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Hill
"If we win the first two games, then absolutely we'll go out there and go for the jugular," Price said. "But any time you talk about sweeping you set yourself up for failure on the weekend. We want to play hard each day and win each day to win the series."
Kansas State (21-18, 6-12 Big 12) is no longer the doormat of the Big 12. The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight games, highlighted by taking two out of three from Texas A&M last weekend. That triumph moved them into the eighth place in the conference, which would allow them to be the last team into the Big 12 Tournament next month.
The Wildcats are led by second-year coach Brad Hill, who was hired to build the program from the ground up. He won the 2003 Division II National Championship at Central
SPORTS
Missouri State before taking the job at Kansas State. Before that, Hill was the hitting coach for the Jayhawks from 1991-1994, helping the team to reach its only College World Series in 1993.
On offense, senior outfielder Terry Blunt paces the Wildcats. Plugged into the leadoff spot in most games, Blunt is batting .348 and has an on-base percentage of .426.
Junior right Adam Cowart anchors the Kansas State pitching staff. In 10 starts, he has a record of 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA. He also has struck out 46 batters while walking only seven.
Kansas junior outfielder A.J. Van Slyke said that he and his teammates would be ready to slug it out with K-State.
"We know we can hit," Van Slyke said. "We need to pick up the pitchers if they're struggling or the defense when it's struggling. Eventually everything will come together."
One important piece of the puzzle is junior closer Don Czyz. He has struggled lately but
SERIES STARTERS
The following is a list of the starting pitchers for the Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State. The first game will be at 6:30 tonight in Manhattan. The Jayhawks will return to Lawrence for the final two games, a 7 p.m. start tomorrow and a 2 p.m. game on Sunday.
Starter Record ERA
♦ Today: RHP Kodiak Quick (KU) 6-4 3.75
RHP Chase Mitchell (KSU) 4-5 5.68
♦ Tomorrow: LHP Mitch Walter (KSU) 2-3 4.37
RHP Tyson Corley (KU) 1-0 4.64
♦ Sunday: RHP Adam Coward (KSU) 6-2 4.06
LHP Mike Zagurski (KU) 4-4 5.19
Source: Kansas and Kansas State athletics departments
looked impressive in closing out the game against New Mexico State on Tuesday. He kept the Aggies off the scoreboard in two innings of work.
Czyz said he was starting to come around after the New Mexico State game.
I nud some tough times last week, with a blown save and two losses, a lot of earned runs and hits," Czyz said. "I hope I'm back on track now, and the way my stuff was tonight, I think I am."
"I told him in the airport on Sunday that a year ago he had two or three bad outings and then went out against Missouri and closed out two victories." Price said. "He was lights out the rest of the season. Hopefully that game will get him going in
that direction."
Edited by Azita Tafreshi
"I had the choice of going to Drake or Penn, because Drake is my home meet," Emsick said. "It would have been big to go back home and go to Drake. Penn is the biggest meet of the
inches. Her performance left her ranked fourth in the Big 12.
year, and I've never been to that."
Athletics director Lew Perkins held the position of associate athletics director at the University of Pennsylvania for three and a half years and oversaw the Penn relays.
Track
"The Penn Relays is the premier track event in the nation," Perkins said. "The Kansas Relays was once equal, but in the last 10 to 15 years,
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said.
the Penn Relays have passed them."
Kim Clark, Aaron Thompson and Ekaterina Sultanova head up the group of the Jayhawks traveling to the Drake Relays. Another premier relay meet, the Drake Relays will feature athletes from Top 25 teams such as Alabama, Georgia and Baylor.
Perkins said that the Penn Relays set the standard for collegiate relays in the nation. This is a standard that ever since he arrived at the University of Kansas, he's been trying to meet.
"One thing we want to get back to is the golden days where the Kansas Relays and the Penn Relays were the two best meets in the country," he
Edited by Kendall Dix
Heisman winner signs with Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jason White, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma but was snubbed in the NFL draft, was signed yesterday for a tryout at Kansas City's rookie camp.
White and a number of other rookie free agents will join the Chiefs draft class at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend.
NFL
Yesterday Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said, "(general manager) Carl (Peterson) felt the kid deserved a chance to work in a rookie camp."
White threw for 8,012 yards and 81 touchdowns at Oklahoma, winning the 2003 Heisman.
Doug Tucker/The Associated Press
Bant
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After all, the sweep against Oklahoma was certainly the biggest pair of victories Kansas has enjoyed this season, but they were not the only big victories. Kansas' 5-3 victory at Missouri earlier this month was big, as was Ross' three-hit shutout at Nebraska last week.
But what those victories had in common is that each was followed by a loss. After beating the Tigers, the Jayhawks were swept by the Bears of Baylor, and after shucking the Huskers, they fell to Blue Jays of Creighton.
can beat the best team on a given day. Sustained success, on the other hand, is far more difficult to come by.
Again, it comes back to sustained success — the difference between winning isolated games and winning
consistently.
Following the climactic series last weekend, it would have been easy to come out flat this week in two non-conference double-headers against Arkansas and North Dakota State. Neither of those teams is Oklahoma. Arkansas has twice as many losses as victories, and North Dakota is a .500 team. It would have been easy to not get sufficiently pumped up, to not work hard enough after the epic victories against the Sooners.
But not this time. Kansas swept its double-header against Arkansas on Tuesday and did the same against North Dakota State yesterday. The Jayhawks beat the Razorbacks with their bats, scoring a combined 13 runs during the two games. They beat the Bison with pitching and defense, allowing only two runs the first game and winning with a
shutout in the second.
By sweeping yesterday, the Jayhawks pushed their win streak to six, their largest such streak of the season, and have momentum on their side with five games remaining in the regular season.
"This is the time of the year when you want to be hot," coach Tracy Bunge said after yesterday's victories.
And it's a good thing the Jayhawks are hot, because they'll possibly need to win out for a shot at playing in the postseason. But if they can hit the home runs — like they did with four yesterday — and continue to shut down opposing offenses, well then, five more victories in a row doesn't seem out of the question.
Bant is a Colorado Springs,
Colo., senior in journalism.
TENNIS
Colorado ends Kansas'tennis season in Big 12 tournament
The Kansas tennis season came to an end yesterday, as the Jayhawks fell to the Colorado Buffaloes, 4-2, in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, in Austin, Texas.
Even though it was a disappointing loss, I am happy with how the team competed today," Kansas coach Army Hall-Holt said. "We have had to overcome a lot of obstacles this season, but I am very proud of the effort put forth today."
Kansas (4-17, 3-8 Big 12) lost the doubles point for the eighth consecutive match.
In singles, Kansas earned two victories, courtesy of freshmen Elizaveta Avdeeva and Lauren Hommell.
Avdevea defeated Colorado's Lynzee Kever in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Less than two weeks ago, Kever knocked off Avdevea in three sets.
Hommell disposed of Martina Sedivec, 6-3, 6-2.
The Buffaloes, behind solid team play, maintained the momentum after winning the doubles point.
Kansas, despite high hopes at the start of the season, ended the year on a eight-match losing streak.
Kendra Strandemo ousted Kansas junior Christine Skoda, 6-2, 6-4. Also, Jessica Vanderdys defeated sophomore Brittany Brown, 7-5, 6-2.
Colorado advanced to the second round and will face Nebraska on Friday.
Rahul Sharma
Records
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Offensively, the team got all three runs off solo home runs. Elle Pottort, freshman catcher, made a home run along with Frankenstein and Moppin in the first game. However, Bunge said the team didn't swing the bats well as a whole.
Offensively in game two, the lone run came from Frankenstein, who hit a solo home run in the third inning. Nettie Fierros, junior third baseman, was the only other Jayhawk to get a hit in the second game.
Though players broke Kansas records all day, Bunge said the team played flat in both games. She said she felt the team survived the day and was fortunate to win.
"We didn't come to play." she said.
The Jayhawks will head back to Big 12 Conference play in Lubbock, Texas, where Kansas will take on Texas Tech in a weekend series.
"We need to finish out strong and hope the ball bounces our way," Bunge said of the remaining six games for the regular season.
Frankenstein said the team was heading to Lubbock with confidence after winning its last six games. First pitches are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Edited by Laura Francoviglia