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FRIDAY,APRIL2,2010
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KANSAS 9, TEXAS A&M 5
PAGE 10A
Junior pitcher T.J. Walz fires the ball against No. 22 Texas A&M Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark. Walz received the win and recorded 8 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings pitched.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Hanging tough against Aggies
Kansas keeps lead despite late-game rally by Texas A&M
BY BEN WARD
bWard@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm_dub
Though the layhawks haven't been able to put away their opponents of late, they have made habit out of emerging victorious in close games.
On Thursday, No. 22 Texas A&M nearly erased a six-run deficit with a late rally. But as it has for five straight games, Kansas (18-9, 3-1) hung-tough late and won the game 9-5.
"For some reason it's kind of the joke in the locker room right now, that we can't win a game without
drama", junior left fielder Jimmy Waters said.
Early on in the contest, lategame dramatics appeared to be far from sight.
Through four innings, the game was a duel between each side's starting pitcher. Junior T.J. Walz and Aggies ace Barret Loux each worked quickly and controlled the pace of the action.
But down 1-0, Kansas chipped away at Loux for four runs to take a 4-1 lead, with junior center fielder Brian Heere slapping a two-RBI single and Waters adding an RBI double.
Once he got the lead, Walz continued dealing from the mound, working out of several jams whenever the Aggies threatened to score.
"I knew I had to do everything I
could do give the team a chance to win." Walz said.
With Walz controlling A&M's hitters, Kansas' batters put up another run in the seventh to add to its lead. Sophomore Chris Manship blasted a clutch two-out, two-RBI double to extend the Jayhawks advantage to 7-1.
With Walz well over 100 pitches heading into the eighth, Texas A&M finally got to him. The Aggies strung together three straight hits to chase Walz from the game and ended up putting up four runs in the inning to narrow the Jayhawks lead to 7-5.
Coach Price said he's preached all season long that opponents aren't just going to fold late in the
"That was huge to make it a four-run inning for us," coach Ritch Price said.
game, and that Kansas needs to always prepare for the other side to make a run.
"You've got to find a way to hold it off." Price said.
The top of Kansas' order led off the bottom of the eighth with three straight hits, and two eventually came home thanks to an RBI single by Waters and a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Brett Lisher. The lead, which was only moments before cut to two runs, was back to four at 9-5.
Not only did the Jayhawk pitchers hold the Aggies off, their bats came right back with a timely response.
"That's just how we're playing right now," Waters said. "We're playing pretty good ball at the plate."
The extended cushion didn't
mean a drama-free ninth inning though, as the Aggies loaded the bases against junior Brett Bochy on a walk and two scratch singles. But Bochy, who Price said he would have preferred not to use, closed out A&M's threat with no further damage to earn his fifth save of the season.
"You're always in that frame of mind where you want the ball and want to go in there and stop the bleeding." Bochy said.
Coach Price said hed prefer to win going away after taking an early lead, but was still pleased that regardless of the scenario, the Jayhawks came away with a victory.
"You've got to finish games," he said. "And that's one thing we are doing – we're finishing games."
Edited by Kelly Gibson
FOOTBALL
Several Jayhawks working at new positions
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Those assistants took Patterson's words to heart. Patterson said before Mangino's assistants left, they told coach Turner Gill's newly hired staff that Patterson was best suited at receiver, not comperback.
Before last season ended — before coach Mark Mangino and his staff departed — Daymond Patterson jokingly told former assistants he was done playing defense and instead wanted to return to offense.
"I was happy they told them that," Patterson said, "because I feel that I'll be a better player, a bappier player and more productive on the offensive side of the ball."
Before the start of spring practices on March 27, Gill allowed players to decide their positions
He's not the only one thinking that way.
"I want to really give these guys an opportunity to see what they can do," Gill said. "And you can only do that if you stay at a position for a certain length of time."
None of the position changes, though, have drawn as much interest as Patterson's and that of two other former defensive players.
at least to start. So far, eight players made changes from last season.
Patterson started his career as a wide receiver, catching 14 passes for 154 yards his freshman year. But in the middle of that season, he moved to defensive back to help a struggling secondary and remained there as a sophomore.
Recruited as a running back, senior Angus Quigley moved to linebacker before last season. Freshman DJ. Beshers started the sixth game of the season at
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8A
Senior Angus Quigley performs running back drills during spring practice Sunday afternoon. Kansas football coach Turner Gill allowed players to try out for any position during spring practices. Quigley was a running back to start his career but played linebacker last season.
COMMENTARY
Believe in the Teahan Experiment
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
twitter.com/1/Dwyer
So far, every time I've heard someone talk about junior guard Conner Teahan's
decision to take his skills to the football field, it is met first with incredulity and second with snide indifference.
The general consensus seems to be that Teahan will make no impact whatsoever on the quarterback shuffle going on at Kansas right now.
Here's my question: Why not?
Why can't this work?
Granted, it is a long shot. Coach Turner Gill said as much.
Teahan hasn't played football in three years. He doesn't know the team's offense. He's at a distinct disadvantage to Kale Pick and Quinn Mecham, who have both been playing in pads for their entire college careers.
He was only a two-star recruit coming out of high school, but so was Aqib Talib. That worked out for the Jayhawks, with Talib turning into the best pro prospect at a skill position since Gale Sayers came to school here.
And let's be real. Teahan has thrown a football in the last three years. It's one of those things that guys who like sports do. I've thrown a football more times than I've gone to class in the last week. (Sorry, Mom. It's just so nice out.)
For a moment, let's assume that Teahan can still hit his spots with a throw. Let's assume that he's a bright enough kid to catch up on the terminology before too long. Let's assume that he's in good enough shape to keep up with Pick and Mecham.
But Teahan could not have picked a better time. There's a new coach in place, which means Pick and Mecham have just a month's more work in the offense then Teahan. Gill has made it clear that every position on the field is up for grabs and neither Pick nor Mecham has a solid grasp on the starting gig going in.
Think Self hasn't been keeping him in good shape? I'd guess, though you'd have to talk to Teahan about this, that playing basketball at Kansas has got him into the best shape of his life. Throw in the fact that he's 6-foot-5 (an ideal quarterback height) and was All-District at Kansas City powerhouse Rockhurst (MO) High School, and you've got a legitimate prospect in my book.
"He had a lot of schools interested in him for football and basketball, but Conner always wanted to play basketball for Kansas," Teahan's dad Mark told Rivals. com after he committed, "He loves Kansas and has decided to be a jayhawk. This is really a dream come true for Conner"
Plus, it's not like Teahan is out of shape. There were a number of schools that offered him a scholarship as a dual-sport athlete coming out of high school, but he chose to walk-on to Bill Self's squad.
At the very least that guy deserves a look as the top option for Kansas at quarterback, and it seems like Gill is going to give him that.
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Edited by Taylor Bern