8B GAME DAY THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007 KU OPENING PITCH STAR WATCH Junior second baseman Ryne Price is peaking at the right time. Before Wednesday's game against Kansas Price Wesleyan, Price had at least one hit in the Jayhawks' last four games. That streak included two doubles. four RBI and three home runs. Price has started all 34 games this season and his seven homers leads the team. QUESTION MARK Kansas pitching as a whole. In the last week, the offense is showing familiar signs of consistency, but the pitching is still a toss-up. Coach Ritch Price discussed how difficult it is for his hitters to continuously face a multiple-run deficits. In the last four games, no starting pitcher has escaped with less than four runs allowed as the team ERA creeps closer to five. 3 REASONS KUWINS ONE — Paul Smyth The sophomore closer has been lights out with a 1.61 ERA in 18 appearances. The walk-off home run he surrendered at Missouri on Sunday was the first home run Smyth allowed this season, a rarity not likely to be repeated this weekend. TWO — The Price boys Due to an injury, Ryne Price played very little in last year's series against Texas, and never had the chance to hit. As a freshman, Robby Price has also yet to try his hand at Texas pitching. The brothers may turn out to have a secret weapon type of effect. THREE — Hoglund Ballpark Though Texas swept Kansas last season, they couldn't do the same on Kansas'turf the year before that. This is the Longhorns first trip back to the "Hog" since losing the series to the Jayhawks in 2005. UNDER PRESSURE Jayhawks look to build momentum against favored Longhorns KANSAS VS.TEXAS 3 p.m. Today/ 1 p.m. Saturday, Hoglund Ballpark Kansas 17-19,3-7 Big 12 OFFENSE Thought to be the Jayhawks most potent threat when the season started, the Jayhawk offense has not yet hit its stride. Kansas is hitting just .287 as a team, but its 31 homerun total is an accurate precursor as to what the bats can do when they get going. Although they lost three of their last four, the Jayhawks' bats aren't the reason. Against Missouri last weekend, Kansas hung with the Tigers, matching the 11 and 12-hit counts on Saturday and Sunday. Fri day marked the only game in which Kansas was seriously out hit, 15-7. However, that was also the game the Jayhawks won PITCHING Just as the Jayhawk pitching staff takes a step forward, it takes a step-and-a-half back. The starter-closer combo was picture perfect in game one versus Missouri last weekend. Sophomore lefty Nick Czyz scattered four runs throughout a solid six innings. Sophomore closer Paul Smyth took over in the seventh, allowing only one run and picking up his second victory as the Jayhawks came back to win with him on the mound. The rest of the weekend didn't go nearly as smoothly. Saturday starter Zach Ashwood surrendered six runs in his 4.2 inning start while sophomore lefty Andy Marks let eight runs score in his short four-inning start on Sunday. Although the Kansas staff holds a much higher ERA at 5.05 than Texas' 3.37, the Jayhawk pitchers have struck out 55 more batters this season. Texas 27-9,8-2 MOMENTUM Before Kansas took on Kansas Wesleyan last night, the Jayhawks had won just three of their last 10 games. Even though momentum is nowhere near their side, especially in Big 12 Conference play, the Jayhawks are clawing their way through every game. Kansas suffered only one blowout in that 3-7 slide, a 14-4 loss against Oklahoma State on Mar. 23. Besides that game, the average margin of loss in the last 10 games is just over two runs per game. The momentum Kansas gained from coming back on Missouri to win game one last weekend was stripped away by Sunday—sealed with a walk-off homer to end the series in the Tigers' favor. OFFENSE The Longhorns are the second-most dangerous offense in the Big 12 Conference. Entering its series with Kansas, Texas is batting .333 as a team with 274 runs, 401 hits and 38 home runs. The Longhorns are disciplined at the plate with 158 walks, which is tops in the conference, and only 205 strikeouts. Texas is also aggressive on the base paths with 58 total stolen bases. The Longhorns are coming off a 14-9 victory against UT-San Antonio on Tuesday. It was the 12th time this season the Longhorns scored in double-digits and tied their second-highest scoring output of the season. Right fielder Kyle Russell leads the nation in home runs with 18, but he isn't Texas's only weapon. Every Longhorn with more than 30 at-bats is hitting over 275. — Alissa Bauer PITCHING texas has found an effective one punch in starting pitchers James Russell and Adrian Alaniz. Alaniz has a 1.75 ERA and, combined, with Russell they are 1.5-3 with 105 strikeouts to 31 walks. With eight wins, Alaniz is on the Boyd's World national leaderboard for victories. He was also last week's Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and has one shutout on the season. As impressive as Alaniz is as a starter, closer Randy Boone is equally so at the end of games. He appears on the Boyd's World national leaderboard with eight saves and 20 appearances. However, Boone does have an 0-5 record and a .277 BAA, so he isn't untouchable. Texas' weakest pitching link has been its third starter. Joseph Krebs is the latest pitcher the Longhorns have used to complete their weekend rotation. MOMENTUM Texas has had no trouble taking the first two games of its three-game series this season, but clinching sweeps has proved troublesome. Six times this year, the Longhorns have won the first two games of a series, but in four of those six series, they've failed to win game three. Nevertheless winning weekend series is the key in college baseball and Texas has become proficient in that area. Texas hasn't lost a weekend series since its Feb. 9-11 series with Long Beach State. The Longhorns have been 23-5 ever since and have won 13 of their last 15 games. Shawn Shroyer UT OPENING PITCH STAR WATCH Kyle Russell, sophomore right fielder, is on a torrid pace. He currently leads college baseball with 18 home runs and a .902 slugging percentage. His 107 total bases and 1.388 OPS also register on the Boyd's World national leaderboard. If a base is open, the Jayhawks could be wise to give Russell the ole intentional walk as often as possible. Russell QUESTION MARK With Texas' consistent success in the first two games of three-game series, its focus has shifted to game three. The third spot in the rotation appears to be Joseph Krebs' to lose, but he's struggled in his last two starts. In his starts in Texas' final games with Kansas State and Oklahoma he's allowed seven runs in eight innings and the Longhorns lost both games. 3 REASONS UTWINS ONE — James Russell He pitched six innings against the Jayhawks on Thursday and got the victory. He gave up five hits, four runs and hit one batter — Ryne Price. After game one, his record is now 7-2. TWO — Adrian Alaniz He brings a 1.75 ERA and an 8-1 record into today's match-up as the starter. On the season, he's only given up eight total hits for extra bases. — six doubles, one triple and one home run. Alainz has struck out 50 batters so far this season. THREE — Randy Boone If Kansas doesn't jump on Texas early, it's highly unlikely the Jayhawks will be able to mount any late-inning comebacks against Boone. He has struck out a in 36 innings. Though his record is 0-5, he has accumulated eight saves. JAYHAWK STATS
TOP 5 HITTERSBARHRRBISLG%
Jr. LF John Allman.36423026.483
Sr. CF Kyle Murphy.32333318.477
Jr. 2B Ryne Price.29931719.607
Jr. SS Erik Morrison.29325629.504
So. C Buck Afenir.27831018.361
TOP 5 PITCHERSW-LERAIPKBB
Andres Esquibel4-36.1038.13217
Wally Marciel3-25.3432.02712
Andy Marks3-32.0242.15316
Zach Ashwood3-35.8944.14220
Paul Smith2-11.6128.0276
PITCHING MATCH-UPS Ashwood Zach Ashwood 3-3 vs. Adrian Alaniz 8-1 Alaniz Junior lefty Zach Ashwood will have his hands full this afternoon against visiting right-hander Adrian Alaniz. Alaniz's 1.75 ERA not only leads the Longhorns' starters, but ranks quite a bit higher than Ashwood's 5.89 ERA. Alaniz's 190 opponent batting average has a big hand in the Longhorns' keeping a low. 251 opposing batting average as a staff. Ashwood has only allowed four more home runs than Alaniz this season, while racking up 42 strikeouts to 20 walks. Unlike Ashwood, or any other Longhorn, Alaniz has already thrown two complete games this season. LONGHORN STATS TOP 5 HITTERS BA R HR RBI SLG% Bradley Suttle .424 32 9 43 .735 Chance Wheeless .382 25 1 20 .545 Jordan Danks .360 38 2 23 .504 Kyle Russell .359 38 18 42 .915 Travis Tucker .338 28 1 26 .383 TOP 5 PITCHERS W-L ERA IP K BB Adrian Alaniz 8-1 1.75 56.2 50 12 James Russell 7-2 3.20 64.4 55 19 Joseph Krebs 4-0 3.19 48 38 7 Austin Wood 4-0 3.50 46.1 25 10 Hunter Harns 2-0 6.60 15.0 10 4 1 10 1