6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY HAIRY KANSAN
CLUB SPORTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009
Kansas club softball starts spring season with new coach
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO
clucero@kansan.com
Growing pains are synonymous with the beginning of any season. Inaugural season is even tougher to handle, but the Kansas club softball team is taking its in stride.
"We are lucky to have a coach and
a very talented group of girls" said Bailey Gray, Fort Scott junior and team co-captain/vice president. "I am really looking forward to seeing how we improve as we learn to play together."
The first season of KU club softball has presented many
leader to help its cause.
challenges, including not having a coach for the fall season.
Although the team lacked a coach, it found an inspirational
"The fall was rough because no one really knew what to expect," said Shea Scanlon. Shawnee Mission junior. "We didn't have a coach that was really in charge."
"My dad, John Gray, had a big impact on our team in the fall." Gray said. "It was important to have that support because the teams we were playing had quite a few fans."
"We just want to get the word out that we exist and are competitive."
"Daddy G," as John Gray is affectionately known to the team, drove to every fall game from Fort Scott.
KYLIE WILLIAMSON coach
"The head coach at Haskell (Gary Tanner) has been a huge help, he has no affiliation with KU but he has helped out tremendously." Scan
After the fall season Katy Saunders, team president, searched for a coach through the department of health, sport and exercise sciences.
lon said. "Aside from putting us on their schedule he has allowed us to use their indoor batting facility every week this spring simply because he is a nice guy."
After coming into contact with Kylie Williamson, the team found itself a coach before spring semester started.
Williamson mentioned the ease of coaching the girls as one of their strengths.
"They love the game and they really want to do well," Williamson said. "They are eager to learn."
Their first scrimmage of the spring season against Haskell Indian Nations University's competitive softball team ended in a loss for the Jayhawks, but the team focused on the positives after the defeat.
Lenexa junior Shea Scanlon attempts to tag a Haskell runner. The first home game will be against Kansas State University at Holcom Sports Complex,
Weston White/KANSAN
"We have had one scrimmage against Haskell and I think we learned a lot," Williamson said. "I feel that the team will be very competitive and will have a lot of fun."
"We just want to get the word out that we exist and are competitive," Williamson said. "I am happy to
Williamson said the team will also play the club teams from Kansas State and Nebraska University as well as the competitive teams from Baker University and Kansas City Kansas Community College.
be a part of this group and hope to pass some of my knowledge to the team."
The club softball teams first home game will be against Kansas State University on March 28 at Holcom
Sports Complex.
- Edited bv Sam Speer
TRACK & FIELD
Kansas travels to Columbia, Mo., for a cold outdoor season opener
BY JASON BAKER jbaker@kansan.com
Two things the Kansas track and field team have to look forward to this weekend: Tough competition and bad weather.
"I would love to have some good weather," said junior Lauren Bonds, who will compete in the 1500-meter run. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that way on Saturday with temperatures only in the 40s and a 70 percent chance for
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Senior distance runner Colby Wissel enters the final lap during the men's indoor 10K during the Jayhawks' Jan. 16 track meet against Missouri in the Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
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rain at the 10th annual Missouri Relays in Columbia, Mo.
The Missouri Relays are the start of the Jayhawks' outdoor season and the team couldn't be more ready to compete.
"We're looking forward to doing great things” sophomore Keron Toussaint said. “I think we have a good team; we're going to accomplish more than we did indoors.” Toussaint will be competing in the 800-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay
"I think we have a good team; we're going to accomplish more than we did indoors."
The Jayhawks mostly remember last year's meet for its bad weather throughout the weekend.
"The weather was horrendous and we didn't want to put any of the athletes in jeopardy of getting injured for the rest of the season" coach Stanley Redwine said.
and make sure they have a really good base to last throughout the season." Redwine said. The team was able to train on its own over the break to get refocused and prepared for outdoor contests.
In order for the Jayhawks to have a successful outdoor season, the team has been doing a lot of base training.
"We went back to base work
KERON TOUSSAINT Sophomore sprinter
"As coaches, we evaluated the
This season marks the return of spinner Nickesha Anderson. It's the Jamaica senior's last season to compete. Anderson will compete in
indoor season and what we need to work on to be better for the outdoor season. Redwine said.
the 400-meter dash and the 4x400 relay. In the 2008 outdoor season, Anderson set school records in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
Along with Anderson, senior Charity Stowers will compete in the 4x400 relay and in the open 800-meter run. For Stowers, the challenge is going from the 600-yard run at indoor meets to the 800-meter run during the outdoor season.
In the field events, freshman Corey Fuller will be switching from the triple jump to the long jump this weekend, but Fuller said that the two events were very similar.
said. "But my workouts are going to be less speed and more endurance until we get closer to conference."
"It's a lot different," Stowers
"Dustin (Turner), the long jumper, he trains with us and I train with him, like everything goes hand in hand," Fuller said.
In the pole vault, junior Jordan Scott may not compete in Columbia with the team. But the team is excited about the return of junior Ryan Hays. Hays is one of the team captains for this year's squad. Hays redshirted from last year's indoor season until now to work on getting his technique down.
"I think I covered a lot of stuff, learned a lot of things and had a real open mind because I had a lot of time to work on the vault and my technique ... I think it went really well," Hays said.
NOW ACCEPTING BEAK-EM BUCKS!!!
- Edited by Casey Miles
MLB
MLB After surgery Mets player is ready for regular season
JUPITER, Fla. — John Maine took another step toward being ready for the regular season, throwing 95 pitches in the New York Mets' 9-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
.
Maine, who had a bone spur shaved in his right shoulder in September, gave up six hits and three runs — one earned — in five innings. He struck out five, walked three and threw two wild pitches.
"This whole spring has been working on things," said Maine, who entered with a 10.38 ERA.
"That's what I did today. I pitched a little more in situations where I didn't early in the spring."
Maine, slated to be the fourth starter, has been working on his slider, his changeup and lengthening his stride.
"I got some swings and misses on changeups, gave up a couple hits with it, but they're still good pitches," he said. "My slider, it feels good. I threw some good ones but I threw some bad ones. I just have to be more consistent."
The Mets rallied from a 3-2 deficit with seven runs in the seventh inning off Trever Miller. Five of those were uneared after Colby Rasmus' error in right field.
Jose Reyes drove in two run, giving him three for the game, and Omir Santos' two-run pinch-hit home run concluded the scoring.
J. J. Putz pitched a perfect sixth for the win.
Associated Press
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