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THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASEBALL PREVIEW
Jayhawks face Cowboys in conference home opener
Kansas prepares to face 19th-ranked Oklahoma State
Kansas' offense has been able to produced seven runs on Tuesday and Wednesday combined. This weekend in the conference home opener against Oklahoma State, Kansas will need to score more runs if they want to finish over .500 in the conference after this weekend. The Cowboys are third in the Big 12 in runs while the Jayhawks are sixth. An improvement in scoring is a necessity in order to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title.
HITTING
PITCHING
Kansas coach Ritch Price re-ordered the starting lineup this weekend. The Jayhawks will lead off with their best pitcher against Oklahoma State in senior Thomas Taylor on Friday and sophomore Wes Benjamin on Saturday. Junior Frank Duncan got some action as a relief pitcher on Tuesday against Creighton, but has been inconsistent as a starter and Price wants to see a better output from him.
FIELDING
Kansas committed three errors in Tuesday's loss to Creighton, but bounced back on Wednesday with no errors against Saint Mary. Senior shortstop Kevin Kuntz said the Jayhawks perform better and feels good when the their fielding is strong. The Jayhawks will need that strong fielding from Wednesday's game to carry over against Oklahoma State as they resume Big 12 play this weekend.
HITTING
PITCHING
The Cowboys are batting .295 as a team on the season with a team on base percentage of .386. The Cowboys have three hitters working above a .300 clip. Junior first baseman Tanner Kriertemeier leads the team with a .368 average, 39 hits, and 24 RBs. Sophomore infielder Zach Fish leads the squad with five home runs and 27 RBs; his .333 average is second on a squad that packs a significant amount of pop at the plate.
The Cowboys pitching staff is once again among the best in the Big 12. As a team, Oklahoma State pitcher combine for a 2.94 ERA with 215 strikeouts giving up just 5 home runs on the season. Cowboys ace junior right handed pitcher Vince Wheeland leads the staff with a 6-0 record in thirteen appearances, 2.01 ERA with 39 strikeouts with a .228 batting average against.
FIELDING
The Cowboys boast a .969 fielding percentage, but have committed 35 errors on the season. Freshman in-fielder Donnie Walton leads the team in assists with 71 assisted put outs on the season. The Cowboys are a solid fundamental squad under the guidance of new Head Coach Josh Holliday.
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