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Sophomore pitcher Andie Formby pitches the ball against the St. Louis Billikens during the Jayhawks 9-o victory at Rock Chalk Park on Sunday.
Pitchers will be key in softball's next game against Oklahoma
▶ NICK COUZIN
@ncouz
Tuesday against Wichita State, it was the top of the fifth inning, and sophomore pitcher Andie Formby needed two outs to keep her scoreless innings streak alive at 23, but ultimately the streak came to an end.
During the streak, she threw 22.1 innings of no hit ball: 620 pitches, 0.00 ERA and a no-hitter against SLU on March 20.
Formby had more scoreless innings than junior Sophia Templin has on the
mound this season (10), and she was two innings shy of freshman Alexis Reid, who has pitched 24.2 innings.
"She's our best pitcher," Kansas coach Megan Smith said. "We're going with our best in tough situations. I rely on her to give us those innings."
Formby will look to start a new streak once Big 12 play starts this weekend against Oklahoma, whose best pitcher is sophomore Paige Parker. Formby will most likely face her this weekend.
Parker has a 2.00 ERA to
Formby's 182 ERA. Parker has Formby beat in two categories: strikeouts and hits allowed. Parker has 91 strikeouts to Formby's 86, and Paige has given up 50 hits while Formby has allowed 63 hits.
Formby has thrown more innings (96) than Parker's 70. Formby also has one more win (11) than Parker (10). Formby also has seven less earned runs than Parker, who has 22.
Smith is not worried about her ace heading into conference play.
"She needs to focus on
her first seven innings," Smith said. "This team [Wichita State] we faced tonight, offensively they are a Big 12-caliber team, and I was encouraged with the way she played them tonight through those' seven innings."
Formby and Parker are set to square off in Norman this weekend in a battle of elite arms. Formby and Parker are two of the top six best pitchers on the mound this season in the Big 12.
- Edited by Madi Schulz
Self named NABC National Coach of the Year for first time
▶ SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
On Tuesday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches named Kansas coach Bill Self the National Coach of the Year. The award is voted on by members of the NABC, who are also coaches. This is also the first time in Self's career he is the NABC National Coach of the Year.
"All that means is you had a group of kids that cared an awful lot and played to a ridiculously high level all year," Self said in a KU Athletics release. "Awards appear to be nice, but for me, a
nundred times over, I would give any of that up to have those kids play in Houston (at the Final Four)."
Kansas finished the season 33-5 after an Elite Eight loss to Villanova last Saturday. This is the fifth time the Jayhawks have won 33 games or more under Bill Self in his 13 years directing the program.
Two other organizations have also named Self the national coach of the year
-USA Today and Bleacher Report.
Self will receive his award at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show in Houston on Sunday, April 3.
Kansas coach Bill Self smiles from the sidelines. On Tuesday, he was named National Coach of the Year by the NABC.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
Column: It's time to appreciate Self's greatness
Caroline Fiss/KANSAN
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self smirks after the Jav Hawks won their 12th Big 12 regular season title in a row.
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiagsUDK
@EvanRiggsUDK
At the end of each college basketball season, only one team survives the chaotic single-elimination NCAA tournament that has become legendary for its shocking upsets and Cinderella stories.
For Kansas, it's certainly understandable to be disappointed with this year's tournament loss to Villanova. The Jayhawks were the No. 1 overall seed, riding a 17-game winning streak with aspirations of a national title.
Once a team is eliminated, all of the regular season accomplishments seem to be thrown out the window.
"I don't know if this particular group could have a special year without getting to Houston," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But nobody can say these kids didn't have a great year."
In January, after Kansas lost to Iowa State, if you would have said this team would reel off 17 consecutive wins and win the Big 12 — the toughest league in the country — by two games, nobody would have believed you.
But they did it. Without lottery picks, without a dominant low post presence and without a "go-to-guy," they ran away with the best conference in America.
Kansas went 61 days without a loss, so excuse me if I'm not willing to think any less of Self because his team played one bad game and came up short.
If any KU fan even briefly debates starting throwing shade at Self for losing here, log off right now. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
- @MattNorlander
The Jayhawks went just
At some point, the blame has to fall on the players not executing and playing poorly, not Self and the coaching staff, which is exactly what Kansas legend Sherron Collins pointed out on Instagram.
"I don't think he demanded the ball like he probably wished he would have." Self said.
6-of-22 from beyond the arc and committed 16 turnovers, and senior forward Perry Ellis had his worst game of the season, shooting just 1-of-5.
The tournament has proven time and time again that it's great entertainment, but it doesn't necessarily do a good job of determining the best team. For example, last year, Kentucky was 38-0 and clearly the best team in college basketball before its season-ending loss in the tournament.
Tom Izzo, who is known
as "Mr. March," just lost in the first round of the tournament to a No. 15 seed with arguably the best player in college basketball in Denzel Valentine on his roster.
In the last 10 years, Mike Krzyezewski has lost in the first round three times, Izzo has lost in the first round twice, and Roy Williams and John Calipari both coached teams that missed the tournament altogether.
The tournament is such a small and random sample size, but there's no doubt it should matter when discussing coaching legacies. But the regular season—which is a much larger sample size—should matter too.
And nobody has had more sustained success and accomplished more in the regular season than Self over the last 13 seasons.
Self's. 823 winning percentage at Kansas is the highest in school history, and his 12 consecutive conference titles is nothing short of remarkable. He's never received lower than a No.4 seed in the tournament at Kansas, and he's been a No.1 or No.2 seed nine times.
"...nobody can say these kids didn't have a great year."
Bill Self Kansas Coach
What makes it even more remarkable is he's doing this in a sport that has more turnover than any sport at any level. Self has entered a season with a completely new starting five three times and has won at least 25 games and a share of the Big 12 each time.
No matter who is on the roster, Self seems to get
That's good coaching.
them to buy into his style of play and get the most out of him.
^
It's undeniable that Self's postseason results don't stack up with what he's done in the regular season. Certainly both of those coaches have an edge on Self in postseason accomplishments.
In his 13 seasons at Kansas, he's won as many league titles as Krzyzewski at Duke and just four fewer than Williams in considerably fewer years. Oh, and he also has a higher winning percentage than both.
Appreciate what he's able to do every year, Jayhawk fans. Because you'll miss him when he's gone.
- Edited by Mackenzie Walker