THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3B
BASEBALL
Coach collects 300th career victory
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
D PRESS
Courtney Kuhlen/KANSAN
Kansas coach Ritch Price celebrated his 300th career victory at the Division I level yesterday when the Jayhawks dismantled Baker, 16-6.
game Cants the
The Jayhawks (17-8) used a team effort at the plate to put Baker away. The Wildcats hung close early and even jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Kansas came right back to take the lead, built it to 8-4 and never looked back. As far as the 300th victory, Price was happy but took it in stride.
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"It just means you've been at it a long time," Price said. "I'm really excited about that. I've been lucky to be associated with a lot of great people over the years."
First baseman Erik Morrison dives to catch a foul ball during the third inning of last night's 16-6 victory against Baker.
Senior catcher Sean Richardson went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base a day after being named to the
Johnny Bench Award watch list, which recognizes the top catchers in the country. Perhaps that motivated him to step up after struggling at the plate over the past few games.
"I changed my walk-out song today," Richardson said, joking about his decision to walk to the plate to a Pennywise track rather than Sublime. "It's been bugging me the whole year, so I think it was a mental thing."
Price attributed Richardson's big game to other factors.
"I liked his approach a whole lot better today." Price said. "We need him to get it going like that to be a really good ball club."
Junior right fielder AJ. Van Slyke continued his tear through opposing pitchers. He blasted his sixth home run of the season in the third inning, putting him in a tie for second among Big 12 Conference leaders in that category. He ended the day with four RBI.
Baker, and its record fell to 9-12. Baker finished the afternoon with six miscues, leading to eight unearned runs for the Jayhawks. The Wildcats went through five pitchers, with sophomore right-hander Randy Sutcliffe taking the loss on a day where Kansas collected 14 hits.
It was a comedy of errors for
Despite the easy victory, not
all was rosy for the Jawhacks.
Senior Andrew Rebar (2-0)
earned the victory with a solid three and two-thirds innings of work. But before he entered the game in the third inning, the pitching staff struggled.
Freshman Logan Murphy and senior Clint Schambach allowed four runs in the first
two innings.
two innings.
"I was disappointed with the pitching at the start of the game," Price said.
"We left some balls up in the strike zone, and they hit some balls pretty good in the first four innings."
Junior shortstop Ritchie Price said he was not worried about the men on the mound.
The game's lopsided score gave Ritch Price an opportunity to clear the bench, something that he needed to do to prepare for later in the season.
"We've got six or seven guys that we're confident putting on the mound that can get Big 12 hitters out." Price said.
The Jayhawks don't have much time to think about the blowout victory. They will take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks this weekend in a three-game series starting tomorrow in Hoglund Ballpark.
Edited by Kendall Dix
SWIMMING
Swimmer surprised at tournament berth
BY KELLY REYNOLDS
kreynolds@hansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Three weeks after the Big 12 Conference Championship Swimming and Diving meet in College Station, Texas, sophomore swimmer Jenny Short thought the 2004-05 season was over. She swam NCAA "B" standard times in both of her events, typically not enough to qualify for an invitation to the NCAA Championships.
Had history repeated itself for the fourth year in a row, senior co-captain Amy Gruber would have been the only Jayhawk at the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., but this year, the streak came to an end.
After the Big 12 meet and nearly a week of rest and no practice, coach Clark Campbell became nervous when Short's name appeared on an unofficial predictions ros-
Championships on March 3.
Campbell called Short that night and advised her to come to practice on Friday. Campbell told Short there was a strong possibility that she would receive a bid to compete.
At 5 p.m. on March 4, Campbell printed the official rankings. Short placed in the 100-yard backstroke, which
gave her automatic qualification in the 200 yard backstroke as well.
Gruber
For the first time in her collegiate career, Gruber will have company during the NCAA Championship
For Short, it was an honor to be invited.
Last year at the Big 12 Championships, Short was not even a top-eight finisher. This year, she finished in the top eight in both of her backstroke events.
What sets Short apart from her other teammates is her
swimming history. Most women on the team have swam for as long as they can remember. Short started her swimming career in high school.
"A lot of these girls have swam year-round forever," Short said. She said she only started in high school and since then she swam longcourse in the summer, and club for one year.
Although Short kicked off her career later than her team-mates, she performed as if she'd been swimming her whole life.
"Last year, I had a hard time keeping up with the team." Short said. "We have some talented girls, but I'm doing well his year."
Well is an understatement.
She finished fifth in the 100-
yard backstroke at the Big 12
Championships with a time of 55.39 and clocked in at 2:00.67 in the 200-yard backstroke for seventh place.
Short's time in the 100-yard backstroke is only a hundredth of a second away from the KU record that she will be working to break this weekend at the Championship meet.
The meet begins today and will continue until Friday.
Although Gruber will continue on to the World Championship trials at the beginning of April, Short said she was grateful for one last opportunity to shatter the Kansas 100-yard backstroke record before her sophomore season is over.
Edited by Jennifer Voldness
McGwire, Canseco to attend hearing
NEW YORK — Mark McGwire plans to comply with a subpoena and attend today's congressional hearing into steroid use in baseball.
McGwire's decision, revealed yesterday by a representative of the former Oakland and St. Louis slugger who spoke on condition of anonymity, made it likely all six subpoenaed players would attend the session on Capitol Hill.
The Associated Press
Less than 24 hours before the start of the highly anticipated hearing, Jose Canseco's request for immunity was denied by the House Government Reform committee, which also revealed that baseball's drug-testing agreement contains a provision that testing would be "suspended immediately" if the government conducts an independent investigation into drug use in baseball.
BASKETBALL
No.1 team puts titles in the past
INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois spent most of this season staking its claim as the nation's best team.
After winning 32 of 33 games, rolling to Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and protecting its No.1 ranking for 15 consecutive weeks, Illinois can finally focus on its real mission — winning a national title.
"This is what we've worked for since last year ... to have this opportunity," coach Bruce Weber said. "We've accomplished a lot of things along the way. But at the same time, you're still hungry for more."
No top seed has ever lost to a 16th seed, and whether it's fair or not, Illinois fans expect nothing less than a Final Four run.
The Associated Press
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