Volume 125 Issue 96
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
kansan.com
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
COMMENTARY There's something about opening day
For many, the return of baseball simply means the return of spring weather and the end of basketball season. For those bitten by the virus that is devout baseball fanhood, opening day is a totally different story.
Fitted ball caps from franchises around the major league abound on campus. There is, of course, a solid share of Royals hats — some in powder blue, a few in black. The Cardinal is prevalent, but if enough attention is dealt to the matter, the entire league could easily be found.
Thanks to MLB.tv, one could watch young National's outfieldier Bryce Harper start the day with a multi-homer performance or the Red Sox demolition of the bloated Yankees, all while struggling to engage in class.
Opening day marks another of the annual transition periods in sports fans' calendars. Many basketball fans, trying to atone for the loss of their favorite college team, look for solace on the diamond. Some more discerning fans have counted down the days since the Giants 4-3 game four win in last year's fall classic.
Whatever a fan's perspective, one thing is certain: The boys of summer are back. It's time to break out the ball glove, bratwurst and beer and settle in for another long journey to the World Series and, a bit closer to home, the Big 12 Tournament.
Edited by Madison Schultz
KANSAS 10. OKLAHOMA 8
FIELD OF DREAMS
Senior infielder Alex DeLeon makes a strong hit during the game against Jackson State University at home on March 13, 2013, where they won 11-0. The Jayhawks are 11-5.
Piche' and Kahana pitch their way to a victory against Sooners
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
KELSEY WEAVER/KANSAN
The Jayhawks snapped a three-game slump in the best way possible last weekend by handing the thirteenth-ranked, conference-leading Oklahoma Sooners their first loss in 12 play.
Kansas won 10-8 on the shoulders of a 2-for-5 hitting performance of senior first baseman Alex DeLeon and 4 1/3 scoreless innings thrown by junior reliever Jordan Piche' and sophomore closer Robert Kahana.
"The bullpen has been really strong, it's been key to the back end of the game," Piche' said. "Kahana came in and threw great and had a solid couple of innings, I came in and shut it down. We're a good combo and so far it's been really good."
glund Ballpark. The Jays are batting, .304 as a team with four men hitting above, .300 on the season.
Sophomore infielder Jake Peter leads the Jays offensively with a .424 average, 36 hits and 19 RBIs in 20 games played this season. The second Jay batting above .400, freshman infielder Reagan Fowler, is batting .403 on the year with 29 hits and 13 RBIs.
The Sooners are one of the toughest offensive teams in the Big 12, batting .293 as a team with 194 runs on 174RBIs. Jayhawk pitchers experienced this first hand in Norman, Okla., over the weekend.
"They were really good hitters," Piche' said. "If you throw a mistake pitch, they could really tag you for that. You have to pitch a bit cautious, really hit your spots and pound the zone as much as you can to hopefully punch a guu out."
The Jayhawks face similar hitting in today's game against the (14-6) Creighton Jays at Ho
The Jayhawks pitching staff has remained loose through the stretch of adept offensive line-ups.
"We've struggled a bit with Creighton in the past," Piche' said. "But I think with the way we're playing and with the win we pulled off Sunday, we'll have some good momentum looking forward."
Kansas baserunning has created momentum for the Jayhawks this season. The Jayhawks have stolen 56 bases entering their game against Creighton. This season's offensive mentality has placed a continued focus on getting on base playing station-to-station baseball.
Sophomore outfielder Dakota Smith embodied this mentality, collecting five hits in the weekend series against Oklahoma.
"Nothing really changes at the plate," Smith said. "We're just trying to be aggressive like normal. I got a few fastballs this weekend and put some good swings on them."
The Jayhawks will face tough pitching against Creighton. Creighton's staff is combined for a 3.84 ERA with 100 team strikeouts.
The Jays' staff includes their leader on the mound, senior right-handed pitcher Tommy Strunc. The right-hander is 4-0 on the year with a 3.55 ERA with 31 strikeouts and a .193 average against.
The Jayhawks look to maintain their loose style of play regardless of which team occupies the opposing dugout.
"We've been pretty loose anyway," Smith said "We've been playing good baseball. It just kind of proves to ourselves that we can win the games we need to against big teams and builds our confidence."
Kansas is continuing to fight back from the injury bug with junior outfielder Tucker Tharp
and senior first baseman Alex DeLeon returning to the lineup for full time duties after continued battles with hamstring issues.
First pitch for tonight's game is set for 6 p.m. with senior pitcher Tanner Poppe (1-1, 4-8) ERA, 8 BB, 16 K) facing the Jays' freshman pitcher Austin Groth (0-0, 18.00 ERA, 3 BB, 2 K).
Edited by Paige Lytle
THE LINE-UP
Jayhawks hope for strong offense against Creighton
The Jays' fundamental style and solid pitching staff have proved troublesome in the past
HITTING
Senior first baseman Alex DeLeon was the hero on Saturday when he came away with two big hits to help the Jayhawks re-take the lead in an offensive shootout against the Sooners. Kansas wants Saturday's offensive output to carry over to Tuesday's game against Creighton, which is the first of five games up until Sunday.
PITCHING
Senior Tanner Poppe missed two starts due to a back injury last month but has been able to practice more with the team recently. In the four games he's played in this year, he's earned a 1-1 record and has an earned run average of 4.86 so far. He pitched in 16 and two-thirds innings and hopes to give the Jayhawks a lot of innings today. In the bullpen, pitching coach Ryan Graves can go to sophomore Robert Kahana and junior closer Jordan Piche'. Pichte' has pitched in 24 innings this season and has an ERA of 0.75 and three saves on the year.
FIELDING
Kansas ran into a miadir of hitches this past weekend against Oklahoma, who managed to produce three multi-run innings in the first game of the series. The Jayhawks found a way to overcome those mishaps and kept the Sooners offense quiet the rest of the series. The outfield has played exceptionally well for most of the season, giving Poppe reasons to feel confident taking the mound against Creighton.
4.
HITTING
The Jays bring an impressive lineup to the plate, boasting four players with higher than .300 batting averages this season. The team combines for a .304 average with 130 runs on 114 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Jake Peter leads the team with a .424 average, 36 hits and 19 RBIs. The Jays get on base early and often with a .411 team on-base percentage. The Jayhawk pitching staff has its work cut out for them against Creighton.
PITCHING
The Jays' projected starter, freshman right handed pitcher Austin Groth, brings youth and inexperience to the mound alongside his 18.00 ERA, three walks and two strikeouts. Groth, a native Nebraska was selected three-times to the All-Nebraska first team. He was 6-1 with an 0.93 ERA his senior season in high school. The Jays bring a solid staff to town. One with plenty of ability to stop the bleeding in the bullpen.
FIELDING
Creighton's .976 fielding percentage and 19 errors on the season are the mark of a fundamental squad. The Jays have given Kansas trouble in the past with that fundamental style and should prove adept in the field in tonight's matchup.
- Farzin Vousoughian Trevor Graff