THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
PAGE 3B
SOFTBALL
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The Jayhawks quickly huddle during a game against Iowa State. The Jayhawks defeated Iowa State with an impressive 8-0, winning their series last season.
Members of the Jayhawk softball team encourage each other after defense held the Texas Longhorns to a scoreless inning in the first of a two-game series last season. The Jayhawks lost both games in the series.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sophomore catcher Lex Bryant and sophomore pitcher Alicia Pille discuss their next play against the Texas Longhorns in a game last season. The Jayhawks lost the home game to the Longhorns 13-6.
Jayhawks face Cowgirls in weekend series, aim to improve in conference
CHRIS SCHAEDER
cschaeder@kansan.com
The Kansas softball team travels to Stillwater, Okla., on Friday to take on the Cowgirls in a three-game series at Cowgirl Stadium.
Oklahoma State will become Kansas's most-played opponent after this weekend, with 103 meetings between the two teams prior to this weekend's series.
Some players to watch for the Cowgirls are catcher Tarah Ettinger, the team's leader in batting average, home runs and RBIs, and Tamara Brown, second on the team
Oklahoma State comes into the game with a 24-20 record on the season and a 2-7 record in the Big 12. The Cowgirls have struggled mightily the last few weeks, losing six in a row, including sweeps against Iowa State and Baylor. Oklahoma State has also had recent games against Wichita State and Oklahoma postponed because of inclement weather.
Kat Espinosa, a senior pitcher for the Cowgirls, is one player Kansas coach Megan Smith is keeping an eye on.
Despite their struggles, the Cowgirls have played fairly well at home going 9-6 at Cowgirl Stadium, including a first-place finish in the Mizuno Classic and two victories over Texas Tech.
in batting average and third in total bases.
"She's good. We're ready for her to graduate because she's done a very good job during her career at Oklahoma State," Smith said in a KU Athletics press release. "They have really good pitching that keeps them in every game and we anticipate that we'll see really strong pitching from both of them [Simone Freeman and Espinosa] this weekend."
Kansas enters the weekend with an overall record of 26-11 and a 3-1 record in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have won four of their last five games, including a three-game
sweep of Texas Tech in Lubbock and two victories over Furman University.
The lajahawks were scheduled to play for former conference foe Nebraska on Wednesday, but the game was canceled because of inclement weather in Lincoln. Kansas has fared well on the road this season, going 7-5 so far this season.
Kansas has led the Big 12 in team batting average for 10-straight weeks with a .349 average, which ranks fourth in the NCAA.
Some offensive players to watch for Kansas are Maggie Hull, the team leader in batting average and RBIs, and Alex Hugo, the team leader in home runs and second in RBIs. Hull is tied with Oklahoma's Lauren Chamberlain for the highest batting average in the Big 12 with a .472 average. Hull and Hugo also have two of the top five highest batting averages in the Big 12.
Pitchers to watch for Kansas this weekend are Kelsey Kessler, who
threw the first no-hitter for the Jayhawks since 2007 against Texas Tech on April 7, and Alicia Pille, who has pitched superbly as of late and leads the team in wins, appearances, games started and complete games.
Kansas looks to use this series as an opportunity to move up in the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks currently sit in fourth behind Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor.
Coach Smith explained the importance of this weekend's series in a KU Athletics press release.
"Every Big 12 series from here on out is going to be a big series for us, but this definitely is a big one. Our team and Oklahoma State are very even matched. We have kind of the same mentality that we had going into Texas Tech in that this is going to be a fun weekend."
Friday's game starts at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's games begin at noon.
Edited by Elise Reuter
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