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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010
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NEBRASKA 2, KANSAS 0
PAGE 1B
Cornhuskers shut down Jayhawks
Junior pitcher Allie Clark throws the ball to first base Wednesday against Nebraska at Arrocha Ballpark. Clark came in for relief and pitched two innings with no runs.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Kansas outhits Nebraska but fails to score
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
twitter.com/zgetz
Kansas' hopes of starting a conference winning streak were crushed Wednesday as Kansas was shut out by Nebraska 2-0. Kansas was able to outthit Nebraska nine to eight, but it stranded 11 runners in the game. Getting runners on base wasn't a problem but scoring was, freshman outfielder Maggie Hull said.
"We just tensed up when runners were on and couldn't get runners home today," said Hull, who went three for three. "We just couldn't get hits at the right time."
With the loss, Kansas falls to 17-23 (1-8) while Nebraska improves to 25-17 (4-3). Kansas continues to struggle to score in Big 12 Conference play and has only scored 15 runs in its nine games.
Coach Megan Smith described Kansas' outing as frustrating, but she said she saw a lot of positives in the game.
"I was really pleased with the defense, and I was really pleased with the pitching." Smith said. "Our freshmen are still playing really well, which hopefully foreshadows our future."
Kansas practices pressure situations, but Smith said she thought that the team didn't handle them well.
"We didn't have anyone step up and get the job done today," Smith said.
Although Kansas couldn't get
runners home, it did prevent Nebraska from scoring after the Cornhuskers got several runners in scoring position with one or zero outs. Hull said she had seen the defense steadily improve all season and that she thought it was one of the stronger parts of Kansas' game.
"We are kind of unstoppable at defense. We just need to match it on offense side," Hull said.
Nebraska started the game hot, scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the first and racked up another run in the third. Kansas, on the other hand, could not capitalize on its opportunities and stranded runners in scoring position throughout the game. Neither team scored after the top of the third.
Freshman outfielder Alex Jones said Kansas wouldn't have much time to dwell on the loss.
The team plays a doubleheader at Creighton tonight and two games against No. 9 Oklahoma State over the weekend. Jones said it was part of softball to move onto the next game and focus on what's ahead.
"Whether something is good, or it's bad, we have to have a short memory," Jones said.
- Edited by Kate Larrabee
See a photo gallery of the game at kansan.com/photos.
GAMERECAP Nebraska 2. Kansas 0
UPNEXT
Kansas at Creighton
WHEN: 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. today
WHERE: Creighton Sports
Complex, Omaha, Neb.
FOOTBALL
The uncertainties of spring football practice
Coach Turner Gill must decide on a new quarterback and defensive end
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Junior defensive end Jake Laptad sacks Northern Colorado's quarterback, Bryan Waggener. Coach Turner Gill said that so far, no player has stood out in practice.
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
DEFENSIVE LINE
SEARCHING FOR
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
- In his meetings with the media, coach 'turner Gill has generously praised his players after watching the Jayhawks live for the first time this spring. But one position that hasn't been singled out yet is defensive end.
Gill insists that's not a slight against any of Kansas' defensive ends — it's just that no player has really done enough to stand out in practice so far.
"Nobody has really just jumped out." Gill said. "Not to say that they're not good or pretty good or great. I'm just saying that they haven't really stood out at this time for whatever reason."
---
At times last season, Kansas' entire defensive line suffered a similar problem.
An unproven unit entering last season, the layhawks recorded 31 sacks a year ago. But 15 of those stops occurred in the season's first four games, and Kansas generally struggled to create a pass rush in the Big 12.
The jayhawks return a similar cast along the defensive line this season.
Kansas lost defensive end Maxwell Onyegbule to graduation, but the Jayhawks return defensive tackles Richard Johnson, Jr., lamal
Greene and John Williams and defensive end Jake Laptad.
Yet Greene has stepped up in their place. Gill said Greene, a defensive tackle, was one of the most impressive players along the defensive line this spring.
Laptad led the Jayhawks with seven sacks last season while Williams displayed disruptive potential after moving from offensive line midway through the year. Both have been limited with injuries this spring.
"Not one person has really just jumped out in front of everyone else." Gill said. "All of them have played pretty good. But Greene has been the one that has stood out as far as the whole defensive line."
As a sophomore in 2008, Greene appeared to drastically improve as the year progressed. He finished that season with 21 tackles — six for a loss — and started the final seven games.
Greene played in nine games last season and recorded six tackles. But he made just one tackle for a loss and struggled to develop a consistent spot in the rotation.
"He's shown that he can be a guy that's very physical and can still make some plays," said Gill, who added that Greene still needed to lose some weight. "He's shown good leverage, and I like the way he plays with good effort."
This spring, Gill said Greene could disrupt an opposing offense.
QUARTERBACKS
CONTINUE BATTLE
INTO SPRING
Back when he was a sophomore at Dodge City High School, redshirt sophomore Kale Pick battled for the starting quarterback position with another player before eventually winning the spot.
In college, Pick has either started at quarterback, sat out because of
injury or served as Todd Reesing's backup. But not since that sophomore season in high school has Pick been placed in a true competition.
Now Pick is entrenched in a muddied quarterback battle with redshirt freshman Jordan Webb and four other hopefuls who are using spring practices as a platform to impress coach Turner Gill.
"There is great competition."
Gill said. "It puts a smile on my face when you do have some guys who can make some plays."
One of the more talked about aspects of Kansas' spring practices, the quarterback position is far from determined, a point Gill reiterated earlier this week.
Gill added that Kansas' quarterbacks have improved since the
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
COMMENTARY
Only two chances left for top recruits
BY ALEX BEECHER abeecher@kansan.com
Coach Bill Self steps to the plate, tightens his gloves and knocks the bat against his cleats. In his own words, Self needs to hit a home run.
The first pitch comes, and Self takes a mighty hack. He whiffs on his first chance at a recruiting home run this week, losing Brandon Knight, Rivals.com's top ranked player to Kentucky.
Knight certainly would have been the home run Self was openly pining for. Instead, Knight is strike one in Self's quest to go long.
That's if we're treating this week as a new at bat. Self already whiffed on his first major target for the 2010 class, Harrison Barnes. Barnes is headed to North Carolina instead.
But Barnes committed a while ago, long before this season ended, way before Kansas lost to Northern Iowa and way before Cole Aldrich, junior center, and Xavier Henry, freshman guard, confirmed that they were NBA bound.
It was those circumstances, along with the graduation of Sherron Collins, senior guard, that prompted Self to call his shot.
The good news is that although Knight represents strike one this week, Saturday represents an opportunity at a two-run shot.
Selby, the second ranked point guard in the nation according to Rivals.com, likely isn't going to Kentucky now that Knight is. And Lamb, perhaps the most dynamic scorer in the entire recruiting class, was seen sporting a KU T-shirt recently. Most importantly, no one seems to think that the two would be averse to teaming up in the same back court. In fact, some speculation has it that they would prefer to tag team, wherever they commit.
That's because at this Saturday's Jordan Brand All-American Game, five-star studs Josh Selby and Doron Lamb will offer their commitments. Kansas is rumored to be high on both their lists.
Still, nabbing either player would clearly be a tremendous supplement to a class that, thus far, includes only the underhyped Royce Woolridge. You might even say that either Lamb or Selby would be that home run Self seeks, and that getting both would be a grand slam.
So, strike one in the books. Self steps out of the box and readjusts his gear. Two more pitches to go.
Edited by Michael Holtz