Tuesday, August 24.1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B • Page 3
Baseball coach optimistic about season
By Joel Francis
sports@kanson.com
Kanson sportswriter
Expect some new faces when the Kansas baseball team takes the field.
Eighteen players will join the roster and try to erase last season's disappointing 14-40 (4-26 in the Big 12 Conference) record.
Though practice won't start until Sept. 8, coach Bobby Randall said he feels good about the team.
The team finished last year with the most losses in school history, but the core of last year's squad, combined with the new players should give the team more depth and competition, Randall said.
"I feel better at this point in the fall than in other years," said Randall, who is entering his fifth season as head coach. "Already this has been a better fall from a talent and numbers standpoint."
"What I hope the recruiting class does is fill in the holes for competition," Randall said. "In the last couple years we've lost key players to
injury before the season started and we never compensated. Hopefully now we have the depth so the injuries won't be so devastating."
One of the new faces is right-handed pitcher Jim Caine. Caine, a freshman, was the Illinois Player of the Year last spring as he helped his high school team win the state championship.
"I just want some experi-
Randall: Hopes team will qualify for regional tournament
some experience and to improve on my skills," Caine said. "I am not going to sell myself short or let the team down."
Outside expectations for Caine may be high, but Randall said he is not pressuring him.
"Right now he doesn't need to be our savior," Randall said. "He just needs to learn."
Caine was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 10th round of the June baseball draft. The choice between going pro and going to school was a difficult one for Caine, but he thinks he made the right choice.
"KU offers me more of a team atmosphere," Caine said. "It's something I believe in, that's hard to let go of. In the minors, you're looking to beat the guy ahead of you, and the guy below you is working to beat you. I want to work as a team member."
Junior Pete Smart is the only returning left-handed pitcher for Kansas this season. Smart pitched in St. Cloud, Minn., in the North Woods League during the summer.
"I had a good summer," Smart said. "I became a better pitcher. I worked on my off-speed pitches and in the course started to throw harder."
Despite the loss of five seniors, Randall remains confident in his team's defense.
" our starting rotation remains intact," he said. "O'Neal and Olson,
our top relievers are back, plus we have some fresh junior college and freshman arms. With the new players in the mix, we should have more experience in the infield and outfield, with some competition at several positions."
Putting last season behind them team members also have high expectations for this season.
I want to make it to the regional tournament," Smart said. "That means we will have to place in the top four or five in the conference, and win 25 to 30 games."
—Edited by Jennifer Roush
Student wants bring ice hockey to Kansas
By Scott Kirsch
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Three of these four are part of Kansas tradition, but Ty Abrahamson wants to make hockey one too.
Wheat. Basketball. Bob Dole. Hockey?
Abrahamson, an Olathe senior, said that Kansas has had a hockey club before, but financial problems led to its demise three to four years ago. Abrahamson hopes to resurrect it.
"I really want to spread hockey awareness," Abrahamson said. "I would like to see us play other schools and have a booster club."
The idea began last year, when a friend of him from Michigan suggested it. Abrahamson then got the puck sliding last March, and hopes hockey will become an officially recognized sports club by next month.
Rick Rosenstengle, the associate director for
Recreation Services, said that the University could grant Abrahamson's wish.
"We really haven't gotten very far as of now, but it should happen soon." Stenestengle said.
Although Abrahamson is originally from South Dakota, he learned to play hockey here in the Lawrence and Kansas City area. Much of his learning has taken place in the last four to five years at Ice Sports Kansas City.
"I've always loved hockey." Abrahamson said. "It's really the best sport. It's fast, fun, and a good workout."
Ice Sports, where tryouts will be held in a couple of weeks, is about a 25-30 minute drive from Lawrence and is located on Kansas Highway 7 and Johnson Drive. Tryouts will begin either Wednesday or Thursday of the second week of school.
whether Abrahamson's team is recognized by the University as a sport club, his team will
begin play this fall in a men's league at Ice Sports, although both men and women are welcome to try out. The team will compete in the league's Division A.
Abrahamson also has a coach lined up, although it is not a done deal, and also would like to see the team play at the Topeka Expocentre.
Students interested in playing for Abrahamson's team can call him at 830-0083, or e-mail him at mryoda@eagle.cc.ukans.edu.
—Edited by Jennifer Roush
Barnett breaks Big 12 soft non-conference trend
Continued from page 1B
"For this football team, this is a perfect schedule to play," Missouri sports information director, Bob Brendel, said. "We needed to soften our schedule since the last couple of years have been brutal. This is not a year where we're going to contend for a national championship."
Contending for a national championship was exactly what the Kansas State Wildcats were doing last season. The Wildcats started the season 11-0, but were behind the other undefeated teams in the nation, Tennessee and UCLA, in the BCS standings, primarily because of their strength of schedule.
Although K-State's weak non-conference slate hurt its strength of schedule ranking, Wildcats coach Bill Snyder thinks that belonging to the Big 12 Conference is a big enough obstacle for his team to overcome.
"The competitive level of this conference is very high from top to bottom," Snyder said. "Any football team in the conference can beat any other team in the conference on any given day."
This season K-State will play Temple, Texas-El Paso, and Utah State in its nonconference schedule. While Snyder believes a team's schedule should not dictate whether or not it plays for a national title, he believes the current BCS system is the best way to determine a champion.
"I can't complain about the system because I can't put an idea on the board that's better than the one we have," Snyder said.
Beating up on weaker non-conference teams is also a way for teams that most likely will not contend for a national championship, like Iowa State and Kansas, to gain much-needed confidence and victories. Iowa State plays Nevada-Las Vegas, a team that finished 0-11 last season, while Kansas plays Cal-State Northridge, a division LAA foe, in 1999.
"Knowing we can win games is really important when you haven't turned the corner yet," Iowa State coach, Dan McCarney, said. "The non-conference part of the season is going to be very important to us."
Edited by Matt James
Kansas defensive back Chad Coellier tackles a Colorado receiver during the Jayhawks matchup with the Buffaloes last year. Colorado scheduled a tougher non-conference schedule this season compared to a much easier schedule in past years.
KANSAN file photo
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