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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12. 2015
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FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Senior Justin Protocio swings for the ball during its game against Wichita State last season. The Jayhawks open their season Friday in Baton Rouge, La.
Kansas starts season against LSU
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
Baseball season returns this weekend as Kansas heads down to Baton Rouge, La., to face off in a three-game series against the No. 2 LSU Tigers.
the Jayhawks will open their 125th season of baseball at 7 p.m. Friday in front of an electrifying crowd at Alex Box Stadium in Louisiana. Following the opener, the Jayhawks will take the field again at 2 p.m. Saturday and then close out the series at 1 p.m. Sunday
Head-to-head
This will be the 10th meeting between the Jayhawks and the Tigers. Although the Tigers have won six national championships since the teams' first meeting in 1990, the Jayhawks hold a 5-4 lead in the series.
In the most recent meeting in 2010, Kansas visited Baton Rouge to face a top-ranked LSU squad. The Jayhawks were not fazed by the No.1 ranking and took the first
game 11-9, which broke an 18-game home winning streak at Alex Box Stadium. After losing the second game 2-4, the Jayhawks rallied to take down the Goliath 8-4 to win the series.
"I jokingly tell people I think I got a five-year ban after we went down there and won the series when they were No. 1 in the country," coach Ritch Price said about the previous meeting.
Price and his squad look to repeat the success the previous meeting and hold on to the all-time series lead.
Kansas senior Drew Morovick will face off against LSU sophomore Jared Poche' in the series header Friday. Morovick will spearhead the weekend rotation after making 25 appearances with nine starts last year and earning a 10-4 record, tying the lead for most wins in the Big 12 in 2014. Poche' had a stellar freshman year in 2014, posting a 9-3 record and a 2.45 ERA, earning him Freshman All-American honors from multiple sources.
On the mound
On Saturday, junior college transfer Ben Krauth will take the mound for Kansas while freshman Alex Lange will start for LSU. This matchup will introduce both pitchers to Division 1 baseball. Krauth was a starting pitcher for Diablo Valley College in California where he recorded a 9-2 record while striking out 116 batters in 2014. LSU's Lange comes out of Lee's Summit, Mo., as the 2014 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and 2014 Perfect Game All-American.
Wrapping up the series Sunday is sophomore Sean Rackoski and LSU freshman Jake Godfrey. Rackoski only pitched in two games his freshman season but has been "lights out" so far this year, according to teammate Dakota Smith, impressing Price enough to earn the Sunday starter spot. Godfrey is another freshman for LSU who
earned a spot as a 2014 Perfect Game All-American. He was selected in the 21st round of the 2014 MLB Draft in June.
What to watch for
Expect to see an offensive series this weekend, as the NCAA will implement the transition to flat-seamed balls for the 2015 season.
Keep an eye on Kansas impact players Dakota Smith and Connor McKay as they take advantage of this change at the plate. Smith returns after hitting an impressive .337 batting average in 2014 while McKay looks to out-do his team-high nine home runs from last season.
Also look out for LSU stars Alex Bergman at shortstop and Andrew Stevenson at center field. Both have received multiple pre-season All-America honors for this year and are impact players on both offense and defense.
Edited by Callie Byrnes
Jayhawk golfers look to continue their success
NICK COUZIN
@Ncouz
The men's golf team will start its spring season Saturday in Phoenix when they play in the Alumni Match. The Jayhawks are a young team with only one golfer, junior Ben Welle, having competed in Big 12 play.
"It's all about keeping the players hydrated and off their feet," coach Jamie Bermel said about opening the season in the hotter climates and tougher courses of Arizona and California. "We played Crooked Stick in the fall, which has hosted a couple majors in the PGA, so were up for the task."
Big 12 golfing is as tough as other sports in the conference with four teams ranked in the top 25: Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor.
Bermel said his team "plays to win. And in golf, anything can happen" when it comes to competing with the best in the conference.
"It's golf; you don't know who will play well," Welle said.
Welle was named Big 12 Golfer of the Month in November. The last Jayhawk golfer to win Big 12 Golfer of the Month was Nate Barbee in October 2010.
Welle finished 16th at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic on Nov. 9. He started the tournament with five
birdies on the first day, shooting a 68(-3). By finishing in the top 20 in the tournament. Welle helped his fellow Jayhawks get their fifth top-five finish in a total of six fall events. He also led the team in stroke average with 71.5 and finished the fall season with seven rounds under par.
"It's golf; you don't know who will play well."
Chase Hanna, a sophomore from Leawood, has also been a top performer for this Jayhawk squad. Over winter break, he built off his success from the fall season and played in an amateur tournament in Florida.
BEN WELLE Junior golfer
As far as grades go, the Jayhawk golfers have one of the highest average GPAs of all the Kansas athletics teams with a 3.4 average, and they hope to carry this statistic into future golf seasons.
The team added five new players for the upcoming 2016 season. The highlight of the recruiting class was landing No. 40-ranked Charlie Hillier of New Zealand.
Edited by Mitch Raznick
Monday Feb 16 5:00 pm ~ Stauffer Flint Rm. 100 Tuesday Feb 17 5:00 pm ~ Smith Hall Rm. 100 Wednesday Feb 18 3:00 pm ~ Relays Room at Burge Union
If you are interested in running for the KU Student Senate, you must attend one of these informational sessions. Any questions can be be directed to commissioner@ku.edu
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