Drake University will be the soccer team's first competitor in an exhibition,game tonight in Des Moines, Iowa.
LOVE'S
The volleyball team will start its season Saturday with a match against the most recent volleyball alumni. 10A
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 12A
>> ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Student ticket prices rise
BY C.J. MOORE
Sports packages become more expensive, more home games to be included
For the first time in five years, the University of Kansas Athletics Department increased the price for a student sports package by $25.
A sports package includes
a ticket to every home football game at Memorial Stadium and gives students an opportunity to pick up men's basketball tickets, which are distributed throughout the season.
The package, once $125, now costs $150. The Athletics Department came to an agreement with Student Senate last spring to increase the fee. The University still provides some of the cheapest tickets to football and men's basketball games in the Big 12, even with the increase.
"Our feeling is we want to
keep it as inexpensive as we can for the students. The students are an important part of the crowd at Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse," Jim Marchiony, associate athletic director, said.
SEE TICKETS ON PAGE 11A
big 12 student ticket prices
Even after the price increase, Kansas still offers one of the cheapest ticket packages to sporting events in the Big 12 Conference. A look other schools.
*Oklahoma State — $340
*Oklahoma — $280
Kansas State — $240 to $270
**Baylor — $270
Texas A&M — $247.50
Iowa State — $190
*Nebraska — $172
Kansas — $150
Colorado — $95
Texas — $130
***Texas Tech — $50
- Basketball and football sold
BASEBALL
separately
** Includes access to Student Life
Center
*** All students must pay fee.
Source: University athletics dearths
Jayhawks reflect on summer leagues
Experiences range from Minnesota to Alaska
BY ALISSA BAUER
The Jayhawks' baseball season ended June 4, but the team's players jumped right into playing for summer league teams around the country
Junior outfielder Brock Simpson's summer team, the Duluth Huskies
Junior outfit summer team, the of the Northwoods League in Minnesota,opened its season June 1.
playing for the San Diego Mavericks. He said he spent his summer doing more than just baseball. Baseball was the focus, but not nearly the way it is in Lawrence.
"It's pretty much just getting guys and umps on the field for games," Morrison said. "Which is all I needed."
"For me it was more like I needed a day off, not a break," Simpson said. "If I took a week off from baseball, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
"For me it was more like I needed a day off, not a break. If I took a week off from baseball, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
Simpson joined the Huskies after Kansas ended its postseason run and returned just days before classes began Thursday.
BROCK SIMPSON Junior outfielder
Unlike Simpson, junior second baseman Ryne Price headed back to Lawrence Aug. 2 and said he didn't even touch a baseball until Wednesday.
While Simpson played in Minnesota and another group of teammates played in California, others went to more exotic places. Price, along with junior outfielder John Allman, spent his summer playing for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in Alaska.
Price said Alaska's bright sunlight lasts until approximately 3 a.m. every day.
He hung foil on the window to keep the sun out long enough to get some sleep. Foiled windows combined with hard-to-find Web sites and outdated stats highlight the difference between school and summer ball.
Junior third baseman Erik Morrison returned to his home state.
For one player, it was a chance to spend some time closer to home.
Even though the Huskies finished first in Northwoods League North Division, Simpson's second summer may not have been as beneficial as his first.
"For me as a freshman, I didn't play every day by
any means," Simpson said. "So I played summer ball, and I came back a much better ball player my sophomore year."
Even as a frequent starter and part-time leadoff hitter last season, he believes strongly in the importance of summer ball. He added many of his teammates in Duluth play for other Big 12 schools during the regular season.
He even had a chance to play against fellow Jayhawk Preston Land. Land's Alexandra Beetles took on the Huskies eight times this summer. Simpson remembered hoping his buddy would get hits when he came up, even though they were opponents.
"The difference between school ball and summer ball is when they're at bat for Nebraska or whoever," Simpson said of his teammates. "I'm hoping they get out."
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
》FOOTBALL
Jared Gab/KANSAN
Eric Washington, Detroit senior, and sophormores Mike Rivera, Shawnee Mission, and Joe Mortensen, Concord, Calif., are competing for the three starting spots at linebacker. These spots were vacated by last year's graduating seniors.
Linebackers ready to play
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
The beat goes on — or at least that's the talk surrounding this season's linebacking corps.
Whether or not this group can step in and fill the void created by the graduation of last season's three top tacklers — Nick Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane — is one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Kansas football team this season.
Despite losing all three starting linebackers from last year's squad, this year's replacements think they'll be able to step in and fill the void.
While not the most experienced group on the defensive unit, Kansas
coach Mark Mangino said the group has what it takes to be successful.
"They are an athletic and fast group of kids with a nasty streak to them," Mangino said. "I have an idea of one or two who might win starting jobs, but I can't tell you for sure."
Although no starters have been announced, it's believed that senior Eric Washington, sophomores Mike Rivera, James Holt and Joe Mortensen and redshirt freshman Jake Schermer are all in the mix for the three vacant starting spots. Nearly all saw time with the firstteam defense in an open practice Aug. 5.
While none of the candidates
for the three starting spots saw significant time on defense last year, all but Shermer saw the field in certain defense alignments or special teams.
The fact that they've seen time on the field has made the returners, like Rivera, more hungry for playing time.
As a redshirt freshman, Rivera played in all 12 games, recording 20 tackles, the most of any returning linebacker. Holt was one of just three freshmen to play last season, he finished last season with six tackles.
"We've been around here for a while." Rivera said. "We're just in a hurry to get in there this year and
"He's earned it," Mangino said. "He's a 100 percent player every snap. He's getting better and better and he's competing for a position over there."
do a lot of good things."
Schermer might be the most surprising potential starter considering he's never played a down of collegiate football. After playing on the scout team last season, Mangino said Schermer has a shot at a starting spot.
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneder@kansan.com.
- Edited by Erin Wiley
FOOTBALL
Kansas State to receive coaching assistance from former NFL coordinators
Ron Prince, Kansas State football coach, plans to utilize the talents of former NFL coordinators to improve the team. Prince hired James Franklin to work on offense and Raheem Morris to work on defense.
BY SHAWN SHROYER
It's been nearly nine months since Kansas State last took the field. Since then, several players have left and a new coaching staff has been hired, but one thing hasn't changed.
Kansas State finished sixth in the Big 12 North in 2005 and conference media has predicted that the Wildcats will do the same in 2006 under new head coach Ron Prince.
Prince, however, has different aspirations.
We came here to win champions and to compete for the title.
To make Kansas State an elite program once again, Prince and a pair of coordinators with NFL experience will work with the team.
prince said. "And so that's what our objective is, and that's what our plan is, and I think our players have been steadfast with that, and we are not going to be distracted."
James Franklin, a wide receiver coach for the Green Bay Packers last season, will take over the Wildcat offense, and Raheem Morris, who spent the last four years working for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, will coordinate the Wildcat defense.
1
As a result, Kansas State will run more spread formations on offense and zone schemes on defense. However, Prince wants Kansas State to remain a physical program and maintain the characteristics that defined Kansas State at the height of the Bill Snyder era.
"The main difference that I can see is that in 2003, Kansas State had a fast team," Prince said. "If you go all the way down the roster, all of the players that played, these players have played at a very fast rate and they were decisive players because they knew exactly how to run the play."
While some players like what they see so far from the new regime, others have decided to move on. Since April, eight players have left the program.
Freshman quarterback Kevin Lopina was the first to go. Not far behind were senior quarterback Allen Webb, sophomore quarterback Allan Evridge, freshman running back Courtney Greer, freshman wide receiver Val Taylor, sophomore wide receiver Ro Grigsby, freshman tight end Nate Prater and sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt.
SEE KANSAS STATE ON PAGE 11A
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