SAN
Volume 125 Issue 99
Monday, April 8, 2013
kansan.com
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In every post game press conference this season, a Jayhawk player mentions the routine, not pushing too hard to play outside their abilities and staying in the moment on the diamond and in the batter's box.
They're just trying to stick to the routine, not trying to do anything any differently than they've practiced all season to this point.
For the Jayhawks, the routine all came together in perfect time. The Jayhawks move to 18-12 after beating the 19th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys two games to one in this weekend's series at Hoglund Ballpark.
After game one, Coach Price couldn't have been happier.
"That may have been our best overall performance on the year;" coach Ritch Price said. "From our starting pitching to the way we swung the bats and how aggressive we were taking the outside fastball. Taylor was good which is what it takes to beat the number nineteen team in the country."
Taylor's solid performance landed him in sixth place on the overall strikeout list with 209 strikeouts in his career. His 105 pitches in seven innings got the Kansas pitching staff to its closers, who've been as good as any in the NCAA.
But it's all just a part of the routine. Ask the pitcher. You'll get the same answer.
"I'm just going to go out there and pitch when they tell me to pitch," Taylor said. "It's no different. I'm pitching against the same team, different day."
Taylor isn't breaking after his recent move from the Sunday slot in the rotation to the Friday night spot, which is typically reserved for the hottest pitcher in the lineup.
"I'm just trying to stay consistent, just see the ball hit the ball," Suiter said. "My first two hits were just little dinkers that I just built on from there."
The bullpen keeps trucking along as Jordan Piche' recorded his fifth and sixth saves in the series facing five batters and getting the jayhawks out of an eighth-inning jam in game one and facing 11 in game three.
Kansas' leading man at the plate, sophomore outfielder Michael Suiter, has hit .391 on the season with 43 hits and 14 RBIs. How do you get to that level at the plate?
Suiter recorded the first four-hit game of his career on a night that the Jayhaws looked nearly flawless in all aspects Friday.
"I'm just working to get back to the basics and go the other way," freshman designated hitter Jacob Boylan said. "You just have to be able to contribute. I haven't been able to do that the past couple weeks, but I can build on this definitively."
Even the rookies played well. To no surprise the freshmen understand the power of consistency.
No matter who you ask from top to bottom in the Jayhawk clubhouse, the song remains the same.
Stick to your routine. Don't try to push too hard and stay focused on the task at hand.
It worked against Oklahoma State.
—Edited by Brian Sisk
KANSAS 3, OKLAHOMA STATE 2
BUNTING FOR BASES
Kansas clenches its first series win over a top-25 team in two years
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
Sophomore center fielder Joe Moroney catches a fly ball in the sixth inning of Friday's game against Oklahoma State at Hogland Ball Park. Kansas won Friday's game 7-5. Sunday's 3-2 win brought the Jayhawks their first series win over a top-25 team in two years.
The lajayhaws haven't felt this level of success since April 2, 2011 when they beat the No. 21 Baylor Bears in the first two games of their weekend series in Lawrence.
Kansas' 3-2 win over the 19thranked Oklahoma State Cowboys Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark sealed the team's first series win, its first over a top-25 school since beating Baylor back in 2011.
The Cowbys put up the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on junior first baseman Tanner Krietemeier's RBI double. The early run left many wondering whether Kansas had an answer after Saturday's 14-3 loss.
GEORGE MILLINIX/KANSAN
"That's what I'm most proud of",
coach Ritch Price said. "Just how
we bounced back with so much energy in the dugout. It starts with Wes Benjamin. Anytime you get a performance as poor as we had yesterday in every phase of the game, it starts with the
starting pitching and obviously with the double plays, our middle infield was huge."
"I like these one-run lead games. More pressure, I don't know there's just something about it. I enjoy competing in that."
The Jayhawks answered quickly in the bottom of the first by scoring their first of two runs on sophomore left fielder Michael Suiter's sacrifice bunt, the second of three consecutive bunts laid down by Jayhawk hitters in the first inning.
Sophomore right fielder Dakota Smith grounded out to Cowboys freshman second baseman Donnie Walton, scoring senior shortstop Kevin Kuntz and giving the Jayhawks a 2-1 head heading to the
top of the second inning.
"It was just another short-game execution that we practice all the time," Tharp said. "To get it down and execute it under pressure is a confidence builder for us."
Kansas' small-ball approach continued in the second with junior center fielder Tucker Tharp executing a squeeze bunt with runners on first and third that scored sophomore designated hitter Connor McKay.
The Jahawks took Oklahoma State sophomore left-handed starter Tyler Nurdin out of his rhythm in the first two innings, forcing him to field five buns early in the game. Sunday's focus on small ball is a topic of increased importance in Big 12 competition.
JORDAN PICHE junior closer
"When you play Big 12 teams, all the arms are power arms." Tharp
said. "To be able to execute bunts and get runners in scoring position is hue."
kept going."
The other topic dominating the Kansas clubhouse is the performance of the pitching staff coupled with solid defense.
wes threw great. He didn't have great command, but he grinded and did a great job. Coming off of that, it was easy to come in for those last three innings and close it down."
"I like these one-run lead games," Piche' said. "More pressure, I don't know there's just something about it. I enjoy competing in that. I just took it inning by inning, got the first one out and
Suiter recorded
Sutter recorded his sixth outfield assist in throwing out Cowboy senior shortstop Randy McCurry at the plate from deep in left field saving what could have been the tying run for Oklahoma State.
Piche' recorded his sixth save of the season in an extended, three-inning appearance in which he faced 11 batters giving up three hits and holding on to the slim 3-2 Kansas lead.
With a series win over a tough Oklahoma State squad in hand, Kansas looks to build on the momentum among the starting pitching staff.
In Sunday's series clincher, sophomore left-hander Wes Benjamin pitched six innings without the best command of his pitches, but still managed to give up just two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
"After yesterday, we really talked about coming back and getting the momentum in our dugout again," junior closer Jordan Piche' said.
Coach Price said he plans to take junior starting pitcher Frank Duncan out of the weekend rotation. He wants to put him in the bulpen to regain rhythm and get him back to his original level of play.
"There's no depth to his change up, there's no depth to his breaking ball right now," Price said. "When he's good, he's locating down with action, and I think if we can pitch
him more than one time out of the bullpen, we can help him find himself and get him back in."
Price said he plans to pitch sophomore Robert Kahana in the Sunday slot in next weekend's series against Texas.
The Jayhawks are 5-4 in Big 12 play, two games behind conference leader Oklahoma. Kansas heads to Iowa City, Iowa for a mid-week two-game series against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Duane Banks Field.
—Edited by Tara Bryant
SOFTBALL
Freshman pitches first no-hitter
BRANDON SMITH/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Freshman pitcher Kelsey Kessler pitched the Jayhaws' fifth shutout this season in a 9-0 victory over Baker University at Arrocha Ballpark on Oct. 3, 2012. Kessler pitched the first no-hitter of her career against Texas Tech on Sunday in Lubbock, Texas. Kansas won 4-0.
CHRIS SCHAEDER
cschaeder@kansan.com
A historic performance by freshman pitcher Kelsey Kessler on Sunday capped a winning weekend for Kansas as the lavahws swept Texas Tech in a
Kessler
three-game match at Rocky Johnson Field in Lubbock, Texas.
Kessler's first career no hitter came on the heels of Kansas' first
conference road sweep since April 2007 against Texas Tech, and was the first by a Kansas pitcher since Kassie Humphreys shew one on March 11, 2007 against New Mexico.
In a KU Athletics press release, Kessler seemed stunned by her dominating performance on the mound.
"I don't know if I feel anything right now," Kessler laughed. "I feel like I'm going to wake up in 30 minutes. But no, it was incredible. A no-hitter is as much as a team accomplishment as it was mine."
The final game of Sunday's 4-0 victory was close until the seventh inning, when the Jayhawks scored three runs on a Maddie Stein hit to left field that was mishandled by the Texas Tech fielder and cleared the bases for Kansas.
Kessler dominated on Saturday, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts and no earned runs. The shutout was the 11th of the season for the Jayhaws and coach Megan Smith was proud of her team's performance in a 3-0 victory.
Freshman shortstop Chaley Brickley hit her first career homerun on Saturday and sophomore third baseman Chanin Naudin also hit one to provide Kessler with the necessary run support.
"That's tough to do and that's a great offensive team over there," Smith said in a KU Athletics press release. "I thought they started to gain some momentum last night offensively, but Kelsey Kessler came out today and shut them out. She had a great performance today."
Kessler retired ten straight batters to end the game and give Kansas their second consecutive
victory of the weekend over Texas Tech.
Naudin also hit a big homer in Friday's game, as her third inning solo homer was the game winner in Kansas' 4-3 victory on Friday night. Alicia Pille started Friday's game on the mound for the Jahawks as she pitched 5.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts. Kessler came in with one out in the sixth to seal the game for Kansas and record her first save of the season.
The Jayhawks offense came out gunning with two runs in the first, one in the second and third innings to give them a 4-0 lead early on. Texas Tech stormed back with three runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to one, but Kessler stopped them dead in their tracks.
Pitching was the name of the game this weekend for the Jayhawks as they look to continue their outstanding play on Saturday when they travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman University. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and one game on Sunday.
Edited by Julie Etzler