THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
WOMEN'S GOLF | 8A
Underclassmen come up big
Placing sixth in the Baylor Spring Invitational this week, freshmen contributed to the high rank.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13,2011
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PAGE 10A
Jayhawks perform flawlessly
Jayhawks defeat Hawkeyes 12-5 and make most hits and runs of season
BY MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
The Jayhawks' first hit in last night's game against Iowa flew over the left field fence, and junior first baseman Zac Elgie proceeded to take a lap around the bases. Elgie's solo shot to lead off the second inning gave Kansas a 1-0 lead to open the inning, and the Jayhawks ran away with the lead from there.
The Kansas baseball team now sits just one game shy of .500, at 16-17, after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 12-5 in Iowa City, Iowa. The 12-run, 13-hit performance marked the most runs and hits the Jayhawks have had in a game all season.
"We did a nice job of staying off balls out of the zone and getting the ball elevated,"
coach Ritch
Price said.
"We took
the fastball
away, and
that's what
you've got to
do to be successful."
Elgie'ssecond-inninghome run
"Everything was going well; I was throwing a lot of strikes,
"We took the fastball away, and that's what you've go to do to be successful."
with a deep home run to left field. The Jayhawks continued to rally in the inning, and the four-run, three-hit fourth gave the Jayhawks a 6-0 lead.
The Jayhawks' bats never let up, scoring one run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three in the seventh, giving the Jayhawks a 12-0 lead after seven.
Sophomore pitcher Thomas Taylor kept the Hawkeyes silent at the plate. The Hawkeye gave up six hits and struck out five, keeping the Hawkeyes scoreless through the seventh inning.
"When you talk about at-bats, you look at whether it's a quality at-bat or not," Lytle said. "Tonight, the team had one of our best nights for quality at-bats."
sparked the Jayhawks, as senior outfielder Casey Lytle knocked a single up the middle later in the inning and scored off of sophomore second baseman Kevin Kuntz's single through the left side of the infield.
"When you start off the scoring with a homerun, it fires up the dugout, and everyone starts getting into it," Lytle said.
The bats continued to roll in the fourth inning, when sophomore third baseman Jake Marasco led off the inning
"We're still maturing offensively, and I think it's easier for this team, right now, to play with the lead." Price said.
RITCH PRICE Coach
The two-run second inning proved to be exactly what the Jayhawks needed. Kansas is 10-0 this season when leading after the second inning, as opposed to being only 5-17 when tied or trailing after two innings.
and it made it a lot easier that our hiting put up a lot of runs today," Taylor said.
The only hiccup in the game for Kansas came in the eighth
inning, after the Jayhawks had already built their 12-run lead. Junior reliever, Jordan Jakubov, allowed four runs off of three hits in the eighth.
The win continues to add to the momentum that the Jayhawks have recently gathered in Big 12 play. Kansas has won three of the four Big 12 series it's played this season, and this win marks its second road victory of the season.
"The win sets up the weekend to be really special" Price said. "It's rivalry week, and it's going to be a really exciting weekend in Columbia."
The Jayhawks hope to take their added momentum to Columbia this weekend, when they take on rival Missouri.
Edited by Brittany Nelson
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
Freshman shortstop Ka'iana Eldredge sprints down the first base line after hitting a ground ball during the sixth inning of Sunday afternoon's game against Baylor. The Jayhawks beat Iowa State while on the road last night.
SOFTBALL
Jayhawks to face fifth-straight ranked opponent
BY HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
Coach Megan Smith has been working to have sophomore power-hitter Maggie Hull and freshman utility player Laura Vickers collect more at-bats. Hull has been moved into the No. 2 spot in the batting order behind lead-off slapper sophomore Alex Jones. The idea is that Jones will utilize her speed to get on base, and Hull will use her strength to advance Jones into scoring position.
The softball team is coming off of two tough weekend losses to No. 21 Oklahoma State (3-2 and 4-3) and are still searching for their first conference win. This past week was spent tweaking the batting order and defensive positioning.
"I think this line-up is something that is going to work for us," Smith said.
Vickers has been showing potential offensively and is the coaching staff's choice to take over in the sixth spot since Hull
moved up in the lineup. Juinor Liz Kocone holds the designated hitter position, so Vickers has been working to have strong defensive play at first base alternating
with freshman Kendra Cullum.
The lineup change has been effective, but has not been enough to bring home a victory. Against Oklahoma.
"I think this line-up is something that is going to work for us."
MEGAN SMITH Coach
the offense rallied back to avoid being run-ruled in the fifth inning of both games. During the weekend in Stillwater, the batters had a late rally in the seventh inning on Saturday and led the Sunday game by a run going into the seventh inning. However, the team fell short in the bottom of the seventh inning because of two unearned OSU runs.
"It is how we play now," senior Allie Clark said about the defense. "If we make an error, every-
The defense has been steadily improving with the lineup changes. During the weekend series
against OSU, the defense committed a single fielding error.
one is kind of like, "Whoa."
That is not them. They are comfortable out there and they look really good." Today the team will play its mid-week doubleheader
Chris Neal/KANSAN
against No. 24 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. The Texas Tech offense leads the Big 12 with a .371 batting average. In comparison, the Kansas batters are currently hitting .290 and sitting in last place.
The Jayhawks are 27-14 overall and 0-10 in the Big 12. They will continue to search for their first conference victory in Lubbock Wednesday at 3 and 5 p.m.
zanted by Becca Harsch
4
Right fielder Liz Koon hits an Oklahoma State pitch Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, Okonogai had 10 home runs this season and holds a 330 batting average going into today's games.
COMMENTARY
Next year, it will be Taylor's Jayhawks
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
next year. It is the team in rebounding, too. Maybe blocks, probably field goal percentage, and a spot on the All-Big 12 team is hardly out of the question.
Thomas Robinson will lead the Jayhawks in scoring next year. He'll lead the
But if you want to know who will lead the Jayhawks, who will be their guiding conscience, you have to look at - oh, God. You have to look at Tyshwain Taylor.
Because it's his team next year, Taylor will be free of pressure, and that's when he's at his best. Barring a suspension or an injury, he'll start every game. There's no threat of benching for him, even if Josh Selby does return (which, let's be honest, isn't going to happen).
Having a senior point guard be the team leader is a good thing, generally. When the adjectives used to describe your senior point guard are "heart," "grit," "determined" (Remember Sherron?) well, then it's an excellent thing. When those adjectives are more along the lines of "mercurial," "up-and-down," and "inconsistent" (Looking at you, Tyshawn), well, then, yeah, Oh, God.
When your senior point guard has perfected, like Taylor has, that caught-with-the-hand-in-the-cookie-jar smile, it's probably because he's been busted a few too many times. Seriously, ask Taylor about his suspension. He tilts his chin down a little so he has to look up at you, then he gets a lopsided grin on his face before answering.
The answer changes. "I was a bad boy," he told ESPN's Holly Rowe when she asked what it was for, while now he'll just admit that it did him some good, but while still wearing that yeah-I-screwed-up-but-you-know-you-still-love-me look.
I'm not ruling out the possibility that Taylor is exactly the leader a team like Kansas needs. Bill Self is an über-intense coach, particularly in game situations. He loves his team, and that love goes both ways, but on the court it's all business. Taylor provides a foil for that. Self's type A; Taylor's type B. He's going to do some things that make Self turn red and put a hand over his mouth to hide the swear words from the cameras, but that's his style.
No matter what, Taylor is going to have fun on the basketball court. It's what makes him a headache, sure, but it's also what makes him a transcendent talent.
And he's right, sort of. Fans still do love him. Despite the suspension this year and the fights the year before and the list that goes on and on and on regarding off- and on-the-court issues with Taylor, he manages to be loved by the Jayhawk fanbase at large. There are plenty who don't love him, certainly. Actually, he's probably the most polarizing Jayhawk in recent memory.
Taylor could very well flourish next year. Or he could very well falter.
But love him or hate him, this is Taylor's team next year, and it'll be one hell of an entertaining show.
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Edited by Sarah Gregory