SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Friday, April 9, 1993 9 'Hawks optimistic about Sooner series Conference leaders to clash in Oklahoma By Brady Prauser Kansan sportswriter The No. 16 Kansas baseball team's p.m. game today at Oklahoma is a match-up between the front-runners of the Big Eight Conference. The Sooners, 22-9, are first in the Big Eight with a 6-2 record. The Jayhawks, 24-6, are a half game behind Oklahoma in the conference standings. Victories against Oklahoma State and Missouri early this season have Kansas players feeling optimistic entering the Oklahoma series. "It's definitely a confidence booster when you beat the better teams in the Big Eight," said freshman pitcher Jamie Splittorr. against missouri wednesday. 59. Kansas did not look as sharp against Northeastern Illinois, Fort Hayes State and in the first game with Miss- sour as it had earlier in the season, said Kansas coach Dave Bingham. The Jayhawks were hammered 12-5 Tuesday by the Tigers, but Bingham said that might have been a blessing in disguise. "I think the loss might have awakened us," he said. "I felt for a long time were ripe to beaten." Senior right fielder Rory Tarquinio agreed. "We were really flat," he said. Kansas' No. 16 ranking in Baseball America's Top 25 is two spots ahead of last week, the Jayhawks' first-ever national ranking Kansas' 340 batting average is fifth-highest in the nation. Oklahoma was No. 18 but fell out of the poll after two losses to Missouri last week However, the Sooners are certain to re-enter the poll after thumping No. 1 Oklahoma senior right-hander Steve Matthews, 3-1; will oppose Kansas senior David Soult, 4-1, today Tomorrow, senior Kevin Lovingier, 2-0; will pitch against Kansas junior Kansas baseball 24-6 (5-2) vs. KU Oklahoma Sooners Jayhawk lineup avg. HR HRI 1. 2b Jeff Berlinger .386 7 37 2. cf Daryl Monroe .310 1 19 3. cf Jason McNeill .310 3 31 4. cf Jeff Neierchick .342 1 41 5. if Josh Igoh .398 2 20 6. rf Torario Quanyou .284 1 20 7. dr Wintheil Wrenluch .284 3 21 8. dh Chris Dana .324 0 8 9. ss Dan Rude .280 2 41 David Soult, 4-1 (4.28 ERA) Head coach: Dave Bingham Kansas is ranked 18th and Oklahoma is unranked in the America Top 25 poll. Chris Corn, 4-1. Lovingier was an AllBig Eight Conference selection last season. Oklahoma junior Steve Conley, 1-1, will face off against Kansas senior Tom Stewart. 5-2 on Sunday. Doud Hesse / KANSAN Senior designated hotter David Soult runs to home plate as a teammate runs to first, after hitting a kick. Kansas plays Oklahoma today at Norman, Okla. Jayhawks set to face Tigers Irene Lanier / KANSAN Katie Morgan, Tulsa freshman, works on her swing during softball practice. The Jahyws practiced yesterday afternoon at Anschutz Sports Pavilion in preparation for this weekend's series with Oklahoma. Kansas fullback moves across scrimmage line Those injuries have forced Coach Glen Mason to switch a player from the defense into the offense. The middle linebacker position on the Kansas football team could be its strongest position if injured players recuperate in time. Team to play doubleheader this weekend Harvey, the 1991 Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year, had surgery performed yesterday on his right hip and left hip at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Lynn Bott, head athletic trainer, said that Harvey could take between six and 12 months to recover and that the injury was not career-threatening. had shoulder surgery during the offseason. Thiel is not participating in spring practice drills and Holt is only allowed to participate in non-contact drills. They have said optimistically six months, but I'm not sure. Mason Junior Chris Powell, who started the last three games of the 1962 season at fullback and is listed on the depth chart as the No. 1 fullback, has been moved to middle linebacker because of injuries to junior Steve Harvey, senior Larry Thiel and sophomore Dick Holt. Thel suffered a fractured left tibia against Colorado last season and Holt Powell has spent the last two practices getting a feel for the defense of defensive coordinator Bob Fello, but it is not guaranteed that Powell will remain at linebacker when practice starts in August. "That was a freak thing," Mason said. "He did it running across the field. He could have been out jogging when that could have happened." “It’s kind of a temporary thing right now.” Powell said. “The coaches know that I can play fullback, but they do not want to be in a bind when two-a days begin in the fall if Larry or Steve are unable to play. The coaches would rather switch me to linebacker now and have我 learn it during spring practice.” Kansas, ranked 20th, split a doubleheader with unranked Wichita State on Tuesday. Haack said that the loss had been especially damaging. By Matt Doyle "When you're ranked, you have to beat teams below you," he said. "Now if we don't win the Big Eight, we might not make it to the regional playoffs. Junior Tyler Quast and redshirt freshman walk on Nathan Penny are the only other middle linebackers on the Kansas roster. The Jayhawks are 4-0 in conference play with all the victories against Oklahoma. They will get a chance to improve that record because they will play host to Missouri this weekend. The two schools will tangle in doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. By Mark Button Kansan sportswriter Linebacker is not a new position for Powell. He was a two-time first队 all-state linebacker at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo. The move came after Harvey ruptured his right achilles tendon during spring practice workouts on Monday. Although the softball season is less than half completed, Kansas coach Kalum Haack said the Jayhawks' backs were against the wall. "I was a better linebacker than full-back in high school," Powell said. "But I haven't played it three years." Kansan sportswrite If Kansas hopes to steal four games against the 20-7 Tigers,1-3 in conference, it will need to receive support from the seniors. Cole was named Big Eight Conference Player of the Week for her performance in the four-game series with the Sooners. She was 5-for-13, with two runs batted in, five runs scored and three stolen bases. She has not made an error in the field this season and leads the team in batting aver Senior center fielder Shanna Cole has provided much of the leadership to this point in the season. Softball standings The Kansas softball team leads the Big Eight Conference with four victories. W L T KANSAS 13 5 1 Okahama St. 29 6 0 Missouri 20 6 0 Oklahoma 17 0 0 Oregon 16 1 0 Iowa State 16 8 0 (Neither Colorado nor Kansas State have softball programs.) ages, fielding percentages, stolen bases and on-base percentages. Cole has been batting injuries to both ankles all season. She said they were fine now. However, she sustained another injury on Wednesday. "I didn't realize I did that well." Cole said. "I didn't keep track of statistics." "Simply put, I strained my right shoulder," she said. "I have to get a release from my doctor to play this weekend." Although the Tigers have only one conference victory, Haack said their record was misleading. "The they went 1-3 against Oklahoma State," he said. "To beat OSU, you have to have a good team." The Cowgirls, 29-6 overall and 3-1 in the conference, are ranked No. 3 in the nation. Kansas does not play Oklahoma State until April 24 in Lawrence. Haack is not concerned with Oklahoma State at the moment. He said the 'Hawks needed to play with much more intensity and concentration if they were to be successful against Missouri. SPORTS BRIEF'S Conference Outdoor Championships. "I guess I'm not doing a great job of coaching right now," he said. The Kansas men's and women's track teams will头 tomorrow to Norman, Okla., for the John Jacobs Invitational, the last meet for the Jayhawks before next week's 68th Annual Kansas Relays. "It's an opportunity for us to get all of the team in a team," he said. "It's the first time this spring we have everybody together." rack teams to compete in Oklahoma meet Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said this weekend was a great chance for the Jayhawks to prepare for the remaining big meets, which are the Kansas Relays, Drake Relays and the Big Eight Kansas went to the John Jacobs Invitational last year. Schwartz said that it had been an excellent meet for the Jawhacks. Kansan staff report Oklahoma is the host of the meet in which Kansas State and Missouri also will compete. Oklahoma has good track facilities and offers nice awards, he said, and the competition is realistic, not overpowering. All-American miler Michael Cox, a junior, and distance runner Ashley Ace, a junior, will miss the meet because of illness. Cowboys must forfeit 1991-92 conference games The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Big Eight Conference ordered Oklahoma State yesterday to forfeit all of its conference basketball games from the 1981-92 season for using an ineligible player. Randy Davis had a problem with his transcript that was not caught by the University, the conference said. Neither the player nor the school was at fault, but the games The Cowboys were 10-4 in league games in 1991-92 and won one game in the Big Eight's postseason tournament. Big Eight faculty representatives and athletic directors voted not to exempt Oklahoma State from the rule requiring the games to be forfeited because of the amount of time the athlete played. "Our record stays the same," said Steve Buzzard, an Oklahoma State athletic department representative. "It's basically just an asterisk in the record book." Davis, a junior college transfer, played for only that season. had to be forfeited because of the significant playing time of the athlete. Montana shows off his pass for Chiefs Quarterback pays visit to KC, talks to Schottenheimer The Associated Press KANAS CITY, Mo. — Quarterback Joe Montana, after working yesterday in Kansas City, said, "I would love to play for the Chiefs." "I think everything's in place, if everything can be worked out," the four-time Super Bowl winner said after taking a physical and demonstrating his admittedly rusty passing touch. Montana, who turns 37 in June and has missed most of the past two seasons with injuries, remains under contract with the San Francisco 49ers. he had been told that he would not start ahead of Steve Young, who was last year's NFL MVP. In addition, the 49ers signed backup quarterback Steve Bono earlier this week. Montana said he would fly to Phoenix to visit with the Cardinals but that, contrary to reports, he had not been invited to visit with Tampa Bay. "Phoenix and Kansas City are the only two clubs that asked me to come in." Montana said. "I would love to play for Kansas City.I think everything's in place...” Joe Montana Joe Montana SanFrancisco quarterback The Chiefs would reintend Montana with Paul Hackett, his quarterback coach in San Francisco. The Chiefs hired Hackett as offensive coordinator and asked him to install the same split-back offense that Montana and former 48ers coach Bill Walsh designed in San Francisco. Chiefs Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Montana "threw pretty well." "I like the situation," Montana said. "I would be coming back to a guy I know and an offensive system I know well. The opportunity is definitely great." "He hasn't been doing it a whole lot, but he threw the ball pretty well. I thought." Schottenmeier said. "He just made some of the basic throws. We had a chance to do the things we felt were important. I hope he and his representatives feel the same way. Now we'll take it from here." Montana said that nobody had asked him to demonstrate his passing ability "for about 14 years." Montana spent much of the day talking with Schottenheimer. "We're not the only two parties who are involved," he said. "The 48ers are involved. If that can be worked out, I think it would be a great place to play." He declined to say what compensation his old club might demand. "I really don't know what their conversations have been. I've got to wait until everything kind of goes through channels with the 49ers and see how that goes," he said. "The biggest thing was to get a feel for the whole situation, getting a chance to With Dave Krieg at quarterback, the Chiefs finished 10-6 last year and went to the playoffs a third straight season, losing to AFC West champion San Diego in the first round. "I already know about Paul. I just wanted to come here and get the overall feeling of the whole thing. I like this situation. It's a team that has the talent to go all the way." sit down with Marty a good part of the morning. Tom Condon, an agent for the group representing Montana, said he hope something could be worked out by the end of next week. "There were several different things that had to be taken care of," said Coudon, a former Chiefs lineman. "The Chiefs, and I'm sure Phoenix, wanted to assure themselves he was healthy and that his arm was fine. Beyond that, they've got to make a determination they can work out the compensation with the 49ers, and the compensation between Joe and the club." Montana's personal relationship with 49ers owner Edward D'Bartolo could be a factor in those negotiations, Condon said. "It's not as cut-and-dried as most situations, where you just try to get the best deal you can get," Condon said. "There's not that many guys who have won four Super Bowls and done what he's done for the 49ers. They have some strong personal feelings for Joe and they want him to do well."