kansan.com
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Volume 125 Issue 118
COMMENTARY
Tough games ahead for Kansas
Billy Vanilly opened its doors in Lawrence two years ago, providing cupcakes for dessert aficionados across the city.
If the Kansas basketball team wants cupcakes next season, it should frequent Billy Vanilly, because it won't be getting many cupcakes, also known as easy wins, onits non-conference schedule.
The Jayhawks, while trotting out a brand-new lineup that may include as many as three freshmen starters, will play a neutral-court game against Duke, on the road against Colorado and Florida, and at home against Georgetown. They will also compete in the Battle for Atlantis, which features such teams as Tennessee, Villanova and Iowa. Their mid-major foes are nothing to sneeze at either, as New Mexico and San Diego State will come into town seeking an upset.
Duke and Florida will both likely be preseason top-10 teams. Colorado, Georgetown and New Mexico have a good shot to be ranked. Tennessee and Iowa made the NIT last year, but return most of their respective cores and are safe bets to be NCAA-tournament bound.
The schedule is comparable to Duke's schedule last year, which saw it play against such talent as Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Minnesota and VCU. While Kentucky ended the season floating upside-down at the top of the aquarium, the rest of the teams were contenders throughout the year.
Duke won every one of its non-conference games. Kansas, by all accounts, will not make it through the non-conference schedule unscathed. Duke had senior leaders in Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee, and Seth Curry. Kansas does not have the luxury of senior leadership. Duke had freshman talent, but they were able to defer to the upperclassmen. Kansas' freshmen will have to be alpha dogs almost immediately.
This young team will lose games. Some will be heartbreakers, others may not be as close. They might beat Florida but lose to New Mexico. They could win the Battle for Atlantis, or they could be watching its title game from the stands. However, the outcomes of these early season games are not nearly as important as the lessons learned from them.
If you asked a Blue Devil player whether he would trade the early season prosperity for more wins later in the year, he would either enthusiastically reply in the affirmative or flop to the ground. (With Duke, the latter is always an option.)
Duke knows this best. After its immaculate non-conference performance, Duke proceeded to lose four games in the languid ACC, including games against Virginia and Maryland. The Blue Devils entered the NCAA tournament with about as much momentum as Mark Mangino in a footrace.
Bill Self will have the unenvirable task of telling a group of young guys not to worry about early losses. Freshmen have the tendency to hold onto losses, while the upperclassman have shorter memories. The worst thing that the schedule could do is strip Wayne Selden, Joel Embilid, and the rest of the freshman crew of their confidence.
Self will do all in his power to ensure that doesn't happen.
And if Kansas happens to win most of those games along the way, all the better.
Edited by Megan Hinman
14
SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN
The Jayhawks were all smiles after defeating the Baker Wildcats 8-0 on May 1.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
TITLE IMPLICATIONS
With first place in the Big 12 on the line K-State visits the Hog
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
The Jayhawks are within striking distance heading into the final weekend of Bie 12 conference play.
Kansas State is the final Big 12 opponent on the Jayhawks' radar. The Wildcats, part of the three way tie for first in the conference, are currently second in the nation in batting average. The Jayhawks are riding new found momentum after another solid win over Wichita State.
"I think this team is riding a huge wave right now," coach Ritch Price said. "They're very confident. They're going about their business in a professional way. They
grind everyday and understand the importance of getting reps to improve. It's a very mature team."
The pressure of this weekend's series against Kansas State has been unequalled by any series this season. The Lajayhawks aren't simply playing for first in the Big 12, but their bid to an NCAA regional appearance. Something the team hasn't accomplished since 2009.
The layhawks may not take that knowledge on the field, but the playoff feel entering the weekend is undeniable.
point. We aren't going to let it go without a fight."
"Down the stretch we're looking to win it," sophomore designated hitter Connor McKay said. "It's a playoff mindset every game from here on out for the whole team. We've worked all year to get to this
"He's the best guy in the country," coach Price said. "The whole key to our success this season has been him at the back end of our bullpen."
The Jayhawks have relied on solid pitching and exceptional defense throughout their rise to competing for the Big 12 title. One of the biggest keys to this defensive dominance is junior closer Jordan Piché. The NCBWA Stopper of the Year candidate recorded his Big 12 Leading 10th save against Wichita State.
It takes a special mindset to accomplish that level of success as a closer.
"It takes unbelievable confidence
in yourself", coach Price said. "You look in the big leagues and most guys are high intensity, competitive closers that almost have that football run through the wall mentality when they pitch the ninth inning. But you look at Mariano Rivera and he walks out there calm and collected and he's a thinker and Piche has that same promise about him."
Piché lives for the moment on the mound. Like the rest of the Jayhawks' pitching staff the surge of momentum hasn't been lost on Piché
"Hope is really high right now and guys are rolling really well," Piché said. "We got a lot of guys heating up with the bats and it's carrying over. I think that's a big thing for us and our momentum which is
a big key going into this weekend."
As much as the momentum has affected the Jayhawk lineup, Piche and the pitching staff are sticking to the standard line and not trying to do too much against Kansas State.
"We're just going out there and firing away," Piché said. "We know they're good hitters, but when our pitching staff is on, we can beat anybody. That what the plan is and that's where everyone's head is right now."
Kansas Baseball's Big 12 finale starts with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday against the Wildcats. The Jayhawks' senior right handed pitcher Thomas Taylor takes the mound for game one.
— Edited by Tyler Conover
RISE BALL
Jayhawks end regular season in Ames
JOSEPH DAUGHERTY
jdaugherty@kansan.com
Riding the momentum of the upset of No. 1 Oklahoma, the Jayhawk softball team will finish the regular season at Iowa State with a chance at its best Big 12 finish since 2001.
Last weekend, the Jayhawks hosted the Sooners in what turned out to be just a two-game series due to weather conditions. The Jayhawks split the series with the Sooners, scoring the first ever win against a top-ranked team in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday. The Jayhawks nearly swept the doubleheader against Oklahoma, but two unearned runs in the bottom of seventh allowed the Sooners to take game one.
The Jayhawks will face the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa this weekend in a three-game series with a chance to achieve their best Big 12 finish since 2001. The Jayhawks and the Cyclones have squared off 78 times in a series that dates back to 1980. The Jayhawks lead the all time series 45-33, with an edge in victories at home and on neutral fields. The Jayhawks enter this series once again leading the Big 12 in batting average for the 13th week straight.
Iowa State was voted to finish
seventh in the Big 12 this season but is entering this weekend series in sixth place. The Cyclones are hitting .288 this season, which ranks sixth in the Big 12, Iowa State also entered the week two homeruns shy of the team record of 36. The Cyclones are allowing opponents to hit .342 and are entering this week with a record of 21-31. The inflated numbers the pitching staff has put up this season has offset the Iowa State's potent offense. As a collective staff the ERA is 6.21
"Iowa State is just one of those teams that is very well balanced, offensively, with speed and power," said Coach Megan Smith. "They do a great job of producing runs against anyone. We just have to know that they're going to fight all seven innings and they have the ability to put up runs at any point. We have to make sure our pitching is strong, hitting their spots and keeping them off balance."
Freshman pitcher Kelsey Kessler received the Big 12 pitcher of the week honor for the second time this season. Kessler is the only pitcher to shut out Oklahoma this season and also has two victories against top-25 teams this season. The dynamic duo of Alex Hugo and Maggie Hall is still going strong as both are hitting over 400
and are ranked in top 5 in batting average. Oklahoma is the only other team with two hitters in the top five of batting average.
Though last weekend was a monumental weekend for the Jayhawk softball program, the team wants to focus on what is ahead and not let the upset of Oklahoma be the highlight of the season. The Jayhawks have a chance to be above .500 in Big 12 play for the first time since having a 9-8 conference record in 2005. Kansas also holds a half-game lead over Oklahoma State for fourth place in the conference standings, so if Kansas finishes in fourth, that would be the highest finish since 2001.
"The Iowa State series is the most important series for us," Coach Smith said. "I think it's because we've had very good series with them every year that I've been here. We have been very evenly matched in back-and-forth close games. We want to finish as high as we can in the Big 12. That's our only goal right now is to finish as high as we can. We think we play well in Ames, we hope to finish fourth, and that's what our goal is."
— Edited by Elise Reuter
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Freshman Pitcher Kelsey Kessler pitches during the softball game against the UMKC Roos. Kansas defeated the Roos 4-0.