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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017
McLaughlin, Denzer come up clutch in KU baseball win
Freshman pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn throws a pitch on Feb. 21 against Omaha. The Jayhawks defeated the Mavericks 11-1.
MITCH GEORGE @MitchLGeorge
W with dark skies and lightning descending
upon Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, Kansas baseball fans hoped that the impending weather wasn't a metaphor for the end of the game against the Missouri State Bears.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, with Kansas playing the field and Missouri State runners on both first base and second, this metaphor flirted with fruition.
Newly-anointed saves record holder Stephen Villines manned the pitching mound, and he proved that he was the right man for the job.
Kansas had recorded two outs in the inning, but the runner on second base represented the tying run. Due to the severe weather quickly approaching, they needed to swiftly retire the opposing batter to avoid the possibility of extra innings.
By striking out the Bears' left fielder Alex Jefferson, Villines clinched the game for Kansas by a final score of 4-2 while adding another save to his program-leading total to 33.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
To counteract the forecast of poor weather, first pitch was moved from 6:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Freshman right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn received the starting nod for Kansas, but he was limited to an undisclosed pitch count as he is scheduled to start in place of injured starting pitcher Sean Rackoski on Sunday.
Zeferjahn pitched three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and two walks. He was replaced by junior left-hander Jeider Rincon in the fourth inning after throwing 55 pitches.
Guys came out of the bullpen and did exactly what we asked of them, and I couldn't be more pleased."
Ritch Price Kansas coach
group has pitched the last two games."
"After [Zeferjahn's] three innings of work, it was a complete team effort," Kansas coach Ritch Price said in a Kansas Athletics news release. "Guys came out of the bullpen and did exactly what we asked of them, and I couldn't be more pleased with how that
Zeferjahn gave Kansas a solid outing given his parameters, but the Jayhawks received their biggest boost from junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, who posted his 10th multi-hit game on the season, went 4-for-5 at the plate, including a double and a home run. He drove in one run and scored twice as he contributed half
of the team's total hits.
McLaughlin put forth Kansas' most consistent effort on the day, but the most important clutch atbat of the game was credited to sophomore utility player Ty Denzer.
With two outs in the eighth inning and runners on first base and second, Denzer stroked a single up the middle that plated the runner from second base, junior catcher Tanner
Gragg. On the game-tying play, freshman outfielder Brett Vosik advanced to third. The ensuing pitch from the Missouri State pitcher was thrown to the backstop, and Vosik was able to dash home to score another run and put Kansas up by a score of 3-2.
Gragg was again a factor in the ninth inning when he was asked to lay down a bunt and execute a safety squeeze with McLaughlin
on third. After bunting the ball toward the first base side of the diamond, McLaughlin scored the insurance run to increase the Jayhawk lead to two.
The Jayhawks (13-15 overall, 3-3 Big 12) will look to build on their three-game winning streak when they travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, for three games against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday.
Maicke: Stephenson's layup was great, stop complaining about it
▶ MIKE MAICKE
@MI Maicke
Indiana guard Lance Stephenson celebrates after the Pacers beat the Raptors.
Oh no, it's happened again! A basketball player having to apologize for playing basketball.
Just in case you weren't watching Tuesday's matchup between the Raptors and the Pacers, Indiana guard Lance Stephenson was confronted by multiple Raptors players and called out in the locker room for going up for a layup at the end of a game that the Pacers were already winning, 106 to 90.
Associated Press
Stephenson gingerly trotted to the uncontested Toronto basket and peacefully laid the ball in.
I thought it was hilarious. I thought it was great, but the Raptors surely and visibly took objection. DeMar DeRozan and P.J. Tucker immediately got in Stephenson's face and gave him a few gentle shoves. Stephenson, in vintage Stephenson fashion, looked like he had absolutely no idea what was going on and why they were upset.
After the game, DeRozan called the play "disrespectful to the game," while PJ Tucker followed suit saying the layup was "tasteless" and "classless."
This is the same garbage that Kansas coach Bill Self and Kansas State were complaining about last year when Brannen Greene dunked the ball at
Oh boo-hoo.
the' end of a game where the Jayhawks were ahead.
If you don't want someone to score, stop them from scoring.
"I didn't mean no harm, the crowd was chanting me on and I just wanted to do it for the fans."
Lance Stephenson Indiana guard
I'm sorry, Self and DeRozan, but I, for the life of me, can't find the life of Dr. Neismith's rules that state "the ball must be held in your hand and not scored if you are winning, as to not hurt the feelings of other college and professional
athletes."
After the game, Stephenson came out and said, "I didn't mean no harm, the crowd was chanting me on and I just wanted to do it for the fans."
I'm not buying that either, Lance. This is the same Raptors team that knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs last season. The layup was malicious and all of the Pacers appreciated it, I'm sure.
There is no sort of code that Stephenson violated here. It's not Greene's fault K-State walked off the floor before the game was over.
And that's just fine! But god forbid athletes show emotion when it could hurt the feelings of the competition.
As an athlete in any
level, you are taught from a very young age to fight with everything you've got until you hear the whistle, not to give it your all only when you won't somehow offend the team you're playing.
Was it necessary?
Technically no. Not at all.
Indiana was seconds from victory and the game was out of reach. But was it something that I, as a coach, would appreciate?
Absolutely.
So thanks, Lance you're a beacon of emotion and competition in a dark era of postgame hugs and participation trophies.
Edited by Frank Weirich
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Bill Self and Frank Mason III walk off the court after Senior Night.
Frank Mason III wins NABC Player of the Year award; Bill Self given Champion Award
AMIE JUST @Amie_Just
Mere hours after winning the James Naismith Trophy, Frank Mason III walked away with another player of the year honor on Sunday.
This time, Mason won the top award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Mason finished his senior campaign averaging 20.9 points,5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He finished his career at sixth in the Kansas program leaderboards in both points and assists.
Mason is the fourth Jayhawk to win the award. Kansas legend Danny Manning won the NABC's top honor in 1988. Drew Gooden and Duke's Jay Williams tied for the award in 2002 and Nick Collison took home the award in 2003.
Mason wasn't the only
Jayhawk honored at the NABC Guardians of the Game Show on Sunday. Coach Bill Self was given the Champion Award, an honor bestowed on a college coach who "has shown extraordinary leadership and a commitment to the American Cancer Society's mission of saving lives against cancer through fundraising, education, and promotional initiatives." The Champion Award, according to the NABC, is the highest honor within the Coaches vs. Cancer program.
Mason is en route to a possible clean sweep of national player of the year awards. There is one more national player of the year award left: the Wooden Award. He's also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, an accolade given to the best point guard in the country.
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