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Kansas wants big finish
Jayhawks play in final regular-season tournament GOLF | 9B
MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010
TOUGH COMPETITION
wlett
The Jayhawks played in a pitching-dominated game against the Longhorns Sunday. Kansas' pitchers kept up with the Texas pace Friday and Saturday, but lost momentum, falling 10-4.
Jayhawks lose three in Austin
PAGE 1B
Scott Squires/THE DAILY TEXAN
Kansas' bats silenced during 3-game series
After nearly matching the Longhorns' talented starters pitch-for-pitch in slim defeats on Friday (3-2) and Saturday (3-1), Kansas' staff couldn't keep pace on Sunday, falling 10-4.
As the old adage goes, good pitching almost certainly will top good hitting.
"The first thing I told our guys right after the game was, 'Right now, Texas is playing better than anyone in the country,' coach Ritch Price said. "Their pitchers are as good as advertised."
Walz easily handled the Long-horns through the first eight innings, striking out seven along the way. He threw first pitch strikes to 18 batters and retired the leadoff hitter in every inning he pitched.
to 2-1.
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm dub
Junior T.J. Walz was masterful on Friday night, overshadowing a strong effort from Texas' ace Taylor Jungmann with his best outing of the season.
A sacrifice fly by junior Tony Thompson and a solo home run by senior Brett Lisher gave Walz an early 2-0 cushion.
But a throwing error with two outs in the seventh by junior shortstop Brandon Macias allowed Texas to score an unearned run, which narrowed Kansas' lead
Walz rebounded from the error and settled down to take the Jayhawks into the nirth with the lead intact, where he attempted to finish his complete game.
But the Longhorns finally got to him as he went well over 100 pitches, plating the tying run on an RBI double with one out in the ninth.
Walz' effort went for naught, as he was sent to the showers shy of
earning his sixth victory. A sacrifice fly in the 11th inning delivered a crushing 3-2 loss to the lavhawks.
"It was a little disappointing but I thought we put it behind us pretty quickly," senior second baseman Robby Price said.
Like Walz, senior Carteren Selik was equally sharp on Saturday, tossing an eight inring complete game and holding the Longhorns only four hits while striking out
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 8B
seven.
"I could not have been more pleased with the performances that we got from Walz and Selik," coach Price said.
Despite Selik's strong outing, Cole Green was just a bit better for Texas. Green held the jay-hawks to four hits, with their only run coming on an RBI single by Robby Price in the third inning.
BOCHY OUT FOR THE SEASON
Junior
pitcher
Brett
Bochy is
out for the
season
after requiring surgery | PAGE 8B
Bochy
SOFTBALL
Kansas splits series gets first Big 12 victory
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
twitter.com/zgetz
Freshman outfielder Rosie Hull popped a ball to third base, and a rush throw by a Baylor defender caused Baylor to overthrow the play at first. Freshman Alex Jones took the opportunity to pick up an extra base and score a run. The team didn't know it at the time, but that would be the difference in the game to give Kansas its first Big 12 Conference victory of the season.
On Sunday, Kansas ended up splitting the two games with Baylor and moved to 17-22 (1-7) while Baylor went to 22-14 (3-4). It was also Kansas' first series against a Big 12 unranked opponent, although Baylor received votes in the USA Today poll, while also being ranked No. 23 in the ESPN.com poll.
Standing in the outfield before, freshman Jones said it felt great to run off the field after the last out.
Kansas has had a tendency to allow big innings, letting the opposing team put the game out of reach for Kansas. Coach Megan Smith said focus might
Jones
ing was absolutely amazing," Jones said. "We needed that really badly."
"That feel-
be a reason Kansas has allowed some of these innings.
"We are encouraging them to go out every day, work hard and focus on each individual pitch and not to get too overwhelmed," Smith said. "I think sometimes in those big innings they're not quite focusing on all the little things."
Junior Allie Clark's pitching performance was night and day in the two games. In the first game Clark allowed four hits and five earned runs in two innings.
"I knew I needed a good outing and I was working hard," Clark said. "The girls behind me were working harder, and I appreciate them a lot."
the second game Clark pitched seven i n n i n g s, allowing three hits and no earned runs. Clark said her pitching performance was part of a team effort.
The victory will release a little pressure the team was feeling. Clark said.
"Everyone just exhaled and are relaxed now, so now we just got to get on a roll," Clark said.
In the first game, Kansas teetered on giving up a big inning, but its defense managed to lockdown in times of need. In
Clark
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 4B
FOOTBALL
Junior running back Angus Quigley takes a handoff from quarterback Todd Reesing during a game against Sam Houston State in 2008. Quigley started out his career as a running back before moving to linebacker last season. Quigley will play running back again this season under first-year coach Tuner Gill.
Quigley rejuvenated under Gill
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
When Angus Quigley talks, there's a sense that he's not hiding anything behind the curtain, that everything he thinks, he says.
Yetlast season Quigley slipped a slight of hand when, before Kansas' Senior Night against Nebraska, he told members of the media that he wasn't sure if hed pursue a sixth year of eligibility.
He's transparent, well-spoken and willing to publically share his thoughts.
Turns out, Quigley knew all alone.
"I really wasn't coming back," Quigley said. "I knew when I sat in that room, my mind was made
up. I wasn't coming back. But things changed."
Shortly after last season,
coach Mark
Mangi n o reached a
mutuality.
Quigley
isfactory agreement to resign, triggering a series of events
that ended when Lew Perkins announced Turner Gill as the new head coach on Dec 13.
Then he decided to return for a sixth season — this time as a running back once more.
More than anything, the chance at a fresh start intrigued Quigley. So he listened to what Gill had to say, and he thought about the opportunity to play under new leadership.
"He just talked to me about how I am as a person," Gill said. "He talked about how he wanted
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
COMMENTARY
Freshman continues family legacy
BY CLARK GOBLE
cqoble@kansan.com
In 1991, running back Tony Sands rumbled for a school record 396 yards against Missouri
Nearly 20 years later, freshman Deshaun Sands, Tony's son, wants to break that record.
Tony was a big factor in Deshaun deciding to leave Florida — his home state, which he deemed "way more fun than Kansas" — and the weather he still loves, but he's looking to make his own legacy.
"He was a legend here, so I figured I could come here and outshine him, break his records." Sands said. "Father-son stuff."
Sands, just 5-foot-7 with short dreadlocks, said his father got the "blazing" speed, but he got the vision.
"Every time I get in open space, I see everything." Sands said.
Junior Angus Quigley, 6-foot-11, runs tall like Adrian Peterson, a trait that he thinks led to his position switch to backlater last season.
Freshman Toben Opurum is a between-the-tackles runner who delivers the pain instead of taking it.
Sands' style — he says its about quickness and vision — is one of many different styles of running backs vying for playing time next fall
"He's a tough little dude," Quigley said. "He's shitty."
Sophomore Bell Lewis showed his quickness on a 42-yard reception in last year's Border Showdown.
But Sands might have the most potential of the group.
As it stands, an Opurum-Sands combination sounds pretty lethal. Opurum will bowl over defenders; Sands will juke around them.
Sands is also working with the return teams in spring ball.
"That's my thing," Sands said. "Something like Devin Hester, you know?"
Sands needs a lot more time to grow out his dreadlocks — he started them at the beginning of last season — to match Hester's. He isn't worried about the ramifications of having his hair flare out past his helmet.
"If they pull them, oh well," Sands said.
Webb and Sands redshirted and worked with the scout team's offense last year, mimicking opponents' offenses in the week prior to the game. They would watch film on the weeks to prepare. Sands said having to learn lots of different offenses is helping him a lot this year under new coach Turner Gill.
It won't be hard for Sands to stay motivated: his roommate, freshman quarterback Jordan Webb, is also looking for playing time. Sands said they study the playbook whenever they have free time.
Sands filled the role well too he was named the scout team's offensive player of the year at the end of last season. He wanted to help the team on game days, but he embraced his role as a scout team player.
Sands said he learned one big thing from his redshirt exp.
"Stay humble," Sands said. "You have to be patient and your time will come."
Don't be surprised if Sands and Webb end up manning the Jayhawk backfield for extended periods next year.
"We want it bad." Sands said.
Edited by Drew Anderson