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Wednesdav Aug. 23. 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Players Nine starters return to lead softball team
by Gene King Kansan sportswriter
Young but experienced is the trademark of this year's Jayhawk softball team.
With nine starters returning from last season's 36-27队, Coach Kalum Haack will field a team that returns with valuable playing time acquired last year.
"I had to play a lot of freshman last year and the experience they gained from it should help this year," Haack said.
Brazier as leader
Senior pitcher Roanna Brazier will provide leadership for this year's team. Last season, Brazier posted a 24-18 record with an ERA of .90. She earned first team all-Conference honors as well as being named to the All-Midwest Region team.
However, Brazier took a break from softball this summer.
backed by experience
"She didn't play last summer and I think that it helped her and she was able to come to school fresh," Haack said.
"I just had to give my arm a rest," Brazier said. "It feels pretty good and I'm ready for this season to start."
In addition to Brazier, Haack signed Jill Bailey, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo. Haack said that he had no qualms about sending a freshman to pitch at the college level.
"I got her to pitch and she will be expected to do that when she gets here," Haack said. "She is an excellent pitcher and is used to throwing the ball by people. She has a lot to learn though, but I think she can do it."
Bailey pitched on her summer team, the Olathe Heat, which finished 12th in the Amateur Softball Association National Tournament. During the summer, her ERA was about 1.00.
At catcher
Behind the plate again this year will be Erin Wahua. Along with catching, Haack expects her to be a hitter. She had a 344 batting average in conference games last season. A newcomer, Kathy Hill Lakewood, Colo., freshman, will fill in for Wahua occasionally as well as play at first and in the outfield.
First base
Junior Jodi Hoyer's shoulder injury will force her to sit out the fall season, but Haack has two other players that can handle first base. Sophomore Shelly Sack, along with being the team's third pitcher, will see some time at first with teammate Hill Haack said that Hoyer was expected back for the spring season.
Second base
Another recent signee will play second base. Kim Sacco, a junior college transfer from Mattyldale, NY, was an all-American third baseman
"She is just so quick," Haack said.
"She has a lot of potential and will probably be our number two hitter."
at Onodagoa Junior College, New York.
Shortstop will be handled primarily by Christy Arterburn. The sophomore was a walk-on last year and until that time had never played fast-pitch softball.
Shortstop
"She is such a good athlete. She finished up strong last season and hopefully it will carry over." Haack said. "She should be able to use her speed on the bases." Arterburn stole a team leading 23 bases last year while hitting 319.
Camille Spitaleri, sophomore, will return to her third base position. Besides leading the team in runs batted in, Haack said that she was a great defensive third baseman.
Third base
The third new recruit, Laura Edwards, Oklahoma City, Okla., freshman, will play center field with junior Jessica Hennig playing in right field.
Outfield
"I'm really excited about playing for Kansas," Edwards said. "We've got a good team and Coach Haack is a helpful coach. I'm ready to play."
Haack said, "I concentrate more on defense and trying to squeeze a run or two across. If we can do that we will win some ball games."
Brazier said she was ready for her final season at Kansas.
Ready for the season
"We have steadily progressed every year, this should be the best of my four years here," she said. "We have good recruits and our arm is rested."
"As a captain this year I want to take a more leading role, last year I didn't," she said.
Brazer, one of last year's team captains, was disappointed with her actions as a captain.
Haack and the Jayhawk squad will begin practice the first day of classes. He expects to have some walks try out again this year. The fall schedule includes six games, the first of which will take place at the Creighton Invitational Sept. 15-17. Besides KU and Creighton, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, South West Missouri State and the College of St Mary will participate.
Competitive by spring
Haack expects to be competitive by the time the spring season starts. He said that Oklahoma State was the team to beat in the conference, but he thought that KU could be a strong second.
After finishing third in the conference tourney last year, and 5-5 during regular season conference play, Haack said he was confident about his team's chances.
"Softball is an exciting game to watch and once the fans come out to see us just once, they'll come back," Haack said.
The first home game will be the KU
Invitational Sept. 30 through Oct. 1.
Pitching to be team's power
Inexperience is biggest concern
by Dan Perkins
Kansan sportswriter
With only three returning starters from last year's 32-35 baseball team, coach Bingham is looking at this year as a learning experience for the players.
“Our real problem this year is going to be our inexperience,” I taught her. “We have a talented group of athletes, but we will be inexperienced.”
The three returning starters are senior outfielders Mark Hummel and Pat Karlin and sophomore catcher Mark Moore. They join 13 freshmen and four transfers on this year's roster.
Bingham said, "We are looking for our transfer students to make an impact for us right away. They will have to for us to be successful."
Third baseman Gerry Camara and first baseman Mike Bard transferred from Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, while outfielders Denald Stewart and Chris Moore transferred from Cochise College in Douglas, Ariz.
Freshmen who are listed on this year's roster are Jeff Niemier, a catcher from Kansas City, Mo; Jim Walker, a pitcher/shortstop from Nickerson; Jeff Beringling, a shortstop from Goddard; and infielder David Soult and Kent Mahon, both from Cincinnati.
Pitcher new to the staff this year besides Walker are Andy Lehman of Lawrence; Bryan Lin-
quist of Topeka; Rob Merriman of Newton; Lance Niles of Arkansas City; Chad Raiston of Olathe, and Jason Thompson of Cherryville.
Despite the large number of first-year players, Bingham is pleased with the team overall, saying that it's the first time he was not forced to simply fill holes in the lineup.
"This is the best group of athletes of the three we've recruited since I came here," Bingham said. "For the first time we were able to bring in the type of athletes we wanted."
One area that Bingham did not have to recruit heavily for last year was the pitching staff.
"For the first time in three years, our pitching staff will be the strength of our team," Bingham said.
Returning will be Mike Massey (4-1, 3.35 ERA), Curtis Shaw (6-3, 3.96), Craig Stoppel (1-1, 4.57), Brad Hinkle (5-10, 4.77), Steve Renko (4-3, 5.49), Eric Stonecipher (1-3, 7.77) and Steve McGinness (3-5, 8.82).
Shaw was named to the All-Big Eight Conference team as a relief pitcher, and Renko was named to the second team.
Talented signees bring balance to KU track and cross country
by Andres Caveller Kansan sportswriter
For KU track coach Gary Schwartz, the 1989-90 season is going to be just another step up the ladder.
Schwartz led the Jayhawks to a fourthplace finish at the NCAA Indoor Championship last season.
That ladder is the fulfillment of the promise for improvement that he made to the team last year after he replaced legendary coach Bob Timmons.
"We want to become more visible in the national scene now that we have the potential." Schwartz said. "We have some old faces that are going to continue to improve their performances."
One of the veterans coming back to the lines this year is senior Pat Manson, who set an NCAA pole vault indoor record last February by clearing 18-8. Manson finished second in the same event at both the NCAA indoors and outdoors.
Rick Attig, assistant coach, said that Manson went to Italy, Sweden and other European countries this summer to get some competition and experience, but that he had to come back early because of a minor heel injury. Manson will be ready for fall training, he said.
Another of the retrunees is senior Craig Watcke, MVP at the Big Eight Indoor Championship where he won the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs. Watcke will compete this year, his final and fourth season with the Jayhawks.
Schwartz is also glad about the return of two athletes who were injured last season. Long jumper Johnny Brackins is training again and ready to compete outdoors after
having recovered from a foot injury,
Vince Labsky, a third-year javelin
thrower, is hoping to come back
strong after a left-arm injury.
Coach Schwartz has spent a good deal of time on the recruiting trail. He said that the team was now a lot more balanced. Among the signees are pole vaulter Phil Holden and long-distance runner Steward Gillian from Johnson County Community College.
"Gillian is the national junior college marathon champion and has a lot of experience." Schwartz said.
There are also a couple of sprint recruits Schwartz is excited about. They include Mark Thrun, Wellsville freshman, and Ron Richardson of Indianapolis, Ind.
The men's track team is also expecting between ten and fifteen walk-ons, who will practice with the
team during the fall before the team settles down to about thirty or forty total athletes for the spring.
The men's team will open their cross country season on Sept. 9 against Southern Illinois at Carbondale, Ill.
No indoor or outdoor track and field competitions are scheduled for the fall; both men's and women's squads will be readying for the spring season, Schwartz said.
On the women's side, Coach Schwartz said he hoped that things got better after the "dry" season the women went through last year. KU finished last at the league indoor and outdoor championships.
However, Schwartz said he was still pleased with their performance.
"I still believe that both men and women had good years," Schwartz said. "They were solid, they stayed
committed when times were tough and they improved their time."
One of the problems the women's team had at the end of the season was that there were not enough athletes to take to the meets.
"We had so many injured athletes." Schwartz said. "It was unbelievable. Yet, I am very enthusiastic about the future of the team."
In mid-May, Schwartz added two strong signees to the women's track and cross country squad. Both of them are Indiana natives. Daniela Daggy of Bloomington, Ind., will run cross country and two-mile events. Amy Hadley of Indianapolis, Ind., will help the team with the 100-meter hurdles and the sprint races.
"I am excited about having Hadley on the team; we need her help in the sprints." Schwartz said.
Coach Schwartz said he was espe
cically proud of the local recruits. Heather Ryan of Lawrence High School will add strength to the middle-distance races. Cynthia Lewis of Dodge City, who was in the state finals, will race the mile. Kobler of Spring Hill and Johnson County Community College is a javelin thrower.
In talking about summer training, Attiq said that he liked to see the girls get some rest after soring.
"The season is so demanding that it is good for them to relax for a couple of months." he said.
For now, the women's team will be competing along with the men in the cross country races.
Coach Schwartz said that even if slow progress showed on the women's team at the end of the season, that was good enough for the program.
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