahoma State (19-14, 0-3 Big 12) in a low scoring affair on Friday 1-0. Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Kessler tallied 13 strikeouts. During the series, Kessler threw 13 strikeouts in both of her starts and five strikeouts in the game she came in to relieve. Over the season, Kessler has thrown 202 strikeouts. She came into the series just two strikeouts behind the national leader.
In the second game of the series, Kansas and Oklahoma
State were deadlocked at zero until sophomore infielder Chaley Brickey hit a home run out of left field in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Kansas scored three more runs, with a RBI going to senior infielder Ashley Newman and two RBI going to senior outfielder Alex Jones.
In the third game of the series, all the scoring came late in the game. Brickey hit a single in the fifth inning, bringing in freshman infielder Taylor McElhaney. Oklahoma scored on an error by Newman. That tied it all up and the game remained scoreless until the ninth inning when McElhaney came home on a wild pitch.
Next up for the Jayhawks is a midweek matchup against instate opponent Wichita State April 2 with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. in Wichita.
AMIE JUST/KANSAN
The Kansas softball team welcomes sophomore infielder Chaley Brickey at home plate after Brickey hit a home run to put Kansas ahead of Oklahoma State during the
Edited by Katie Gilbaugh
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