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KANSAN.COM
DAILY DEBATE
Will KU women's golf improve from last year?
BRIAN MINI
@daftpunkpop
NO
Having a team with a lot of underclassmen can be exciting. Fans are excited to see which sophomores make huge strides from their freshman season, and freshmen often surprise us with a high level of skill in their first years.
Juniors and seniors usually lead winning teams,but having a young team doesn't automatically set a team up for failure.
Having an underclassmen-dominated roster put a team in a tough spot.
Of the eight players on the women's foll team, six of them are either freshmen or sophomores. While it's not completely disastrous, it's difficult to improve from last year when the majority of the roster is somewhat new to the team. Of course, this makes them fun to watch, but last year's team had experience, which led them to success early in the season.
Kansas' roster dropped to eight golfers from 10 and lost some of its key players to graduation. Former Jayhawk Gabriella DiMarco might have been the biggest loss from last season. In Kansas' second tournament last year, DiMarco finished in sixth and helped the Jayhawks finish third out of 14 teams. While she was not the most individually successful player on the team, losing her is definitely a hit to the Jayhawks' talent level.
word is eventually, Freshman Victoria Chandra, who is from Indonesia, still has to settle in after finishing tied for 55th in the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational.
There are a few freshmen on the roster that could eventually replace DiMarco, but the key
Laine Evans, a freshman from Wichita, had a strong showing in the tournament and finished 24th. That was a great finish for a freshman, but the Jayhawks still finished in seventh place out of 12 teams.
The Jayhawks are capable of playing better, but even if they improve, it will still be a struggle to replicate what Kansas did last year. While last season's ending was disappointing, it may have overshadowed a great start to the season.
In last year's Sunflower Invitational, Kansas finished in second and followed that with a third-place finish in its next tournament. This is the kind of success that's hard to find with a very young team.
Despite a good recruiting class, the star of the team is the same; senior Yupaporn Kawinpakorn finished this week's tournament in seventh and seems to be carrying over her success from last year.
Until the underclassmen develop to their full potential, Kawinpakorn will essentially be asked to carry the team. She had no trouble doing this last year, but being the lone senior on the team certainly doesn't bode well for the youthful layhawks.
There will be a lot of great individual performances from this team,but it's hard to expect an improvement given the short period of time.
- Edited by Dani Malakoff
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN Former Kansas golfer Michelle Woods sizes up her target on Sept. 8,2014.
GRIFFIN HUGHES
@GriffinJHughes
YES
After Kansas' first tournament of the women's golf season, the team left a lot to be desired on the course. But after an offseason of training and recruiting, the Jayhawks are just getting started.
The Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational, which was on Monday and Tuesday, was strictly for sophomores and freshmen. Teams were allowed to bring one senior with them, meaning Kansas could not bring Pornvipa Sakdee, a junior from Thailand.
Kansas did bring the rest of its team. Besides Sakdee and senior Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, known as "Mook," the rest of the team is freshmen and sophomores. This early tournament gives them a good look at themselves and how they're going to play. There's a learning curve for them, and they're hitting that now.
Mook was by far the best golfer on the team from last year. Her season low score of 67 was a team low; she was one of three golfers to finish with a top score in a tournament and her 11 rounds under par was more than the rest of the team combined.
Sakdee was one of the other two golfers to finish a tournament with the lowest score, and her five rounds under par were second only to Mook. Sakdee also had a score range of just 13 strokes, the lowest on the team, among players who played more
than 15 rounds.
The two most effective golfers from last year's team are back for coach Erin O'Neil, and she adds a complement of sophomores who are now much more poised and polished than they were last year.
Pitsinee Winyarat leads that group. She is the only sophomore that recorded a round under par as a freshman last year, and her average stroke number and highest finish are both second among sophomores. Her biggest problem last year was consistency — she had a shot range of 18 strokes — but with one more year under her belt, she seems to have figured out those issues.
Sophomore Kallie Gonzales also returns to the team. She is first among sophomores in average strokes and highest finish. She also had 80 percent of her rounds counted last year, third among returning players.
The Jayhawks also add three talented freshmen to bolster an already deep rotation of golfers. Freshman Laine Evans, a Wichita native, shot a 10 over par in her first collegiate tournament. She joined Mook as the two Jayhawks in the top 20 in individual scoring.
Despite some losses from last year, coach O'Neil has her team primed for an even better season. With experience and talent to spare, the Jayhawks seem prepared for a successful 2015-16 campaign.
Edited by Dani Malakofi
HCCY MINEAR/KANSAN
Junior shortstop Chaley Brickey throws the ball to first base in the first game in the series against Texas at Arrocha Field on March 26.
Softball brings in more talent to a strong team
NICK GEIDNER
@nickgeidner
The layhawks are looking forward to another season with an even more experienced roster as they open their 2016 season at home against Baker University on Oct.1.
ward to another season with an even more experienced roster as they open their 2016 season at home against Baker University on Oct. 1. Seven starters will return for this years upcoming season, including All-Big 12 First Team selection Chaley Brickey and Daniella Chaves, who shared the title last year of Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Instead of focusing on the returning players who helped the Jayhawk reach their second straight NCAA tournament last season, let's take a look at the newest members of the Jayhawk family. Coach Megan Smith said she believes that transfers Jordan Zolman and Andie Formby will be key to this year's success.
"They will both add valuable experience and depth to an
already talented roster," Smith said in a news release.
After spending her last two seasons playing infield as a Missouri Tiger, Zolman joined Kansas as a junior.
"I chose KU because of the family atmosphere and it felt like home," Zolman said. Smith hopes Zolman will add a "powerful bat" to the Jayhawk's lineup. During her sophomore year at Missouri, Zolman proved her batting skills by posting a .346 batting average along with a .645 slugging percentage
"She [Zolman] has pure power and has been successful against some of the top pitchers and teams in the country," Smith said. "It will be exciting to see what she can do in a Jayhawk jersey."
Along with the signing of Zolman, the Jayhawks also signed a second year transfer in pitcher Andie Formby. Originally playing for the University of Virginia her
freshman year, Formby made appearances in 33 games last season, 24 of those being starts.
While the first home game is still considered a preseason for the jayhawks, Smith, along with others, will be able to get a good look at the strong additions to the team.
Formby chose to hang up her navy and orange uniform and switch to crimson and blue this off season because of Kansas" ability to compete and the high expectations the program had for its student athletes" she said.
Similar to Zolman, Smith said she sees potential in Formby, Pitching 12 complete games for the Cavaliers last year while topping 100 strikeouts during that time (102). Formby is a perfect example of why Smith thinks she will "definitely add experience to our young pitching staff"
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