Sports
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010
Kansas places last in Big 12
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Jayhawks struggle in Big 12 Tournament MEN'S GOLF | 3B
PAGE 1B
MOUND REBOUND
Jayhawks ready for recovery
After the weekend loss against Texas Tech, Kansas looks ahead to Wichita State
Freshman pitcher Thomas Taylor pitchers during the first inning against Missouri at Kauffman Stadium on April 21. Taylor struck out eight batters in just over five innings. He did not play as well against Texas Tech this weekend, surrendering three runs in two innings on Sunday. Taylor and the other Javahays need to channel their Kaufmann success to heat Wichita State tonight.
BY BWARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm_dub
The need for a short-term memory crosses the boundaries of nearly every sport.
A pitcher who gets battered around needs to take his lumps, swallow his pride and focus on the next time he takes the mound.
Tonight against Wichita State, Kansas' (25-16-1, 6-8-1) pitching staff is aiming for a rebound performance after Texas Tech battered it for 32 runs in two games over the weekend.
"I'm sure our pitchers are anxious for the opportunity to get back on the field and redeem themselves," coach Ritch Price said.
"It's really important to just try and flush it as best you can," redshirt freshman Thomas Taylor said. "We need to forget about it, but also remember it in a way, and not let it happen again."
Not only the pitchers are happy for the quick turnaround. The other Jayhawks, who enjoyed a solid weekend at the plate, are equally eager to get back on the field.
"We've got to let this go," junior shortstop Brandon Macias said of Sunday's setbacks against Texas Tech.
"It's huge for us, especially coming off a couple losses here. We need to get ourselves back on track," junior third baseman Tony Thompson said.
But ultimately, the pitching staff will need to deliver for Kansas to return from Wichita with a victory.
Taylor, who will start for the Jayhawks, was one of many pitchers who got shelled by Texas Tech.
Taylor surrendered three runs in two plus innings on Sunday.
Coming off of his best collegiate start - 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball against Missouri on April 21
He was one of many Kansas pitchers who had been strong for nearly two weeks before being flattened by Texas Tech.
"The guys who pitched
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 4B
TENNIS
Senior finds a home and family in tennis team
Jerry Wang/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Kuni Dorn left Hungary four years ago to start a new life at KU
Kunigunda Kumugida Dorn hits a backhand in her double match Sunday afternoon. Dorn came
5.000 miles from Soporun, Hungary, four years ago to play for coach Amy Hall. Halt
BY KATHLEEN GIER kqier@kansan.com
Four years ago, Dorn traveled more than 5,000 miles to Lawrence from her home in Sopron, Hungary. She came to the University on the good word of a friend on the team, Edina Horvath, and the trust in coach Amy Hall-Holt. The University has given her the opportunity to continue playing the sport she loves, and it was through the tennis team at Kansas that Dorn found another family and another home. With graduation just a few weeks away, Dorn wishes she didn't have to leave.
Every tennis player has a reason they play, whether for exercise at the simplest level, or if they are lucky enough, playing for a college team. For senior Kuni Dorn, playing tennis gave her the opportunity to succeed at the collegiate level, but it was also an escape from a dangerous neighborhood in Hungary. Eventually, it was a way out of her home country and a passage to a new life.
STARTING TENNIS
Dorn started playing tennis when she was five years old. Her father played tennis as a hobby in Hungary, and taught Dorn how to play, keeping her safe and occupied from the dangerous distractions in their neighborhood.
FOOTBALL
"Where we used to live, the neighborhood wasn't that good, so my mom didn't want me to have a lot of free time and go with friends and do bad stuff," she said.
Dorn developed a strong talent
for tennis and at just 12 years old joined the Hungarian National Team. After years of competing, Dorn said she burnt out. But her parents stood by her side to keep her on track, encouraging her to succeed.
"All of the summer, I needed to practice and it was really hard sometimes when everyone else was going to the swimming pool and I had to practice. But they always reminded me of my goals." Dorn said. "My dad, who was
In high school, Dorn said she started realizing how difficult it was to become a professional tennis player, so she decided to pursue another goal: to play tennis at a university in the United States.
SEE TENNIS ON PAGE 4B
CHOOSING KU
really strict, made me go to practice and there was no other choice."
Reesing remains undrafted hopeful
BY MAX VOSBURGH
The NFL draft has come and gone. Kansas players Darrrell Stuckey, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier were all drafted. However, one well-known Kansas player wasn't. Quarterback Todd Reesing, who holds nearly every quarterback record at Kansas, went undrafted.
This wasn't a surprise. In fact, there was probably only a very small chance that he was going to be drafted in the first place.
Right now is a crucial time in Reesing's potential professional career.
Immediately following the draft conclusion, undrafted players began receiving calls from NFL teams offering contracts. Undrafted defensive back Justin Thornton received one of these calls and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. It is still to be seen whether Reesing will receive a similar opportunity.
Some people think he's too short to be a quarterback in the NFL.
Listed at 5-foot-11 by KU Athletics, Reesing would be one of the smallest quarterbacks in the NFL, which is problematic because a quarterback needs to able to see over the large linemen.
Because linemen in college are much smaller than they are in the NFL, a quarterback as short as Reesing can be successful in college, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will be in the NFL.
Reesing's combination of passion and energy was displayed in nearly every college football game he played in. He fist pumped the air after many of his 90 career touchdown passes. With degrees in Finance and Economics, it would appear Reesing has the intelligence needed to be a successful professional quarterback, as well.
Consider that Reeing was never one to let a few guys in front of him block his view downfield. He is a scramble. He is very mobile and can move around to find an open line of vision if he needs to.
At 200 pounds. Reesing is also much lighter than many of the defensive ends and linebackers that would be tackling him in the NFL. Reesing has taken plenty of big hits during his career at Kansas but he's never had to miss time with an injury.
Other quarterbacks with similar physical features have found a way to be successful in the NFL. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was the 2015 Super Bowl MVP and his backup, former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, are both listed at 6.0"
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Despite skepticism from NFL coaches and scouts, Reesing is look to play football anywhere that will have him.
The Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders are in contract negotiations with the former Kansas quarterback, according to The Regina Leader-Post, a news paper from Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan.
It's definitely encouraging news for Kansas fans. Remember, former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, who stands at 5-foot-10, played in the Canadian Football League for eight years before he was selected to play in the 1998 NFLI Pro Bowl.
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— Edited by Anna Archibald
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