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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, SEPT. 28, 2015
McLaughlin and Krauth will be key for baseball
WESLEY DOTSON
@WesleyDee23
After finishing last season with a record of 23-32 — a mark that was not good enough to make the Big 12 Tournament or the NCAA Regionals — the Jayhawks are hoping to put a disappointing year past them.
Pitching was a glaring issue for the team last season as it ranked at the very bottom of the Big 12 with an ERA of 5.56. Toward the end of the season the pitching staff improved, and by the end it was an effective weapon for coach Ritch Price.
The Jayhawks now hope that momentum carries into this year with an even stronger starting rotation, led by senior left-handed pitcher Ben Krauth.
Krauth, who was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, was a true bright spot in the Jayhawks subpar season. His seven wins and 84 strikeouts in 91.1 innings pitched both led the team, and he truly became the ace of the staff. Now entering his senior season, Krauth is keen on becoming more of a leader on and off the field.
"As a senior it's a little easier to come back acting like a leader and feeling like one at the same time," Krauth said.
Krauth is vital to the layhawks and will need to produce the kind of numbers he did last year in order for the team to have more successful pitching. For him to improve he'll need to have better control of his pitches, most notably his fastball.
"This offseason, coach [Ryan] Graves has given me the freedom to work with my delivery a little bit more and try to figure out my own problems with mechanical issues," Krauth said.
He also said he feels more comfortable with the defense behind him and said that would help him with his control.
"That was part of the reason last year, also coming in as a new guy, not being comfortable with the team behind you and not being accustomed to the Division I level yet." Krauth said. "All those things are disappearing as the days go by just because you're getting more comfortable."
The offense that was ranked fourth in the Big 12 last season will turn to other players on the team to help match that similar production. Former players Connor McKay, Dakota Smith and Blair Beck were all impactful bats in the lineup last season. It will take many other players to make up for the big bats of that trio, but sophomore infielder Matt MctLaughlin is ready to take on the challenge.
McLaughlin became a forceful bat in his freshman season as he posted a .293 average, had a 10-game hitting streak and drove in some key runs. Price had high expectations for him and McLaughlin delivered.
"You look at some of the other guys we have coming back, like Michael Tinsley, in the heart of the order, and Colby Wright's back in the heart of the order, and some new guys who looked real good in their individual's in the fall," McLaughlin said. "I think our lineup's going to do real well this year, one through nine."
Kansas struggles with run game and momentum in 27-14 loss to Rutgers
A new trio could form this season that surround Mc-Laughlin in the middle of the lineup with junior Michael Tinsley, who will make the transition from catcher to left field this season, and senior Colby Wright, who will work his way back from an injury.
"I came in early in the fall and I really struggled," McLaughlin said. "But I kept getting better every day, [and] the coaches stuck with me. I got a chance opening night against LSU, and I did my best and really ran with the opportunity."
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
RICH'SCHULTZ/AF
After Rutgers kicker Kyle Federico missed a 39-yard field goal with 11:53 left on the clock, Kansas seemed to have a chance — at least for a moment. The Jayhawks had some momentum, and the lead was down to 13. The game was still within reach.
up a touchdown on that first drive in the second half... There was some improvement there."
Junior quarterback Montell Cozart, who didn't start the day under center due to flulike symptoms, took over at his own 21-yard line. Three successful plays later, Kansas was just 23 yards from the end-zone with a fresh set of downs.
Rutgers wide receiver Carlton Agudosi makes a touchdown catch against Kansas defender Tyrone Miller.
The improvements certainly didn't come in the running game. All day, the ground game on both sides of the ball was what sealed the Jayhawks fate.
It was then that Kansas decided to do what burned the team to 'the ground against Rutgers: run the ball.
After four unsuccessful plays, Kansas would turn it over on downs, and the team never really got its momentum going again. Its best chance to get late points — to make it a close-game — had ended on two consecutive run plays. The Jayhawks wouldn't score another point in the final 8:59, and eventually fell to Rutgers, 27-14 in New Jersey.
"You can't take the score out of it unfortunately," Beaty said. "There were some better things at certain points. I really liked the way our defense responded after we gave
Kansas failed to get any sort of a rhythm out of the backfield behind an offensive front that crumbled, both in run and pass protection. Junior Keaun Kinner, who came into the game averaging 6.3 yards per rush, couldn't find the cracks this week. Despite rushing for both of the team's touchdowns, Kinner ran 15 times for 23 yards — a 1.5 yards per carry average.
fourth quarter, but the team just couldn't make a stop. At the end of the day, Rutgers had rushed for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
If it wasn't for De'Andre Mann's 41-yard run in the second quarter, the Jayhawks would have tallied 23 yards on 28 rushes.
What Kansas couldn't do on the ground, Rutgers did tenfold. Averaging 5.4 yards per rush, Rutgers could run two rush plays and move the chains for most of the game. When Kansas did occasionally get Rutgers to third down, the Jayhawks couldn't stop the short passes from Rutgers' quarterback Chris Laviano — that became a cycle.
The Jayhawks made adjustments, even bringing eight in the box for much of the
"They held the ball for 37 minutes and they did a great job of converting third downs," Beaty said. "That's a Big Ten football team and they are built a lot differently than we are. [Rutgers] did a good job of holding on to the football, which is the name of the game when you play tempo teams like us."
For Kansas, the offense stalled early with junior transfer Deonord Ford under center. Ford replaced Cozart, who was scratched from the start due to flu-like symptoms. According to Kansas Athletics, Cozart had a fever of 104 degrees on Friday. And as a result, Beaty decided to give Cozart rest after the team put him in his own hotel room on Friday night, and he struggled through Saturday morning's walkthrough.
On the other side, Rutgers scored on two of its first three drives. And it wouldn't be until after that third Rutgers drive that things would really get going for Kansas. Ford went down with a hand injury, and despite the illness, Cozart was able to come in and replace him. Kansas got a clear bump in production from then on out.
["Cozart did] a great job holding his composure and [he did] a good job of cheering on Deondre [Ford], but he was coughing and didn't look very good," Beaty said. "The second he put that helmet on, he went in there, and I think he played as hard as he could have possibly played, particularly giving his current situation."
Rutgers went into the half 20-7, but the score would not stay that way for long. Coming out of the half, Rutgers needed only 12 plays, 11 of them rushing, to find the end zone, making the score 27-7. Two drives later, after a fumble recovery, Kansas churned out a nine-play, 52-yard drive
to answer Rutgers and make it 27-14 with 1:55 to go in the third quarter. But that was as close as it would get.
"Offensively, it was good to see that we had some adversity and guys handled it." Beaty said, noting the quarterback switch. "No one ever thought about who was at quarterback. They just did their job."
Kansas dropped to 0-3 with the loss — its 31st consecutive loss on the road and 34th consecutive loss away from Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks will move on to conference play next week, as they take on Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.
Edited by Scott Chasen
Basketball boot camp emphazises mental and physical fitness
Senior Perry Ellis speaks to the media on Friday, Sept. 25.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
"Let's go." "The season is here."
It's 7 a.m. on Monday. Most students at the University are fast asleep, subconsciously dreading the first alarm of the school week. However, for Kansas basketball assistant coach Jerrance Howard, it's time to bring the energy.
Those words echo throughout Allen Fieldhouse as the players run up and down the courts in what is a yearly tradition in college basketball and at the University of Kansas: boot camp.
"Help each other." "Mind over matter."
With boot camp comes a level of dread, and even a bit of anxiety, especially for the freshmen. However, at the end of the day, it serves as far more than just a physical test. It's a mental one, too.
"You just have to get it into your mind to work hard and grind hard and be able to get through the day," said junior point guard Frank
"I knew it was going to be tough, [but] mentally I think I prepared myself for it," said freshman forward Carlton Bragg. "Instead of thinking 30 [sprints] you think 100. Then it's a little shorter."
Bragg mentioned senior big men Jamari Traylor and Perry Ellis as being crucial in helping him focus. He said Traylor in particular let him know that, as a unit, each player had to be on his game and had to be willing to help out others when they were struggling.
There is no shortage of leaders for this year's team. With a slew of upperclassmen across the roster, the freshmen have been able to come in and step up right away with an excess of guidance.
And because of that, everyone — including the freshmen — reached their goal time for finishing, according to Ellis, although the experience for the returners was certainly different than for
Mason III. "You just have to think positive and you'll get through it."
"Everyone has adjusted to what needs to be done," Mason said. "The younger guys are picking it up [too]."
With boot camp over, the Jayhawks are now less than two weeks away from Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. At Late Night the players will not only scrimmage for the crowd, but also step into a different role as entertainers.
"It went by fast." Ellis said with a smile. "I'm feeling the best [I've ever] [felt]."
the first-year players.
While the preparation for boot camp and for Late Night is dramatically different, both have their place in Kansas basketball. The former serves the purpose of getting the team ready while the latter is about building excitement from just about everywhere else.
["Late Night] is a great event and a great time for the team, fans, coaches and everyone," Mason said. "It's always fun. It's one of the best events of the year."
- Edited by Dani Malakoff
ZOE LARSON/KANSAN
Junior Hanna Kallmaier clears the ball in'a game on Friday.
SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports
Soccer extends winning streak
Kansas soccer extended its winning streak to three games Friday night at Rock Chalk Park with a 3-0 win over South Dakota State. Ashley Pankey scored two goals while Ashley Williams scored her second goal in two games.
The win wraps up nonconference play for the Jayhawks, who will face Texas on Friday, Oct.2.
"We talked about today being the last nonconference game," Kansas coach Mark Francis said. "Last year we didn't really finish the way we wanted to and so we just really want to finish this part of the year in the right way."
Pankey scored the first goal of her career when she nudged a ball bouncing past the South Dakota State goalkeeper into the net in the 79th minute. That put Kansas up 2-0. She would score her second in the 84th minute from approximately 25 yards away, catching the SDSU goalkeeper Nicole Inskeep off her line.
Williams continued her good form and added a goal in the 48th minute. Williams collected the ball on the right side of the 18-ward box and lifted it
into the opposite side netting over Inskeep.
["Scoring] feels great, coming back from injury last season, it was just that much sweeter," Pankey said after the game. "In the last few weeks, my team has been working so hard. Finally everything's coming together, the team's been working together so well and I hope that we keep this up going into conference next week."
"Earlier in the season having [had] struggles offensively, it's great to have one of our forwards on the scoring charts," Francis said of both Williams and Pankey netting goals. "It's good for their confidence."
Francis said the convincing win was a product of an emphasis on attacking through the wings and practice in attacking areas on the field.
"We've worked a lot the last 10 days on off stuff and the girls have really done a good job of committing to it and picking up on the things that we've worked on," Francis said. "It's always nice when you do stuff in practice and actually get better at it."
Kansas will return to the pitch next Friday when it begins conference play against Texas at Rock Chalk Park at 7 p.m.
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