BIG 12 BASKETBALL: Kareem Rush to enter draft. SEE PAGE 10A. KANSAS BASEBALL: Randall won't comment on Stephenson. SEE PAGE 12A.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002
COMMENTARY
Jessica Scott iscott@kansan.com
Hutchinson: An unlikely locale
In 81 short days, the entire world will turn its attention to our beloved state for the 57th U.S. Women's Golf Open Championship.
From July 1 to 7, 150 of the world's best female professional and amateur golf players will make the journey to the middle of nowhere, also known as Hutchinson.
For those of you who have never had the opportunity to travel to this bustling metropolis, you're not missing a thing—honest. Most people don't even know where Hutch is. Just think up and to the left of Wichita. After growing up in this area, I wonder which act of God brought such a prestigious tournament to south-central Kansas.
This town, population 40,000, is expected to attract international media attention and more than 100,000 visitors. NBC and ESPN will have all seven days of coverage from Hutch. Golfers like Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster and 20-year-old Se Ri Pak will spend their time in between rounds poolside at the Motel 6.
There's really not much else to do.
But if anyone is planning on making the three hour trip south to catch a glimpse of history, there are a few things that will help the week fly by.
Begin with the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, 1100 N. Plum St. There you will find a bunch of rocks in an airtight box and a few old spacesuits. Actually this place is pretty cool, but after taking 400 field trips there during grade school, the excitement kind of wears off.
Hutchinson is also home to the Kansas State Fairgrounds, a place guaranteed to have a weekend flea-market, cattle show and quilt auction rolled into one gigantic party.
All this sightseeing will undoubtedly make a tourist hungry, but be picky with your choice of restaurants. Last year, a handful of establishments tested positive for spreading Hepatitis A, leading to a mass vaccination of the town's residents. But I'm sure that's all cleared up by now.
An adventure all in itself lies just down the road from Hutch, in a teeny-tiny Amish town named Yoder. Once you see the horses and buggies, you've made it. Some of the most raw athletic talent in the state of Kansas is in Yoder. Those Amish children can run faster and jump higher than most other kids, all while wearing itchy slacks and ankle-length dresses.
But if all you are looking to do is check out a great round of golf, the tournament will take place at the Prairie Dunes Country Club, 4812 E. 30th St., golf course. The course was ranked 13th nationally by Golf Digest, and Sports Illustrated ranked the eighth hole as the best eight in the country.
Tickets will range in cost from $15 for a one-day practice-round ticket to $200 for a Flex Book, which consists of 10 tickets redeemable for daily tickets on any day of the event. Tickets can be ordered at the Prairie Dunes Web site, www.prairiedunes.com.
The benefits of the U.S. Open to Hutchinson are not only economic. Some people might even learn where Hutch is. The international crowd will enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the small-town hospitality that this Kansas town provides. Hey, maybe I'll even make the trip back for it.
Scott is a Haven sophomore in journalism.
Jayhawks pull off victory in ninth inning comeback
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
If the Kansas baseball team looked a little flat during yesterday's 6-5 victory over Nebraska-Omaha, there's probably a pretty good reason why.
Coming off a 9-1 upset victory over No. 8 Wichita State on Tuesday, the Jayhawks (15-15) struggled to find the intensity last night that propelled them to victory just one day earlier.
"You come into a game like this," junior outfeilder Bobby Bartow said, "and it's hard to get up after a night like last night."
With the score tied 3-3 in the eighth, Maverick first baseman Justin Cook knocked a run-scoring single and broke the stalemate. Nebraska-Omaha (15
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
10) added one more in the ninth, and seemed poised to escape Lawrence victorious.
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
"I knew that wasn't going to be an easy game," coach Bobby Randall said.
Kansas was able to overcome, though. After junior first baseman Casey Spanish walked to lead off the inning, freshman second baseman Travis Metcalf singled to put the tying runs on base.
Freshman pitcher Tyson Bothof throws a pitch during Kansas' game against Nebraska-Omaha at Hoglund Ballpark. The 'Hawks won yesterday's game in the ninth inning.
"A lot of things can happen," Randall said, "but I still feel like we had a ball club that could come back and win the game."
Randall called on junior Bobby Bartow to pinch-hit, with the sole purpose of providing a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up. Bartow, though, fouled off both attempts.
Junior Kevin Wheeler crosses home plate as junior Casey Spanish rounds third after a fourth-inning single by junior Beau Thompson. The Kansas baseball team beat Nebraska-Omaha 6-5 and played Hoglund Ballpark.
"I feel I'm a pretty solid bunter," Barrow said, "but I guess not tonight."
No matter what Bartow thought of his bunting, he did a good job hitting. He calmly stroked a single to center field, driving in Spanish and putting the win in reach.
After a Maverick miscue tied the game up, Bartow came home with the game-winner off a wild pitch. It was the Jayhawks' second walk-off win of the season.
"We didn't panic," Randall said. "We had three good at-bats in a row."
Nebraska-Omaha used seven different pitchers, and the Jayhawks never got comfortable offensively. They had just five hits in the game, and no one had more than one.
"We didn't adjust very well, and that's hard," Randall said. "To their credit, they threw strikes, and we didn't handle it like we should have."
Chris Smart (1-2) got the win in relief. The sophomore pitched four innings.
allowing two runs and striking out four. Freshman Tyson Bothof started for Kansas, pitching five innings and allowing three runs.
The Jayhawks return to Big 12 Conference action Friday when Texas Tech comes to town. Bartow said he felt the pair of midweek victories would provide good momentum for the weekend.
"We know we can play this game," he said. "We just need to show it to everybody else and we need to start playing this way in conference games."
Contact Wood at rwood@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Gilius Titus.
Kansas senior Leah Tabb slides safely into second base as a Wichita State player attempts to tag her out. The women played a doubleheader last night at Jayhawk Field.
LINDSEY KILIANY/KANSAN
Tense team leads to softball split
By Ali Brox
Kansas sportswriter
A day after sweeping Southwest Missouri State, the Kansas softball team was fortunate to get a split in the doubleheader against Wichita State. The Jayhawks game back in the seventh inning yesterday to win the first game 3-2, but fell short in the second game and lost 4-3.
"We've got some kids pressing in big situations," coach Tracy Bunge said. "We've got kids who are just not relaxed, and they're upright. They're out front early, they're not disciplined as far as pitch selection, and all those
Wichita State (16-22) started the scoring in game one during the second inning. Robin Sando doubled and advanced to third on a single by Audrey Walters. Julie Neighbors reached base on an error by senior shortstop Courtney Wright, which allowed Sando to score and the Shockers to take the 1-0 lead.
things lead to poor results."
Kansas (26-17) tied the game in the bottom of the third as freshman first baseman Lindsey Weinstein doubled and then scored on an RBI double by senior left fielder Christi Musser.
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 12A
Lack of money in USBL may keep Boschee away
Kansas Cagerz coach Francis Flax was thrilled that his team drafted former Kansas Jayhawk guard Jeff Boschee on Tuesday with its No. 1 pick.
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
The only problem is that Boschee may have no interest in playing for the Cagerz or any other any professional basketball team.
"We heard beforehand that he might not want to play for us, but we also knew there's a chance he could change his mind," Flax said. "If he should change his mind, we have a lot to offer him."
The Cagerz play at the Bicentennial Center in Salina and are a member of the United States Basketball League. The 10-team league was created so former college basketball players would have the opportunity to showcase their skills in competitive games with NBA scouts watching from the stands.
Boschee indicated a few weeks ago that he would only continue playing basketball if he would make a significant amount of money.
Otherwise, he wanted to look into becoming a coach. The top salary in the USBL is $500 a week.
"It will be a letdown to me if he doesn't play for us. It would also be disappointing to our fans." Flax said. "The exposure he could gain by playing here would be incredible. Historically, we've had winning basketball teams."
Flax said he had not talked with Boschee about the possibility of playing for the Cagerz. Boschee did not return telephone messages from the
Kansan left at his residence in Lawrence yesterday afternoon.
Despite not hearing from Boschee, Flax remains optimistic that he can talk the Jayhawks' all-time three-point
Jeff Boschee
shooter into signing with the Cagerz.
"He would bring tremendous fan appeal and a great shooting touch to this organization," Flax said. "The USBL style of play is made for him. With only 24 seconds on the shot clock, he would get even more looks at the basket than he did at KU."
Boschee wasn't the only former Jayhawk to get some attention in the USBL on Tuesday, Kenny Gregory, a forward at Kansas from 1997 to 2001, signed a one-year contract to play for the Dodge City Legend. The terms of his contract were undisclosed.
Gregory will play alongside Darrin Hancock, who was a member of the 1993 Kansas Final Four team.
Legend general manager Tom Nelson said having former Kansas stars on the team would add to the atmosphere at games in Dodge City.
"There's not a whole lot of entertainment options down here, so we typically have pretty good attendance at our games," Nelson said. "Getting those local guys is a goal of ours."
Contact Wasko at bwasko@kansan.com. This story was edited by Justin Guenley.
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