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THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
The Jayhawks huddle together before the 2014 home opener against Oral Roberts. The 2015 home opener is Friday.
Kansas welcomes Utah for opener at 'The Hog'
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
For the first weekend of the season, the Kansas baseball team will stay home to take on the Utah Utes (2-10) at Hoelund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks will open their three-game series with the Utes on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by Saturday and Sunday games at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
These two teams are not unfamiliar with each other; this weekend will be their second matchup this season. The Jayhawks squared off against the Utes on Feb. 20 in Arizona as part of the Big 12/Pac-12 challenge. In their first meeting, the Jayhawks started hot and didn't look back, leading the whole game and winning 6-3.
strong performance in the previous meeting. Senior pitcher Drew Morovick earned his first win of the season while sophomore pitcher Stephen Villines closed out the game to earn himself a save. Morovick pitched a full six innings, gave up only five hits in his start against the Utes and is the probable starter this Friday.
Only four Jayhawks were able to record hits against the Utes in Arizona. Senior outfielder Connor McKay got a hit on all three of his at-bats, producing two RBIs. Sophomore center Michael Tinsley also tacked on two hits and two RBIs, while senior outfielder Blair Beck took advantage of the new baseballs and homered.
Utah has played six games since its earlier meeting with Kansas and has not had much to brag about, only winning one of those games against
Nicholls State.
The Utes have played better baseball than their record shows, however. Of the Utes' 10 losses, six have been by one or two runs.
Pitcher Bret Helton (1-0) is set to start on the bump this Friday for the Utes and looks to maintain his impressive 1.86 ERA through three appearances this season. Pitcher Dalton Carroll (1-2) will take on the Jayhawks on Saturday for the second time after giving up six hits and five runs in his last start. Pitcher Jayson Rose (0-2) will get the start to finish up the series in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks look to repeat the result of the early season meeting as they open up Hoglund Ballpark for the 2015 season.
Edited by Callie Byrnes
Wichita State goes for second consecutive tournament title
R. B. FALLSTROM Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — This time last year, Wichita State was keeping light-hearted track of its unbeaten streak with names attached to the numbers — Michael Jordan for 23 in a row, the B-29 bomber for 29-0 and so on, until the run finally stopped at 35-0 with a two-point loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Midwest Regional final in St. Louis.
"We talked about it, coach Gregg Marshall said. "We didn't need other people to bring it up. We had fun with it." The eighth-ranked Shockers (27-3, 17-1) were nearly perfect this year in the Missouri Valley and are top seeds heading back to the same court where their dream season ended a year ago. They're peaking, too, clinching their second straight regular-season title with a winner-take-all, 74-60 victory against No. 11 Northern Iowa last Saturday at home. The lone loss was by 16 at Northern Iowa on Jan. 31.
"Pretty big day for all of us," Marshall said. "It was an exciting week, an exciting close to the season and a tremendous game viewed by a national television audience."
cess despite breaking in eight new players. Forward Tekele Cotton was named the conference top defensive player for the second straight season.
Wichita State opens Friday against the winner of the play-in game between the eighth and ninth seeds, Missouri State (11-19, 5-13) and Southern Illinois (11-20, 4-14) on Thursday night. Northern Iowa (27-3, 16-2) faces either Drake (9-21, 6-12) or Bradley (8-23, 3-15) on Friday night.
Guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, second and third in balloting for Valley player of the year, have been keys to Wichita State's continued suc-
1
"Those guys don't walk on the floor expecting to lose, that's for sure," Marshall said.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR IN THE MISSOURI VALLEY TOURNAMENT.
GO FOR THREE
Wichita State and Northern Iowa are locks for the NCAA Tournament. The conference could get a third team if both teams falter. Third seed Indiana State (15-15, 11-7) caught stride in conference play and Illinois State and Evansville, the fourth and fifth seeds, are both 19-11.
"Those guys don't walk on the floor expecting to lose, that's for sure."
GREGG MARSHALL Wichita State basketball coach
"You've got two heavyweight contenders, a logjam in the middle and a logam at the bottom." Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson said. "I've been on both ends of it."
TOP TALENTS
Valley player of the year Seth Tuttle of Northern Iowa is the conference's active career leader in scoring and rebounding. The 6-foot-8 Tuttle leads the Panthers in scoring (15.6 points), rebounding (6.6), assists (3.3) and blocked shots (18) and is shooting 63 percent. Northern Iowa
must get past falling short in the season finale.
"There was a real, genuine sense . of disappointment," coach Ben Jacobson said. "There were some things we did pretty well and some things we've got to do a lot better."
naker averages 15.2 points and VanVleet averages 12.5 points and 4.5 assists. Evansville landed two players, DJ. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius, on the six-player all-conference team.
FRONT LOADED
The No. 1 seed has won the tourney title just eight times in 24 chances. Wichita State is trying to become the seventh team to take consecutive tournament titles. The last to do it was Southern Illinois, which took three in a row from 1993-95 with a lineup that featured guard Paul Lusk, now the coach at Missouri State, on all three teams. The lowest seed to win a conference title is No. 5 Indiana State in 2001. For schools in the play-in games, it's a long grind: Only one team, No. 7 seed Bradley in 1998, has reached the semifinals.
“It’s kind of the gladiator approach,” Drake's Ray Giacoletti said.
HISTORY BOOK
Illinois State and Southern Illinois have both reached the tournament title game 10 times, the most among current Valley members. Illinois State last won, however, in 1998 when coach Dan Muller was the most outstanding player. Southern Illinois last won the title in 2007 and is in a play-in game for the fifth time in six years.
Good luck to Delta Delta Delta and Pi Kappa Phi as they present...
THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR DANCIN!
...at Rock Chalk Revue this weekend!
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Amanda Segro Elle McClenny Kristen Stazzzone Brandon Johnson Patrick Baki Thomas Petrie
AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE CAST FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
congratulations CHI OMEGA in
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Good luck in Rock Chalk Revue this weekend!
From: Chi Omega Parent's Club