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MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 1B
Series ends in disappointment
Junior outfielder Brian Heere connects on a hit during Kansas' game against Texas A&M Saturday afternoon in the final game of the three game series. The game featured four lead changes before ending in an 8-8 tie in the 11th inning. The tie is Kansas' first ever Big 12 game that ended in a tie, and only the fourth since 1980.
Texas A&M's travel plans end series finale after two extra innings
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm_dub
After two games that came down to the wire on Thursday and Friday, the Jayhawks' series finale on Saturday seemed headed for a similar finish.
In an instant, the extra innings contest between Kansas (18-10-1, 3-2-1) and No. 22 Texas A&M was over. The game that seemed headed for the most dramatic end of all three instead ended in anticlimactic fashion as the game was ruled an 8-8 tie because of the Aggies' travel plans.
"It's an awful way to end this series, especially when it was as highly competitive as this series has been," coach Ritch Price said of his third career tie. "One of the great things about our sport is that we don't have ties. It's not hockey. So it's a weird feeling."
The Jayhawk players were more visibly disappointed by the abrupt end to the series.
"It ites like a loss, to be honest," junior left fielder Jimmy Waters said.
Kansas has been making a habit of close games lately, which continued Thursday as it nearly saw a six-run lead disappear to a A&M rally, but the Jayhawks hung on for a 9-5 win. The trend continued on Friday in a 6-4 setback, with the Jayhawks being the club to make late noise, but come up just short.
The disappointment for Kansas was punctuated by the series finale on Saturday. The Jayhawks looked to be cruising toward victory from the first inning on, after junior center fielder Brian Heere got them started with a two-run home run to right field.
Even after A&M rallied to take the lead
3-2 in the fifth, Kansas quickly answered back. After an RBI single by senior second baseman Robby Price, Waters belts a bases clearing double to deep left field, which gave the Jayhawks a 6-3 lead.
With freshman Tanner Poppe looking untouchable from the mound in the sixth and seventh, the lead appeared it would be enough for a Jayhawk victory.
Waters said that it falls upon everyone — hitters and pitchers equally — to show a killer instinct late in the game.
But the Aggies battered Poppe for four runs in the eighth to erase the Jayhawks lead and take a 7-6 edge.
"We've got to find a way to put people away," Waters said. "We've been doing it all week, and it's kind of getting annoying at this point."
The Jayhawks rallied to tie the game with two outs in the ninth on an RBI single by
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B
SERIES FINAL SCORES
Thursday - Kansas 9, Texas A&M 5
Friday - Texas A&M 6, Kansas 4
Saturday - Kansas 8, Texas A&M 8
(Final - 11 innings)
FOOTBALL
Players must adjust to Gill's terminology
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Last season he had his red shirt pulled in the sixth game,
As a freshman safety, Lubbock Smith is used to learning on the fly — and he's used to doing so at an accelerated rate.
leaving Smith to gain experience against the explosive passing offenses of Texas and Texas Tech. Now Smith and his teammates are being asked to adjust
quickly once more. With a new coaching staff, the layhawks are spending the early portions of spring practice simply learning A new football
Smith
"We just have to take some of the bullets that have been thrown at us right now", Smith said.
Each coaching staff, regardless of similarities in styles or schemes, carries a unique set of
a new football vocabulary
Instead of possessing a second-natured understanding of the words that allows the Jayhawks to quickly react, players are forced to think of the lingo's meaning before making a play.
Gill's terminology — an adjustment Smith described as "pretty difficult."
"It's just terminology," Gill said. "I guess we have some similar plays to what they've done last year but we're calling them something different so it's not going to automatically react."
For Gill, the difference between reacting and thinking represents the most noticeable handicap when learning new terminology.
Gill said the jayhawks probably won't develop that comfort level until preseason practices in
lingo used to describe certain plays or techniques.
Right now, with only five practices completed, the Jayhawks are still learning coach Turner
"We have some similar plays to what they've done last year but we're calling them something different."
TURNER GILL
kansas football coach
"When it comes to the point where they just react and not think," Gill said, "then they'll be able to go out on their own and perform at the highest level that they can."
the fall.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
ing the spring. Gill and the rest of his staff are evaluating these early practices through a slightly
Because that most likely won't happen dur-
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
SOFTBALL
Kryan Waggoner/ANSA Junior catchter Brittany Hile reaches for a catch as Texas 'KoC' Cook slides across home plate to score a run in Kansas '6-2 loss to Texas Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks play the Missouri Titans Wednesday in Columbia, Mo.
Kansas struggles to collect hits, gets swept by Texas
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
twitter.com/zqetz
After two weeks of Big 12 play, Kansas (16-19, 0-4) is still looking for a conference victory after No. 17 Texas swept Kansas at home 7-0 and 6-2 over the weekend.
Kansas knew going in Texas had a good pitcher, and freshman Blaire Luna didn't disappoint. She had two great outings and pitched 13.1 innings, giving up just four hits and no runs.
"She's very, very good at what she does," sophomore infielder Marissa Ingle said. "She throws balls well and placed the ball well
against out batters."
COMMENTARY
Coach Megan Smith said Luna was a good pitcher, but the Jayhawks' inability to hit had a part in her stat sheet.
"Offensively we just didn't make the adjustments we needed to make to be successful," Smith said. "She's certainly not as good as we made her look."
Ingle agreed with Smith that the team didn't make adjustments, and also said Kansas needed to keep working on the fundamentals.
"We needed to focus on making routine hits instead of swinging for the fences," Ingle said. "We need to do our thing instead of
While Kansas lost the series, freshman outfielder Rosie Hull said losses like that don't deflate the team.
Ingle said the Jayhawks try to use losses to analyze its game and get better.
"We can't get down on ourselves too much, otherwise, it wouldn't be fun anymore." Hull said. "Texas is a good team, and we have to acknowledge that and turn the page."
"We think about the positives of each game and take that to the next one, and try to get better."
SEE SWEPT ON PAGE 3B
Football needs to identify its playmakers
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
W When last season started to fall apart - when the jayhawks lost seven consecutive games before coach Mark Mangino resigned under pressure — fans and media members tried to locate the heart of Kansas' problems
And there were certainly plenty of available culprits.
The Jayhawks were plagued by costly turnovers. They couldn't make crucial defensive stops in games. And they didn't develop any rhythm offensively.
But those problems only served as pieces to the larger issue at hand.
The layhawks simply didn't have game-changers last season, and they struggled because of it.
On the surface, Kansas seemed loaded with potential playmakers. The Jayhawks returned proven veterans Todd Reeing, Jake Sharp, Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe.
At times, each one of those players showed flashes. But the lajahawks never received consistent, game-changing plays from that cast, and they rarely received the big play in the game's big moment last year.
In the sixth game of the season at Colorado, Reesing floated a deep pass to Briscoe as the clock expired. Briscoe jumped above Colorado's defenders, grabbed the ball high in the air, but had it knocked away when he fell to the ground.
As Kansas' season progressed, Briscoe's words seemed increasingly relevant.
The Jayhawks had plenty of chances last season. But in the deciding moments of games - in the moments when a team's best players usually step forward - the Jayhawks were often stood up.
Kansas lost 34-30 in the first of seven consecutive defeats.
"I was real close actually" Briscoe said after the game. "I had the ball, came down and the guy's helmet hit it. He was in the right position. They came to play; we didn't."
Now as Kansas enters the middle of spring practices under new coach Turner Gill, the Jayhawks will attempt to find those decisive, game-changing players that were often missing last year.
"We hopefully can find two to three guys, so-called playmakers," Gill said. "When you need a play to be made on defense, somebody on that defense is going to make that play."
The Jayhawks appear to have options on both sides of the ball
Freshman wide receiver Bradley McDougald arrived at Kansas as a highly regarded recruit and showed bursts of explosiveness. Freshman Toben Opurum plowed through—and bounced off—defenders last season in leading Kansas with 554 rushing yards.
Defensively, freshman safety Lubbock Smith proved to be a tenacious tackler, while junior defensive end Jake Laptad led the Jayhawks with 6.5 sacks.
Now the job of identifying and cultivating those playmakers rests with Gill and his staff.
"If a guy in practice is consistently making plays over and over again, you're going to notice that," Gill said. "And that's what you want to see."
Most importantly, that's what the Jayhawks need to win games this season.
Edited by Becky Howlett