THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
10.
MEN'S GOLF | 10A Jayhawks take ninth place Kansas ends the Big 12 Championships with an overall score of 317.
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 12A
FOOTBALL FLIP-FLOP
Sophomore quarterback Kale Pick runs down the field after a reception Nov. 20, 2010 against Oklahoma State.Pick had two receptions for nine yards during the game and changed to receiver full time in the offseason
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
He turned down Arkansas and the SEC out of high school, instead choosing the crimson and blue and Mark Mangino's pass-happy attack at Kansas. He redshirted in 2008 and backed up Todd Reesing in 2009, when he was placed as Reesing's No.2.
Then things changed for Kale Pick. His head coach, Mark Mangino, resigned following the 2009 season and Pick's future was suddenly up in the air. After a quarterback battle last spring, head coach Turner Gill made
the redshirt sophomore from Dodge City his guy. Pick had accomplished his goal of being the starting quarterback at the University of Kansas, albeit after a far different journey than he probably imagined.
The story was complete. And then a new coach brought new perspectives which inevitably changed Pick's Kansas football career forever.
Pick barely lasted three quarters in the 6-3 opening week loss to North Dakota State. He was relieved by freshman Jordan Webb and didn't start another game all season. Relegated to the end of the bench, nobody was really sure
what the future held for Pick. His attempt to be the next Todd Reesing fell short, so he took the Kerry Meier route. Meier — now a receiver for the Atlanta Falcons — lost the quarterback battle to Reesing in 2007 and switched to wide receiver shortly after, eventually becoming the school's all-time receptions leader. The comparisons between Pick and Meier are common.
"I actually kind of like it," Pick said of the comparisons. "It makes me more competitive. Not with the receivers out here, but knowing what he's done and trying to be as good as him and hopefully be as successful as he is."
It wasn't a seamless transition to receiver, though. Pick admitted he wasn't in love with the idea at first. Coach Gill gave him a few days to think about it, and Pick accepted the challenge. His initial skepticism about the switch ended some time in the off-season while working with quarterbacks Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham. The quarterbacks would throw it his way and Pick would make plays. Things seemed to click.
"In the winter season me and Jordan and Quinn had a lot of work," he said. "A lot of timing with routes and stuff, so I think the hard work and my athletic ability are transferring to receiver."
Kerry Meier made a living at picking up tough third down conversions. He could find the hole in the defense and park there, seemingly knowing what the quarterback was thinking at all times. Pick isn't sure what his role will be as receiver. He's flexible, though.
"I don't like put a stamp on my style of play right now," he said. "If we need a possession receiver on third down I'd like to be that guy to go to. If we need a big play to happen in a game to get us out of a slump or something, I'd like to be that guy too."
- Edited by Brittany Nelson
SOFTBALL
Offense regains strength in doubleheader
Kansas defeated Wichita State on Wedensday
Junior outfielder Liz Kocon bats at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita on Wednesday afternoon. The Kansas Jaywhacks defeated the Wichita State Shockers 11-3 in game one of a doubleheader.
Howard Ting/KANSAN
BY HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
The softball team's offense returned to its powerful and effective playing style in Wednesday evening's doubleheader against Wichita State, leaving with two victories, 11-3 in six innings and 6-3 in the second game. The non-conference evening provided ample opportunity for the Jayhawks to keep their NCAA Regional hopes alive and the strong offensive play was evidence of their will to fight for their regional bid.
The softball team broke the single season home run record of 54 home runs held by the 2005 team. The 5 home runs scored during the doubleheader brought the season total to 59. Junior outfielder Liz Kocon hammered a 3-run homer out of the park in the third inning after hitting the record-breaking home run in the second inning of game one.
"It wasn't just me. It was everybody," Kocon said. "We have just been hitting the ball really well this year."
Sophomore infielder Mariah Montgomery also tallied two home runs in game one and junior infielder Marissa Ingle hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning of the first game. Ingle also had an RBI double added to her record in the fourth inning of the first game, setting the score at 8-1 in Kansas' favor.
The Jayhawk defense kept the Shocker batters out of scoring position. In the bottom of the fifth, the Jayhawks were looking for their final two outs when a hit gave them an out by a catch. The final out came from a chase down
between third base and home plate. Senior catcher Brittany Hile cornered the runner near third base and made a quick toss to Ingle, who tagged out the runner.
In game two, the Jayhawks got off to a slow start, allowing the Shockers to score three runs through the first three innings. In
the bottom of the third, after two allowed runs, the coaching staff changed from freshman pitcher Kristin Martinez in the circle to sophomore Alex Jones.
"I think Alex is just a bull dog," coach Megan Smith said. "When she is out there you are confident that she is going to go right at the hitter."
Jones gave the offense a chance to score six runs through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
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The fifth inning was the most productive for the Jayhawks with four scored runs. Three base hits in a row combined with a string of walks and a hit from Ingle resulted in the four runs.
The defensive strength continued in the second game with multiple double plays, including one to end the game. The batter hit the ball to Montgomery, who snapped the ball to a waiting freshman infielder Ashley
Newman at second base for an out. Newman then threw down to freshman infielder Laura Vickers at first for the double play and the end of the double header.
"We work really hard at practice," Montgomery said. "Coach just hammers fundamentals and working really hard and it is really nice to see us all come together."
Edited by Helen Mubarak
COMMENTARY
Focus on the players not on the scoreboard
A lot has changed in five months. Many members of the 2011 recruiting class arrived on campus in January to participate in spring drills. Prominent players like Kale Pick and Bradley McDougall have settled in at new positions. Pick transitioned from quarterback to wide
and the annual spring game set for Saturday afternoon, fans will get a unique opportunity to see exactly what the Kansas football team has been working on since last November's season finale against Missouri.
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
With off-season practices winding down and the annual
receiver and
Mcdougald is
now a safety,
after beginng
last season
as a wide
receiver.
Gill
Perhaps most importantly, the players and coaches now have a full year of experience with coach Turner Gill's system.
Pick
The transition from Mangino to Gill seemed rocky at best, and the results oftentimes showed that on the field last fall. Fans are eager to get that taste
McDougald
out of their mouths this Saturday at 1 p.m. However, that probably won't be the case. Spring games are an interesting bunch. They can't be judged the way normal games are judged, for obvious reasons.
Take this for example: If Jordan Webb comes out and throws for four touchdowns, was he playing great or was the defense just plain bad? If Keeston Terry gets a couple of interceptions, was he playing great or were the quarterbacks underperforming?
It's a tough question, and one that won't be answered by looking at the scoreboard at the end of the scrimmage. However, there are ways to gauge how the players are doing. Are Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham hitting their receivers in stride? Are the running backs seeing the holes created by the offensive line and getting through them quickly? Also, check to see if both teams are getting plays off on time, or actually getting the play into the huddle on time. The Jayhawks struggled in both areas at different points in 2010.
Those are the types of things fans need to look for on Saturday: individual nuances that are crucial to winning football games. Everything else will be hard to decipher until McNeese State comes to Lawrence on Sept. 3.
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Edited by Jacque Weber