THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009
SPORTS
3B
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
the game with the Blue offense of mostly first-team players.
"Once he got into a rhythm he completed a high percentage and made some big plays," junior quarterback Todd Reesing said. "He had a beautiful touchdown pass and some nice long runs. I think with what he was given
today he told a great job managing the offense in his first time with full action." Reesing said that Pick, who stands about three inches taller than the two-year starter, probably
"With what he was given today he did a great job managing the offense in his first time with full action."
runs the ball a lot better than no does. Supplementing the rhythm Pick established through the air Saturday were two third-down runs of 17 and 13 yards in the first half to keep his offense on the field.
"I've been scrambling since I've been in pee wee football so I'm used to scrambling." Pick said. "I'm pretty comfortable with it."
TODD REESING Junior quarterback
Prior to spring practices, Mangino announced plans to ease Meier out of the No. 2 quarterback position and fill the spot with Pick when ready. Meier set a Kansas record with 97 receptions last year while splitting time practicing at both positions.
continue to do both. But I'm very encouraged by what I saw with 'ale."
Meier finished Saturday with five receptions for 77 yards and played quarterback in the third quarter. Partly why Mangino said hed like to see Meier practice exclusively at receiver is to keep
"There's no easy way to deal with it but I think it's a call that I need to make and if Kale's ready we'll keep Kerry at receiver." Mangino said. "If he's not, he'll
him healthier than last season.
"If you watch a lot of his plays, he stays focused on the ball when he knows he's going to get smacked," Mangino said. "Some receivers don't do that, so we don't want to use him as a backup
quarterback in a game and get hit there and also get hit at receiver
As Pick progresses, he'll have no shortage of counsel from two well-traveled teammates. But as the current backup quarterback has suggested, there is much education to be had from days like Saturday.
"When I first got here the biggest thing was game experience and I didn't realize college football until I stepped on the field and took my first snap," Meier said earlier this spring. "Right now going through spring ball and sitting with him in the film room Kale knows what he's doing but that game experience is irreplaceable."
Edited by Casey Miles
MLB
Cubs win home opener; pitcher performs well
CHICAGO — Ted Lilly held Colorado hitless for 6 2/3 innings on a raw day at Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs won their home opener Monday by holding the Rockies to one hit in a 4-0 victory.
After Seth Smith followed the single with a walk, Chicago manager Lou Piniella removed Lilly. The left-hander left to a
Garrett Atkins grounded a clean single between short and third on a 1-0 pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh to end Lilly's no-hit bid.
rousing ovation from a bundled-up crowd. Lilly (2-0) allowed just two walks and the single, while striking out eight.
He also walked Chris lannetta in the third. Relievers Angel Guzman, Aaron Heillman and Kevin Gregg completed the one-hit shutout.
On a wet and blustery day with the game-time temperature at 36 degrees and the wind blowing in at 10 mph, Lilly shut down the Rockies with an efficient assortment of pitches.
The Cubs, winners of the NL Central the last two seasons, are now 5-2.
Associated Press
KANSAS (23-12)
PITCHING
The trio of Shaeffer Hall, Lee Ridenhour and T.J. Walz has
combined for
a 10-4 record and a 3.02 ERA.
But they have done their job for the weekend and will turn it over to the midweek rotation. Look
Bollman
for Brett Bollman to potentially notch his team-high fifth victory if Price stays true to the rotation
OFFENSE
If you become ranked for the first time in three years,some
in order. Five stars all around as the offense has been more than grateful to the superb pitching over the last two weeks. After
Elqie
hitting his first career homerun on Friday, Zac Elgie has been off the last two games. His bat will be crucial at the bottom of the Jaya-hawk order, which has struggled
MOMENTUM
Many of the players were excited after Sunday, just for sweeping another ranked team. The talk of being potentially ranked excited them even more. One can only imagine how excited they are for that potential to be a reality. Coach Ritch Price has this team running on all cylinders right now.
Josh Bowe
Kansas was picked dead last in the preseason Big 12 Conference rankings.
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
But the Jayhawks have played under the radar and now sit with a 23-12 record and a 7-5 conference record, which puts them fourth in the Big 12.
"...I think that people are going to start going to gun for us a littler harder."
Buck Afenir wants to make sure everyone is paying attention now, even if that means getting tougher competition.
Senior catcher
"We've been surprising some people and I think that people are going to start going to gun for us a little harder," Afenir said.
At the core of the success has obviously been the pitching. When junior pitcher Shaffer Hall was
This entire season's success and surprise is not to discredit Jayhawk teams of the past. Since coach Ritch Price arrived at Kansas in 2003, the Jayhawks have had at least 30 wins in five of the last six seasons.
Unfortunately the Big 12 is also one of the premier conferences when it comes to baseball. Kansas has never finished with a winning
record in the Big
12, but won the
2006 conference
championship
tournament. It’s also the last time
the Jayhawks went to the NCAA tournament.
when Athletics Director Lew Perkins hired him, it was for a reason: to put Kansas baseball back on the map.
Price said that
"One of the things that Lew said when he came here six years ago was he was trying to put the swagger back in the athletic program and be good in every sport, not just basketball." Price said. "We've taken another step."
announced as the number one starter, doubts arose about the team's ability to pitch, especially considering behind Hall were even younger pitcher's Walz, a sophomore, and Lee Ridenhour, a freshman. Price has credited the improvement in scouring and recruiting to these young pitchers' success.
"We knew Ridenhour was the best pitcher in the Midwest," Price said. "We've done a really good job recruiting pitchers the last two, three years."
The payoff had been unnoticed so far this season.
Though sophomore infielder Tony Thompson knows the rankings don't mean everything, he admitted that after Sunday's game it was something that the players talked about, especially considering the early success.
"It would be nice to be in the Top 25, because then you're
"...I think they should recognize that we have a pretty good baseball club too."
TONY THOMPSON Sophomore infielder
nationally recognized and thought of as a real good team," Thompson said. "But I think we're more focused on everything in the conference."
"No one really thinks about us. They think basketball, football, stuff like that." Thompson said. "But I think they should recognize that we have a pretty good baseball club too."
dents and fans at Kansas to realize the baseball renaissance happening in their own backyard.
Even then Thompson would like some of the stu
Edited by Susan Melgren
CREIGHTON (17-16)
PITCHING
The Bluejays are led offensively by the bat of first baseman Darin
in their last game went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs. The offense is hit-or-miss, though. In its 'last five game
Ruf
scored 10, 15, three, zero and 14 runs while going 4-1.
★★★☆☆
OFFENSE
The Bluejays will likely start Greg Hellhake, whose 4.09 ERA is
starters. Hellhake started for Creighton last Tuesday when the blue Jayns pummeled another Big 12 school, Nebraska, on the road. Hellhake
Hellhake
lasted only one inning, in which he threw 29 pitches, but was one of three Bluejay pitchers to throw in the 15-0 victory.
★★★☆☆
MOMENTUM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
The Bluejays are on an absolute tear, going a game over .500 for the first time this season last weekend. After starting 0-6, Creighton has gone 17-10 since, including its current 11-2 run. The Bluejays have two victories by more than 10 runs in their last four games and have gone 2-1 against teams in the Big 12 thus far this season.
— Tim Dwver
RELAYS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
there and perform well in front of the home crowd", Mims said.
The Relays have been apart of Mims' family for a while. His older brother Jeremy was an All-American in the 800-meter run back in 2005.
"He was one of the best," Mims said of his older brother. "It's my brother, it was always great to see him go out beat all of those guys."
The Relays bring in some of the top professional and Olympic athletes to Lawrence every year. This year is no exception, as Bershawn Jackson, Muna Lee, Alan Webb and Scott Russell are scheduled to compete.
Jackson is a four-time defending Relays champion in the 400-meter hurdle invitational and took home a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Lee, a Kansas City, Mo., native, took fifth at the Beijing Olympics in the 100-meter dash. Russell, a Kansas track alumnus, took 10th place in the javelin. Webb, one of the 10 fastest men in the world, currently holds the American record for the mile.
"Those are some household names as it relates to track and field," Redwine said. "These are some of the best people in their events and here is an opportunity to see them here in Lawrence, Kansas."
"People may not necessarry want to see a college meet, but to bring in some of the top athletes in the world that you see in the media is a definite draw and it's good to get those sorts of names." Mims said.
Mims believes the Olympic athletes are a definite attention getter for the audience.
Redwine said that having Olympic athletes at the Relays was encouraging for his team because it showed members that pursuing a career in track was possible.
"It's an opportunity to see that you are not doing anything different than what they are doing. You just have to continue to get better
Last weekend at the John Jacobs Invitational, the Jayhawks brought their total of regionally qualified athletes to 10. Redwine feels that they can get more competing at home.
The Relays will kick off with decathlon and heptathlon events at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Memorial Stadium.
"It always gets the athletes fired up" Redwine said. "A stadium full of fans is more of an incentive to do well. And that's an opportunity that we have here."
to accomplish your goal," Redwine said.
- Edited by Melissa Johnson
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A cat runs on the field during the New York Mets' home opener against the San Diego
Padres at the team's new stadium, Citi Field, in New York on Monday. The Mets failed to
Mets home opener against the San Diego
Pads at the tomy's new stadium, Gill Field
impress in their new diqs, losing 6-5.
Coming Monday, April 20th
A Gift For You
Season Wrap Up
Stealing home
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