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Wednesday, August 22, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Top three players return
By Derek Simmons
Kansan sportswriter
After winning 20 of the last 23 games last season, expectations for the 1990-91 Kansas softball team were that they would finish first.
Kansas returns its top three offensive threats — first-tier Team-Australian Camille Spitaleri at third base, two all-Big Eight Conference shortstop Henni and one senior offsidefielder Jessica Henning — among others.
Spitaleri, also named MVP in last year's Big Eight tournament, led the Jayhawks in batting last season with a 341 average, in doubles (10), triples (4), home runs (4) and RBIs (36).
Arterburh hit .322 and led the team with 42 stolen bases, eclipsing Kansas' career stolen base record in 2015.
Coach Kalum Haack is excited about the possibilities.
"I think we are definite the team to beat in the conference this year," he said. "We'll be much
stronger defensively and we'll be much stronger offensively. Oklahoma State is always good, but we can win with a lot of it.
Kansas opens Sept. 15 at Iowa State and will play its first home game Sept. 22 when it hosts a two-game series with Iowa on Tuesday.
Haack said the key to the Jayhawks' success would be pitching.
"Pitching is always the key," he said. "If we get good pitching this year, we'll be in good shape."
Pitching is the only question mark in the Jayhawks' program, which is returning 11 players. Haack lost only two players to graduation: utility fielder KD Dyley and pitcher Roana Brazer.
Brazer, third in the nation last season with a 28-7 record, will not be easy to replace. Brazer holds Kansas records for most victories in a season (28), most career victories (86), most career appearances and most career innings pitched (960.2). She also ran second in career shutouts with 36.
"She was awesome," Haack said.
Despite the loss of Brazier, Haack said he was comfortable with his solution to the problem — but it wasn't enough. He said:
Junior Stacey Mays, a transfer from West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif., and freshman Stephanie Williams will join returning sophomore Jill Bailey, 12-7 last year.
Mays said she chose to come to Kansas almost immediately after visiting.
"I was looking for a good school and a good job," he said. "I wasn't really sure." said. "The whole team's attitude was just great."
The Jayhawks are looking to improve on their 44-17 record, the best since 1880, and complete a turnaround that begin when Haack took over the program four years ago.
That year, the Jayhawks finished last in the Big Eight with a 1-9 conference record. Last season Haack's team finished first with a 9-1 conference record.
ROYALS Games Remaining
| SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| | | | August 22 MIN | SEA $^{23}$ | SEA $^{24}$ | SEA $^{25}$ |
| $SEA^{26}$ | OFF $^{27}$ | at OAK $^{28}$ | at OAK $^{29}$ | at OAK $^{30}$ | at SEA $^{31}$ | September 1 at SEA |
| at SEA $^2$ | at CHI $^3$ | at CHI $^4$ | at CHI $^5$ | at TEX $^6$ | at CHI $^7$ | at CHI $^8$ |
| at CHI $^9$ | TOR $^{10}$ | TOR $^{11}$ | TOR $^{12}$ | OFF $^{13}$ | CLE $^{14}$ | CLE $^{15}$ |
| CLE $^{16}$ | at MIN $^{17}$ | at MIN $^{18}$ | at MIN $^{19}$ | OFF $^{20}$ | CAL $^{21}$ | CAL $^{22}$ |
| CAL $^{23}$ | OAK $^{24}$ | OAK $^{25}$ | OAK $^{26}$ | at CAL $^{27}$ | at CAL $^{28}$ | at CAL $^{29}$ |
| at CAL $^{30}$ | | | | | | |
Pro-league teams lure star pitchers from the 'Hawks
By Juli Watkins
KANSAN
Curtis Shaw and Steve Renko were drafted this summer by the Oakland A's and the Montreal Expos respectively.
With baseball season rolling around again, the Jayhawks are noticing the absence of two star pitchers from the roster.
Kansan sportswriter
Shaw, a relief pitcher for the Jayhaws last season, would have been a senior this year but now is pitching for the Southern Oregon A's in Medford, Ord. The team is a minor league Class A team for the Oakland A's.
Minor league team levels begin at Single A, go to Low A, Mid A, High A, Double A, Triple A and then the Majors. Players are moved up according to their progress and success. Shaw is playing for a Mid A Team
Shaw, the second pick of the second round, said his season, which began June 11, did not start out so hot with an ERA of nine. Since then he has improved to a 4.15 ERA with a 3-4 record.
"Yes, lately it's been going a lot better." Shaw said.
Since his season only lasts two more weeks Shaw had originally planned to return to KU this fall, but was invited to an instructional league for six weeks in Scottsdale, Ariz., which he said he couldn't pass up.
"I only have two semesters left and I will finish them," he said. "I just don't know when yet."
After the six week program, Shaw plans to return to his hometown of Bartlesville, Okla. He also would like to return to Lawrence and maybe work out with the team before returning for the 1991 season.
Steve Renko, a starting pitcher for the Gate City Pioneers in Pocatello, Idaho, was a senior last year. He was named the minor league team in the 21st round.
Reno said the team had two more weeks of play and had a record of 12-49. He described his personal perseverance despite the frustrating team record.
Renko originally started with the Bradenton Expos, in Bradenton, Fla., another Expos team in the minor leagues. The Pioneers, however, were short on players and took 15 Expos players, five players from both and five or six free agents. Renko played with the Pioneers on June 20
He said he hoped to be moved up next season to a higher level Class A team. Right now he is playing for a Low A team. Renko said most big-league teams three to four years in the minor leagues before advanceing to the pros.
Renko will be attending the same instructional league as Shaw and hopes the experience will help him advance to a higher level.
Back in Lawrence, the Jayhawks are preparing for their season which begins Sept. 10 Coach Dave Bing-
Bingham said the absence of Shaw and Renko would be felt.
"It was a huge loss losing Curts and Steve," he said. "They were the two kids we knew could win games for us."
Although they lost the two pitchers, the Jayhawks gained an assistant coach this season.
Brad Hill, the head baseball coach at Hutchinson Community College the last three seasons, was named an assistant coach on Monday.
Hill, 28, compiled an 83-52 record at Hutchinson, including a 32-24 record last season. He played at Emporia State, when ninth-four nationals beat Oklahoma.
Hill rejoins Bingham, who coached him for four seasons at Emporia State.
Other new additions to the team this season include new recruits. Bingham said there were eight in particular to look out for. Two of the three groups trainees and six are freshman. Four of the recruits are pitchers.
"I hate to single out any of them above the others," Bingham said and added that they all looked promising.
The season opener will be Saturday, Sept. 22, against Coffeyville Junior College.
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