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Monday, April 29, 2013
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COMMENTARY Hawkinson makes Kansas fans proud
The NFL draft is special. Select players nervously
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted the McPherson, Kan., native in the fifth round on Saturday.
Select players nervously check their phones for a once-in-a-lifetime phone call. Once the phone rings, celebration follows and reality sinks in that the player is officially heading to the pros.
On the flip side, many athletes aren't lucky enough to receive that call. Instead, all the hard work throughout high school and college won't be enough, and their dream comes to a screeching halt.
The dream of playing in the NFL isn't over for players who go undrafted; they can still have some success in the pros. The road is much longer and tougher, but making a solid career isn't impossible.
Sure, maybe that doesn't sound like a huge accomplishment compared to being drafted in the first round, but I can assure you, it's far from that.
Senior offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson doesn't have to worry about that, though.
Of course, that is directly related to the lack of drafted Kansas players.
Hawkinson is the first Jayhawk player taken in the draft since 2010. Yes, three long years.
As many know, Kansas hasn't exactly had a great football program these past few years.
In the 2010 draft, safety Darrell Stuckey and wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier were selected. Those same players still compete in the NFL, though no one has made a huge contribution.
Hawkinson didn't have the same path as members in the 2010 draft
When Hawkinson committed to Kansas, he didn't start right away. Originally a tight end, he switched to defensive end and then changed to offensive tackle during his red-shirt year. Changing positions is never a fun process, as each position requires a certain skill set.
If switching roles on a football team is difficult, imagine going through three different coaches during his time as a jayhawk. The inconsistency led to only 11 victories for Hawkinson while at Kansas.
But that's exactly why Hawkinson getting drafted is such an incredible moment. Through the pain and struggle, he never quit and continued to give his all during a rough patch in Kansas football history.
Everyone has a dream and a small-town Kansas kid gets a chance of a lifetime to live out that very dream.
After his redshirt year, Hawkinson earned a number of Freshman All-American and All- big 12 honors, and was named the team's most improved offensive player. He started all 12 games at left tackle.
From then on, Hawkinson continued to be the anchor of the offensive line. He finished his career a school-record 48 consecutive starts and 48 career starts. Hawkinson also earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after his final season.
Good luck, Tanner. Jayhawk nation is pulling for you.
After a one-victory season, it's great to see a shining spot on the football team. Hawkinson will bring tremendous character, leadership and consistency to the Bengals. He'll have to get stronger and comfortable with the pace in the NFL.
- Edited by Tara Bryant
GETTING MAULED
A DEFENSIVE DUD
Kansas struggles defensively in two losses to No.14 Lady Bears
KELSEY WEAVER/KANSAN
Ashley Newman, a junior from Salina, sprints for first base in Sunday's game against the Baylor Lady Bears. Newman has a .267 batting average in her softball career.
JOSEPH DAUGHERTY
jdaugherty@kansan.com
The Kansas softball team dropped two of three games to the No. 14 Baylor Lady Bears this weekend to lose the series. The Jayhawks fell to the Lady Bears in the first game and won game two in thrilling walk-off fashion. The Jayhawks fell short in the final game of the series 5-4.
In the first game of the series, the Jayhawks lost 6-1. A solo homer from freshman shortstop Chaley Brickey in the bottom of the seventh was a small rally for Kansas but it was not enough to over come Baylor. Junior Alex Jones
led the team with two hits and freshman Alex Hugo tied the freshman hits record (59) with a triple in the bottom of the third. Baylor senior center fielder Kathy Shelton
board with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning, then junior second baseman Ashley Newman added to the Jayhawk lead by hitting a three-run triple. Baylor answered with one run in the fifth, but Kansas answered quickly with a solo home run from Brickey. Trailing 5-2 in the top of the seventh, the Lady Bears' freshman left fielder Linsey Hays belted a three-run home run to tie the game at 5. Hugo had the answer to the four-run Baylor rally just two pitches into the bottom of the seventh; she blasted her second home run of the day and hit the walk off game-winning home run.
"This weekend, we lost our minds defensively and just didn't play the game we normally do."
collected three hits leading all batters. Baylor, known for its overall team speed, collected four stolen bases and brought its total to 90 on the season.
The Jayhawks won a thriller in the second game of the series. Hugo got the Jayhawks on the
MEGAN SMITH Kansas coach
"We had confidence that our team was going to pull it out, number one, but when she steps up, I always have confidence that she's going to do something special," Kansas coach Megan
Smith said of Hugo. "My goodness, that was unbelievable."
The walk-off victory gave the Jayhawk softball team three consecutive 30-win seasons in the Smith era. With Hugo's two home runs, she broke the freshman record for hits and home runs for a
season.
The Jayhawks lost in the series finale 5-4. Down to the last three at-bats of the game, the Jayhawks faced a 5-1 deficit. Following a leadoff walk of senior Maggie Hull and a throwing error that allowed Hugo to reach base, Brickey hit a single to load the bases. A fielding error on the Baylor catcher allowed two runs to score narrowing the gap to 5-3. Kansas senior infielder Mariah Montgomery then stepped to the plate and hit an RBI single that scored Brickey and moved the game tying run to third base. Baylor junior pitcher Whitney Canion collected herself and struck out the next batter to end the game. Fluky plays and bad defense were the story of the series finale; of the nine runs scored in the game, only four of them were earned runs.
"Defensively, we have to be stronger than that," Smith said. "We have been all year. This weekend, we lost our minds defensively and just didn't play the game we normally do. That's the frustrating part."
The Jayhawks leave the series against Baylor with a 30-15 record and a 5-7 record in conference play. The Jayhawks will host Wichita State on Wednesday for just one game.
BASEBALL
— Edited by Tara Bryant
Mountaineers sweep Jayhawks in weekend series
tgraff@kansan.com
TREVOR GRAFF
Kansas baseball suffered what might be the worst weekend of its season when the Mountainainers recorded a series sweep of the Jayhawks in Beckley, W.Va.
The Jayhawks learned firsthand the volatility of the Big 12 baseball standings. After losing all three games in the weekend series by a single run, Kansas slipped from second place in the conference to a tie for fifth place with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
"It's as frustrating a weekend as I've ever had on a baseball
held, "Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "It was a tremendously well-played series. We pitched great all three games. We
The Mountaineers' winning run came on an RBI-triple from
Price
played well defensively outside of maybe two miscues, and unfortunately those miscues cost us the ball games."
"He pitched really well," Price said. "He was as good as advertised. We had a couple of opportunities to score and Musgrave punched us out. They managed to score the run and Musgrave was the story of the game."
The Kansas lineup faced a hot hand in sophomore left-handed pitcher Harrison Musgrave on Friday nigl.t. The Mountaineers' ace threw a complete game shutout giving up four hits and striking out five lavawk hitters.
senior right fielder Brady Wilson that scored sophomore shortstop Taylor Munden.
The Jayhawks played a double-header to finish the series Saturday. In game one, Kansas once again lost by a single run at the hands of the Mountaineers' senior right-handed pitcher Dan Dierdorf. Kansas' sophomore left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin pitched a complete game
loss giving up four runs, one of which was earned, with three strikeouts in 106 pitches.
The Jayhawks lost 4-3 in game two.
before facing sophomore lefthanded pitcher John Means in a 3-2 loss to seal the weekend sweep for the Mountaineers.
Kansas junior right-handed Frank Duncan made his return to the rotation in game three. The junior was sent to the rotation after struggling in the middle of the season. Against the Mountaineers, Duncan pitched seven innings with three strikeouts giving up a lone earned run in 72 pitches.
Benjamin
Duncan knows better than most of the Kansas roster what it means to bounce back from the tribulations of Big 12 conference play.
"The biggest thing was being a team player and just trying to help the team win no matter what it took," Duncan said. "The move kind of sent a message to me from the coaches that I needed to get my act together and figure it out. I think that lesson has
been learned and I hope to pitch well for the rest of the season."
The Jayhawks won't have much time to spend in recuperation from this weekend's sweep. The Wichita State Shockers travel to Lawrence for a Tuesday night midweek matchup against the Jayhawks. The Shockers are tied for second with a 10-4 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
For Kansas, regrouping is key.
"Anytime you get swept, especially in the Big 12, it really puts some pressure on you," Duncan said. "It stings a little bit, but you have to flush it and get ready for the next team. I think we'll be playing with a chip on our shoulder. They're an instate rival. We're going to be fired up for it, trying to get that bitter taste out of mouth from last weekend."
As much as coach Price has instilled the never-look-back mindset in this layhawk squad, flushing the series may not be as easy as the players make it sound.
"That's our first devastating weekend in conference after winning three series in a row", coach Price said. "We have to be mature and we have to be professional. In all honesty, it's not that easy. It's going to take the best effort of our coaching staff. It is going to take the best effort of our upperclassmen to flush last week."
Kansas' first pitch against the Shockers is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hogglund Ballpark.
Edited by Tara Bryant
FMILY WITTI FR/KANSAN
Sophomore infielder Justin Protacio catches a air-ball during a game against Texas on April 12 at Hogland Park. The game was the first of three against Texas and the Jayhawks won 7-6.