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BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@hansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
With two weeks before Big 12 Conference play kicks off, Kansas still has some work to do, starting tonight against North Dakota State.
aff Reports
The Bison (0-7-1) will visit the Jayhawks (13-8) for the first of North Dakota State's 11 games on the road. Kansas will return home after going 1-3 in the NBC Classic in Starkville, Miss., last weekend.
North Dakota State, playing its first year in Division I, has not faced an opponent since Feb. 26. That game against Sacramento State ended in a 4-4 tie.
North Dakota State's search for its first victory continues against an improving Jayhawk team. Although the win count at the NBC Classic was not what Kansas wanted, coach Ritch Price said his team made large steps toward solid defense and trustworthy pitching.
"I would hope that we would continue to make progress in both of those areas so we can get on a consistent basis," he said. "We need to play well every weekend defensively."
Junior shortstop Ritchie Price had a large role in the defensive turnaround for the Jayhawks in Mississippi. Price, who had 13 errors last season, has accumulated nine in the team's first 21 games. But he played perfect defense against ranked opponents Stanford and Mississippi State earlier in the year.
"He is such an impact player at the position he plays," Ritch Price said. "I think anytime you start talking about team defense you start at catcher, then shortstop and then to centerfield."
Junior outfielder Jared Sullivan leads the Bison starters at the plate, hitting .350 thus far. Equally important is his .519 on-base percentage. Sullivan's talent also extends to the mound, as he is scheduled to start in game one on Friday.
Charles Magedanz, junior second baseman, is tied for the top spot in RBI with five while hitting at a .278 clip.
Despite the offensive production, the Bison, coached by Mitch McLead, are hitting .201 as a team while opponents average more than a hundred points higher at.304.
Kansas seems to be averaging the opposite, hitting .299 as a team, while holding its opponents at .235. But the Jayhawks have left 197 runners on base versus their opponents' 158.
"We need to continue to make progress with runners in scoring position, particularly with two outs," Price said. "We've done a nice job of bunching 10 or 11 hits together, but we haven't been bunching them with runners in scoring position."
Junior outfielders Gus Milner, A.J. Van Slyke and Matt Baty have been leading the way at the
plate for the Jayhawks. Milner leads the starters with a .375 batting average. Van Slyke has hit three home runs to lead the team runs. No Jayhawk has been to the plate more than Baty's 88 times, and he still has a .344 batting average.
Heading into today's game,
North Dakota State's pitching
staff has compiled a 8.60 ERA
while Kansas' pitchers are at 3.52.
Senior left-hander Mike Zagurski will take the mound in the series opener. Zagurski (3-2) has been the most consistent Kansas starter. His 3.03 ERA is overshadowed by his 47 to 9 strikeouts to walk.
Sophomore left-hander Sean Land (2-1) is penciled in for tomorrow along with junior right-hander Kodiak Quick (4-1) on Sunday. Price said senior right-hander Clint Sambach (2-2) and junior closer Don Czyz were scheduled to come out of the bullpen.
"We're going to try and set these two weeks up to go into the Big 12," Price said of the rotation.
Sullivan (0-1), the righthanded Bison starter, leads the team with 13 innings pitched. He has compiled a 7.62 ERA. No North Dakota State starting pitcher has thrown past the sixth inning vet this season.
The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Hoglund Ballpark.
Freshman Ryne Price catches a ball during a practice drill Tuesday afternoon. The team prepared for its upcoming series against North Dakota State, which is this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
— Edited by Azita Tafreshi
Kelly Hutsell/KANSAN
Chance
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
round. In the first match-up with the Wildcats, Massey scored 20 points. In the March 2 contest he made 17. Neither of those games were easy victories for the Jayhawks.
Another problem the Wildcats pose is a rigid zone defense — something that has given the Jayhawks problems all year. Without senior guard Keith Langford, who will not play in tomorrow's game, senior guards Mike Lee and Aaron Miles and sophomore forward J.R. Giddens will have to penetrate the zone and knock down some shots.
"Kansas is a great team with Wayne Simien out there," Wooldridge said. "We are going to have to find another gear tomorrow. We are going to have to play better defense on him, we are going to have to execute better on offense. There are a lot of keys to beating a team like Kansas."
But it's Big 12 player of the year Wayne Simien that K-State coach Jim Wooldridge is most concerned about. He exploded for 25 points and 20 rebounds on the Wildcats in the last contest.
Some people say the third time is a charm, but Massey said the Wildcats wouldn't need luck, they would just need to play hard.
"We know KU is one of the best teams in the country, but we are a great team too," Massey said. "We are just going to go out there and fight and hopefully come out with a win."
- Edited by Austin Caster
Bant
Big Dance, whatever you want to call it.
The winner of tonight's game will face the winner of the Colorado vs. Oklahoma State game at 3:20 p.m. tomorrow.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
tough games against the likes of Kansas State or Texas A&M, and in all likelihood, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
And right now, with Langford ailing and the team on a 2-4 cold streak and the Jayhawk Curse rearing its ugly head, what comes next could be anything.
It does feel like a long time ago, because now Kansas has lost three straight on the road and four of its last six overall. To win the Big 12 Tournament, the team is looking at three
Two weeks ago, in Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks had to shoot 66 percent to beat the Cowboys by two, and against the Sooners, they were down by 15 at halftime before losing by eight.
But enough about the Big 12 Tournament, because who cares, right? Maybe a strong showing could push Kansas back to a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but that's a big maybe, even if the team does sweep through to the conference title. It's what comes after that counts, the Field of 65, the
— Edited by Kendall Dix
Track
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
"I've had a lot of injuries that lowered my confidence, but you can't do anything about it," Linnen said.
Linnen followed Hays to Johnson County. She trained there for the summer, then Hays suggested she compete at the University of Arkansas.
"He encouraged me and said that they had the same coaching philosophy," Linnen said.
When she couldn't get eligi
bility to attend class there, she was stuck. But by fall, Kansas hired Hays as its vertical jumps coach. Linnie knew where she needed to go.
"He's definitely had an impact. We have a relationship where I can have confidence with what he says." Linnen said.
Back with her coach, Linnen said she anticipated competing at a national level again.
"I've gone through a lot of emotions," Linnen said. "I wanted to compete in the NCAAs my senior year. Hearing my name followed by KU was
shocking at first, but I've made the adjustment."
"At the nationals, anything can happen. I want to win," Linnen said. "That's my goal, and I'm capable of doing it."
Linnen said that the team, coaches and teammates had welcomed her. "I feel the community is nice, and with the KU relays, people really know
about track. And the history. Just look at the records."
"I want to continue at KU. I'd like to continue training with the team, like Leo (Bookman) does. I haven't hit my potential yet."
As for after this season, Linnen said she definitely felt at home training in Lawrence.
It's a long road toward qualifying in the National Indoor Championships. When it's finished, Amy Linnen will have logged more miles than anyone.
— Edited by Jesse Truesdale