Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Duke takes Championship
The Blue Devils squeezed by the Bulldogs for a 61-59 win. SPORTS | 5B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010
Robby Price wins again Second baseman is Player of the Week two weeks in a row. BASEBALL | 2B
TWO'S COMPANY, SIX IS A CROWD
Battle for quarterback is on
PAGE 1B
Six players vie for coveted spot after Reesing's departure
BY JAYSON JENKS jjenks@kansan.com
For the first time this spring, Kansas' quarterbacks talked with members of the media. And because of that nearly all of Monday's questions revolved around the battle taking place behind center.
Fittingly, then, former quarterback Todd Reesing showed up in street clothes to watch practice for the first time since his playing days ended last year.
Now the task of replacing Reesing falls on a handful of unproven players entrenched in a public quarterback battle this spring. Kale Pick, Jordan Webb, Christian Matthews, Quinn Mecham, Jacob Morse and Conner Teahan will fight for Reesing's snaps.
In his three seasons as a starter, Reesing shattered nearly every passing record in school history. He led the layhawks to the Orange Bowl in 2007 and, in delivering highlights and victories, he made Kansas football relevant.
"You just have to give these guys some time to start making those comparisons," offensive coordinator Chuck Long said. "First thing first, we'll try to work through it and get a starting quarterback. If they can get to the Todd Reed plateau, that will be a great plateau to get to"
One thing is certainly clear this spring: Kansas football is changing. The Layhawks are implementing new coaching ideas, new offensive philosophies and a new attitude.
But for the common fan, few changes will be as drastic as the quarterback position. Reasing started every game after winning the job before his sophomore season, and he generally performed at an above-average level. Now those days are gone.
"It's competitive but we also have fun with it," said Pick, who served as Reesing's backup last season. "We don't take it off the field. It's not that we're competitive and don't talk to each other."
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
COMMENTARY
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb warms up before practice Monday afternoon. Webb redshirted last season and is now fighting for the starting position at quarterback.
Tied game had forced ending, just to catch a plane
BY MAX VOSBURGH
See if you can spot anything wrong with the following sentence: The record for the Kansas baseball team is 18-10-1.
That's written correctly. For the rest of the year there will be a "1" lingering at the end of the Jayhawks' record. Kansas tied Texas A&M on Saturday when the game ended in the 11th inning with the score 8-8.
The two teams had agreed before the afternoon game that they wouldn't start an inning after 2:15 p.m., because the Aggies had a flight to catch in Kansas City.
During the game, both teams fought hard, and the lead changed multiple times. But when 2:15 came around, play came to an abrupt end, with the score still tied.
It really is disappointing that something like this can happen in college baseball. This situation would never happen in professional baseball, which is what a lot of these college athletes are training for.
What baffles me is that there aren't more precautions taken during travel days to prevent situations like this from happening. Start the game earlier. Drive instead of fly. Schedule later flights.
Does either team want to quit a game that means so much to their chances of winning a Big 12 Championship?
No they don't.
"It ites like a loss, to be honest. It stinks and it's obviously not the way we wanted to finish, but it is what it is," junior outfieldier Jimmy Waters said after the game.
Later in the season, when the layhawks are competing against good teams for a spot in the playoffs, close games will be inevitable. The layhawks had what could have been a valuable experience ripped out from underneath them.
After Texas A&M went ahead in the top of the 11th inning, the layhawks tied it again in the bottom of the inning. The game went back and forth from the beginning. I can't think of a better way to boost confidence or pick up momentum than to win a close game at home in extra innings against a ranked baseball team
Unfortunately the Jayhawks never got that chance.
Edited by Katie Blankenau
BASEBALL
Developmental games give younger players experience
Freshman pitcher Thomas Taylor rifles the ball during the game against Arkansas-Little Rock on March 30. Kansas has a 4-2 record in games in which Taylor started.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Practice helps underclassmen become valuable assets to the team
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm_dub
Each season, Division I programs are allowed to play four 'developmental' games without affecting their RPI. Essentially, they bring in lesser opponents in order to give their younger players extended playing time.
Kansas (18-10-1, 3-2-1) will play its fourth and final developmental game of the season when it hosts NATA opponent Missouri Valley College tonight at 6 p.m.
The Jayhawks have dominated the opposition in each of their previous three developmental games: winning 10-0 against St. Mary College on March 9, 16-0 against Tabor on March 10 and 16-0 against Baker on March 24.
Because of the lopsided nature of these contests, tonight's game carries a different meaning, depending on who you ask.
"I want to see some of my backup guys get to play, and play well," Price said.
For coach Ritch Price, it's an opportunity for his younger players to see extended time in the field and get a maximum number of at-bats.
Price said reserves, such as sophomore first baseman Zac
Elgie, freshman catcher Alex DeLeon and freshman shortstop Kevin Kuntz, will all get starts at their respective positions.
"I want to see some of my back-up guys get to play, and play well."
Red shirt
fresh man
Thomas Taylor
RITCH PRICE Coach
will get another start on the mound for the layhawks, where Price said he hopes the youngster will continue to improve.
Ideally, Price's goal is to have
each player be a valuable asset for Kansas to bring off the bench. The worst case scenario would be having a capable replacement in case of an injury to a starter.
Elgie, DeLeon and Kuntz won limited action during the series against Texas A&M, albeit in late-game replacement roles. So for those three players, regardless of the rea-
less of the reason behind the playing time, there is a similar optimism for an opportunity to start.
Eligie, in particular, has made the most of the developmental games.
In Kansas' last developmental outing, a 16-0 victory over Baker, Elgie went 3-for-3, including his
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B