FRIDAY,APRIL26,2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
SPORTS
SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL
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State and Texas A&M
The Jayhawks will have a chance to claim a higher seed as they face their weekend series against the Cyclones (16-22 overall, 5-11 Big 12) tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Jayhawk Field.
"I'm not sure how we're all going to
get through Sunday."
Tracy Bunge Kansas softball coach
and has a .306 average.
There will likely be plenty of emotion in Sunday's 1 p.m. game as the Jayhawks honor their eight seniors.
Iowa State enters the weekend after being swept by Oklahoma State on Monday 1-0 and 8-4. Pitcher Erica Martinez (9-15) leads the team on the mound and at the plate. She boasts a .400 batting average, a team-high 10 home runs and a 3.44 ERA. Lindsey Herrin leads the team with 32 RBI
"I'm not sure how we're all going to get through Sunday," coach Tracy Bunge said. "The eight seniors have been a huge part of our program and our success for the past four years. They'll have to do a good job of controlling their emotions."
Senior second baseman Amy Hulse said the past four years had produced many great and unforgettable memories.
Bunge said she hoped the memories wouldn't end before the tournament.
"We'll be disappointed if we don't make postseason play, but it won't lessen what this group of seniors has done for the program," Bunge said.
Katie Campbell
Amy Hulse
Christi Musser
Contact Brox at abrox@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jenna Goepfert.
Kelly Campbell
Shellv Musser
Leah Tabb
Courtney Wright
Megan Urguhart
NCAA redrafts eligibility rules
The NCAA is in the process of trying to redefine "amateur" in the wake of an increasing amount of college athletes who are turning pro early and high school athletes who are skipping college altogether.
The new eligibility rule will become effective starting with this year's NBA draft. It matches the rules governing college underclassmen that were in effect before 1997.
The Associated Press
In last weekend's NFL draft, 12 of the first 28 players chosen were college
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA relaxed its eligibility rules yesterday, allowing high school athletes to enter the NBA draft but still go to college as long as they don't sien with a team or an agent.
They also tabled a measure that would have allowed high schoolers to play up to one year professionally while retaining college eligibility. That measure will not be debated again until at least August.
However, the board of directors tabled a measure that would have allowed top athletes to borrow $20,000.
underclassmen. And in last year's NBA draft, four of the top eight picks were high schoolers. The only senior chosen among the top eight was Duke's Shane Battier.
the loan proposal came before the committee a year ago but was tabled because committee members said they wanted to see more of the amateurism package rather than implement parts of it then. It was tabled again yesterday and Ohio State president Brit Kirwan said it could be debated at a future meeting.
The NCAA defines top athletes by where they are projected to go in professional drafts in five sports men's and women's basketball, football, baseball and softball. The standards vary for each sport.
The board also approved a measure allowing college athletes to accept prize money if it does not exceed their travel expenses to the tournament.
Another measure was approved to allow high school or prep school athletes to have their educational expenses paid for as long as the money does not come from agents, athletic representatives or teams.
During their 10-game winning streak to start the season, the Jayhawks hit 15 homers, compared to just three by their opponents. Although their 26 home runs as a team this season has already surpassed the 22 the Jayhawks hit all of last season, their power display has let up a bit. Sophomore Ryan Baty, though, said there's no reason for them to panic.
with hitting home runs," said Baty, who has four homers on the season. "We're more worried about driving the ball and just hitting it hard."
"We don't concern ourselves
"I still think we're going to hit better," Randall said. "I'm expecting us to keep working at it."
Big 12 conference play) have gone without the benefit of the home run. Their opponents have hit 14 in that same stretch, including four tape-measure blasts by SMS on Tuesday.
Nebraska (28-14, 12-9)
boasts a 16-2 record at their new stadium, Haymarket Park.
They last played Texas-Pan American in a two-game set earlier this week, beating them 18-1 on Tuesday and 10-2 on Wednesday.
Notes
Nebraska won the season series last year against Kansas, taking the first two games of the series. The Jayhawks did prevail in the final game, winning 12-3. Junior Jason Appuhn led Kansas going 5-for-12 with two runs scored.
Contact Wood at rwood@kansan.com. This story was edited by Gillian Titus.
BASEBALL
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