SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, April 12, 1994
11
And they're off—to a good start
Kansas track teams excited about season
By Andrew Gilman Kansan sportswriter
A replacement, a businessman and a runner-up.
Three members of the Kansas track team that fit under those categories are contributing to what Kansas coach Gary Schwartz calls an excellent start of the outdoor season.
Part of the team's success can be attributed to sophomore Eugene Coleman.
"This season's going very well," Schwartz said. "We've started off a lot better than in the past."
James Wilcox/KANSAN
Coleman, a replacement for injured freshman David Cooksey, ran the second leg of the 4x100 meter relay that finished fifth at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
"We can still improve," Coleman said. "We had three bad hand-offs."
The businessman is senior Ladd McClain.
The relay, which also consisted of freshman Billy Davis, freshman Nathen Hill and senior Harun Hazim, ran a personal best 40.46.
Kansas senior distance runner Melissa Swartz runs around the track inside Anschutz Pavilion. The Jayhawks are preparing for the John Jacobs Invitational this weekend in Norman, Okla.
McClain, who said he was having his best season, attributed his success to his heavy work in the off-season.
"I did a lot of high mileage in the winter," he said. "I took a businessman's
approach to track and worked hard. I'm starting to reap the benefits. I'm having a good season. I've set a personal record each time that I've run the 5,000-meter run."
Junior Melisa Swartz is coming off of her best indoor season.
McClain will be running the 5,000 this weekend when the Jayhawks travel to Norman, Okla., to compete at the John Jacobs Invitational. McClain will use the meet as a tuneup for the 69th Annual Kansas Relays, which begin on April 20.
She finished second in the mile at the Big Eight Conference indoor championships. Although she was passed on the final lap, she was pleased with her finish.
"My goal was to finish in the top three," Swartz said. "I was surprised with the way it finished, but not my place."
She ran the 3,000-meter for the first time and earned a fifth-place finish. She also ran in the two-mile relay and finished fourth. Her running has impressed her coach.
The men and the women will compete at the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma, this weekend.
"She had two strong performances at the Cajun Classic and at the Triangular," Schwartz said. "Also, I have been impressed with her at the Texas Relays."
notes
Kansas track
He said that he had seen her mature since she arrived at Kansas.
"She's really coming of age," Coach Schwartz said. "She may be one of the best middle-distance runners in the conference, and this conference is very strong in that area."
Although the indoor season ended in the middle of March, there is just a
The Big Eight Conference Championships will be held May 14 at Memorial Stadium.
The 69th Annual Kansas Relays will be held April 20-23 at Memorial Stadium.
little more than a month until the outdoor championships begin.
Coach Schwartz said that Nebraska was in the best position to win both outdoor championships. The Cornhuskers won both indoor championships
"On the women's side, Nebraska has not had any major falling apart," he said. "We're creeping up on them, but to beat them, I don't know."
Coach Schwartz said that the men's team was also making improvements.
"We're stronger outdoors," he said. "We can definitely improve on our fourth-place finish. Overall, we're looking forward to getting big Big
Eight champions and making things miserable for others in the conference."
The three runners all agreed that running in the outdoor championships, which will be held in Lawrence May 14, would be a big advantage.
"This will help bring a lot of people to come watch us," Coach Schwartz said.
McClain also agreed and said that he was looking to have his best conference meet.
"I'm definitely looking for a top-five finish," he said.
Senior finds success on mound
Pitcher sets records fit for softball hall of fame
By Matt Slegel
Kansan sportswriter
The list of accomplishments beside Kansas senior pitcher Stephani Williams' name reads like a hall of fame plaque.
Williams owns Kansas records for career shutouts, career strikeouts, season victories and recently became Kansas' alltime leader in victories.
But Williams said she wasn't impressed by her achievements.
"When I came here the only thing I wanted to do was go to the College World Series," Williams said. "When I became the all-time winningest pitcher, I didn't even know I was close to breaking the record. I found out from some friends who saw an article and said congratulations to me. I was like, 'for what?'
Williams might not know of the legacy that she will leave behind after this season, but opponents have become aware of her talents. During her senior year in high school, Williams was invited to play on the Puerto Rican softball team. While playing for the team the summer before her sophomore year at Kansas, the Puerto Rican team played against a team called the Brakettes. Williams said the Brakettes are well-known in softball circles as being a team with phenomenal talent, composed mostly of former first-team softball All-Americans.
Stephani Williams
The game was supposed to be a mismatch, but Williams' pitching kept the game close before the Puerto Rican team fell in 13 innings. After that game she had earned everybody's respect.
"People were like, 'how can somebody from Kansas play so well against the Brakettes?' Williams said. "I think the confidence I gained from that experience carried over into the season."
During Williams' sophomore season, the Jayhawks made it to the College World Series. Williams said an element of surprise played a role in the team's success that season. Kansas was ranked No. 18 entering the tournament. Being the underdog was a position that Williams said she relished. But as her career has advanced, Williams said that she was no longer considered an underdog.
Winding up for another pitch, Kansas senior Stephani Williams finishes Sunday's game. Williams picked up a victory and a loss during the doubleheader against Oklahoma.
Last weekend, Kansas played the Oklahoma Sooners. In the first game, with Williams pitching, the Sooners rallied for a victory by hitting two home runs off Williams.
Jennie Zeiner/ KANSAN
But as usual, Williams started the second game. She said Oklahoma had been concentrating on her favorite pitch, the rise ball. So in the second game, Williams went away from her speciality and concentrated on other pitches. She ended up earning the victory.
"Everyone knows who I am, and they know what my favorite pitch is," said Williams, who started in 41 of the Jayhawks' 47 games last season. "When the rise ball is working it's the only pitch I have to throw. But there are days when it isn't working. Then I have to come up with another surprising route."
Turning down schools such as Iowa and Northwestern, Williams stepped into a program that, at the time, wasn't a national power and didn't have much tradition. Williams wanted it that way. She said she wanted to compete against the best, and that was the way she had always been.
Her first connection to Kansas was the former Kansas All-American, Camille Spitaleri. The two played on the same summer league team in California and became friends. When Kansas coach Kalum Haack offered her a full ride, Williams accepted.
"When I was four years old, I told my parents I wanted to read better than my sister and do math better than my brother," Williams said. "I always played with the big kids. They used to go roller-skating, and I remember getting so mad when I would fall. My biggest fear was not being able to keep up."
Williams more than kept up. She surpassed people.
Williams said that when she first came to Kansas she had not expected to find such success on the playing field. After her
career at Kansas is over, she said, she would return to her home state, California, play in a summer league with Spitaleri and focus on her career, which she said will have something to do with the environment. Williams, an environmental science major, has a 3.86 grade point average.
But to Coach Haack, she has been much more than a competitor.
"She is just a rare individual," Haack said. "She won't ever be forgotten. If there was a Kansas softball hall of fame she'd be in it."
Stephani Williams Statistics and Honors
Strikeouts 896
Victories 96
Shutouts 60
Two time first team All-Big Eight 1992-93
Second Team All-America 1992
GTE Academic All-American 1993
Note:The No. 23 Kansas softball team is scheduled to play Wichita State in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. today at Jayhawk Field.
GUEST COLUMNIST
Road trips give baseball player fond memories
It's that time of year again. The clouds have opened up, and the April showers are in full swing. The temperature continues to fluctuate between 40 and 70 degrees. And we only have three more weeks of school. That means we find ourselves right in the middle of the Big Eight Conference baseball season.
I take great interest in the happenings of Kansas baseball because I happen to be a member of the team. As a sophomore pitcher, this season marks my second opportunity to enjoy life as a baseball player in the Midwest. Since becoming a college baseball player, I have had many new experiences. I now understand the intensity of the rivalry between us and Wichita State on the baseball field. I know the rush one gets warming up in front of 15,000 fans at the College World Series in Omaha. And I've fallen in love with road trips.
I'm sure one would wonder how somebody could enjoy six hours on a bus, followed by three nights in a hotel, followed by another six hours on a bus, all to play a series of games at another team's home park.
But it goes much deeper than that. Road trips make a ball club truly come together, and you find out what really makes your teammates tick. They give you the opportunity to go to Wichita and beat the Shockers in front of 5,000 Jayhawk haters. And most importantly, they give you memories that last a lifetime.
Take our most recent trip for example. On Sunday, we returned home from Stillwater, Okla., after a three game series with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. I'd be lying if I didn't say we were disappointed in the fact that we went 1-2. But I'll remember the trip for many of the little quirks and strange happenings that occurred during the four days on the road.
Let's start with the bus ride down Thursday night. For the most part, it was your typical five-hour jaunt, full of blaring walkmans, people actually trying to study and my 18th opportunity to watch the movie "Major League."
As for the games themselves, things got off to a rocky start as we dropped the opener 12-0. After taking four out of five games from the Cowboys last season, this was very disappointing. But we bounced back the next day to win 7-6, and I earned my first Big Eight win.
That left us the rubber game of the series. During pregame batting practice, our shortstop, Dan Rude, was hit by a flying bucket, chipping two of his teeth. The rest of us thought it was funny, but I'm sure Dan didn't think so.
Now let's tally up the score: Negative memories 4. Positive memories 1.
But we ran into a major problem about two hours into the trip. We stopped at one of the many Hardee's restaurants along the turnip for a bite to eat only to discover that its shake machine was broken. The collective moan of 24 ballplayers, plus coaches, a trainer and other personnel echoed throughout the restaurant. I already was upset at the fact that I spent $5 for two roast beef sandwiches the size of silver dollars and a large coke. So the trip was not off to a good start.
After four-and-a-half innings, we trailed 3-0. We were hitting the ball hard, and David Meyer was throwing the ball well. We were looking to even the score...
Then came the one constant in Big Eight baseball — the rain.
We arrived at the Stillwater Holiday Inn Holidome at about 11 p.m. I was ready for a good night's sleep, but I should have known better. We happened to be sharing the hotel with over 100 screaming teenagers who were in town for some type of debate team tournament.
For two hours, we were pelted by thunderstorm after thunderstorm, until the game was called and the victory was awarded to Oklahoma State. We showered, boarded the bus and, after an uneventful five hours, returned to Lawrence.
Now I'm sure you are wondering how I could say I enjoy road trips after an experience such as this. My teammates are probably wondering the same thing.
It's really very simple. I think the true measure of my college baseball career will be the memories I'll have with me when its over. Thanks to road trips, I'll have many.