Volume 125 Issue 60
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
kansan.com
COMMENTARY Pull up bootstraps and move on
Big 12 baseball is a volatile beast. It gives no room for error nor compassion to mistakes at the plate or in the field.
The 2013 campaign is no different. Sure, the Jayhawks were riding high on three-straight Big 12 series victories before heading to Beckley W.Va. to take on the Mountaineers for the first time in program history, but it didn't take long for the Big 12's newest member to prove just how tough this league can be.
Entering the weekend, the Jayhawks sat firmly in second place with a 9-6 record in the Big 12 conference. After suffering the sweep, Kansas fell to 9-9 on the season, tying for fifth place with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Jayhawks aren't immune to setbacks this season. After all, they did drop a hard-fought game against the Creighton Blue Jays 6-4 at Hoglund Ballpark at the beginning of the month. Even further in the rear view mirror is a disappointing series loss in Provo, Utah, against the Brigham Young Cougars.
The message after these losses and the many setbacks of the season remains consistent.
Flush it. Just flush it and move on. The phrase runs rampant through the Kansas clubhouse and has worked quite well in this highly competitive Kansas baseball campaign. The Jayhawks are grinders. From the pitching staff to the outfield, the grind continued all season.
They play offense the old-school, small-ball way, defense with the fundamentals that keep teams in contention and pitch to contact to complement the package. They've mastered the art of bouncing back after a tough loss.
But this is different.
This is the point in a season that one might call a boot strap moment.
Everyone has them. Whether it be a student struggling to maintain academics in the stretch run of a year, a businessman handling an account gone wrong or a baseball player, there comes a time when, in true old-school, western-flick fashion, a person has to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and move forward.
This is a bootstrap moment for Kansas baseball.
"That's really our first devastating weekend in conference play," coach Ritch Price said. "If we win the last two series, we can still finish second or third. The devastating part of the whole weekend is if we win that series, we're two games ahead of second place in the whole thing."
Instead, the mindset has changed. The grind looks a bit darker now. It's shifted from a fight for first to the fight for second.
Team toughness shines in bootstrap moments. It's time to find out just how tough this Jayhawk team is.
Edited by Taylor Lewis
"That's a really tough series loss."
COMEBACK KID
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
Wichita State has quickly taken over the conversation among Kansas players and coaches looking to put the weekend in the past. Coach Ritch Price said early in the week that the process of bouncing back from what could be the biggest disappointment of the season for the Jayhawks will take the best effort of his seniors and coaching staff.
senior right-handed pitcher Thomas Taylor said. "Every game, we played pretty decently. Every game was a one-run loss. We just have to put that behind us, get after Wichita State and get some momentum going into another weekend."
Jayhawks pitching staff puts together solid starts
The Shockers enter Hoglund Ballpark for the first of two matchups with the Jayhawks with a 26-20 record, tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference. The quick turnaround to a talented midweek team isn't phasing the Jayhawks.
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
tion as an end
They have very little time in the stretch run of their schedule for hindsight.
"We've had success against them in the past," senior first baseman Alex DeLeon said. "I know the past two years we haven't played great against them. It's important for us to get a win and get that momentum back."
The bell is tolling loudly on the 2013 season of Kansas baseball. It tolls for a Jayhawk team that, competitively, hung with the best of the Big 12 conference until the bitter end.
Kansas dropped all three games by a single run in its weekend series at West Virginia. The sweep dropped the Jayhawks from second in the conference to fifth. Those surrounding the team aren't mistaking the situa-
The Jayhawks lost both games
"it's important for us to get a win and get that momentum back."
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
80
Senior Alex DeLeon celebrates with teammate Michael Suiter after hitting a home-run during the game against Texas on April 12 at Hogwild Park. The game was the first of three against Texas, and the Jayhawks won 7-6.
of last season's series against their in-state rivals losing game one in Lawrence 6-4 and game two in Wichita 10-2.
"We had plenty of opportunities every game," DeLeon said. "We got people in scoring position and just couldn't get that key hit. From the hitter's standpoint, we all know that we have to do a better job, especially with how well our starting pitchers
Kansas hitters struggled to provide run support for solid pitching performances in West Virginia.
ALEX DELEON First baseman
pitched. They gave us a chance and we just didn't get the run support."
The Jayhawk pitching staff put together three solid starts over the
weekends. Senior right-handed pitcher Thomas Taylor pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up the lone earned run in a pitcher's duel dominated by Mountainer sophomore left-hander Harrison Musgrave's complete game shutout.
"Obviously, it hurts when you think you've pitched well, and you don't get the win." Taylor said. "You can't do anything about it. It's a team game, and everyone has to be clicking at one time. There's been many games where the hitters have put up the runs, and we've pitched terrible. That's just baseball. We just have to go out there and pitch the best we can."
Kansas sophomore left-hander Wes Benjamin pitched a complete game, giving up one earned run in a 4-3 loss, and Kansas junior right-hander Frank Duncan returned to the rotation with a seven-inning performance in which he gave up one earned run.
Kansas players and coaches hear the bells in the background. Tonight's 6 p.m. first pitch with Wichita State at Hoglund Ballpark marks a turning point in the Kansas baseball season.
Edited by Jordan Wisdom
PITCHING
Wichita State pitchers boast a cumulative 3.62 ERA on the season. They're led by junior right-handed starter Cale Elam's 5-2 record, 2.22 ERA and 55 strikeouts. The junior has pitched 65 innings in 11 starts this season. Sophora right-handed starter A.J. Ladwig is the only other Shocker with as many starts. Ladwig is 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
HITTING
The Shockers are in the midst of the Missouri Valley Conference, tied in second with Missouri State and one game behind first place Illinois State. At the plate, the Wichita State lineup is hitting at a .288 clip on the season. Outfielder Garrett Bayliff leads the team with a .367 average and 58 hits. Sophomore infielder Tyler Baker's 33 RBIs leads the team in run production.
FIELDING
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Wichita State is a solid fielding team with a .976 fielding percentage. The Shockers have committed 44 errors on the season. Junior infielder Erik Harbutz leads the team in the dubious category of most errors with 11 while three Shocker regulars — Tyler Baker, Micah Green and Johnny Coy — are perfect on the season.
HOGLUND BALLPARK, 6:00 P.M., LAWRENCE
PITCHING
The Jayhawks pitched at a high level in the series sweep suffered at the hands of West Virginia over the weekend. Kansas senior right-handed pitcher Thomas Taylor pitched 7 1/3 innings in game one, giving up the lone run to lose in a 1-0 pitching duel. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin pitched a complete game, giving up one earned run in the 4-3 loss, and Frank Duncan returned to the rotation giving up one earned run to lose 3-2.
Kansas hitters struggled to manufacture runs against West Virginia pitching. In game three, the Jayhawks recorded nine hits, plating just two runs. An unlikely cast led the way at the plate. Sopomore outfielder Connor McKay recorded two hits to lead Kansas in game one. Freshman designated hitter Jacob Boylan's two hits, one run and one RBI paced the team in game two.
HITTING
15
FIELDING
1
Defense was a trouble spot for Kansas baseball over the weekend. The Jayhawks committed only three errors over the weekend, but those errors cost precious runs. In game two, sophomore shortstop Justin Protocio's wide throw to first base gave up what could be considered the winning run in a must-win rebound game for a team struggling in a road series.