Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Baseball travels to Baylor Kansas aims for its second all-time victory in Waco. BASEBALL | 7A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2010
Kansas faces tough series Jayhawks open Big 12 schedule at No. 17 Texas A&M. SOFTBALL | 8A
PAGE 10A
ILLINOIS STATE 71, KANSAS 51
Jayhawks walloped out of tourney
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Kansas fell 71-51 at Illinois State and ended its season at a fairly predictable location — anywhere but Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks always played like a different team on the road. Thursday at Redbird Arena was the concluding confirmation.
Kansas won just four of its 11 games away from the Fieldhouse this season. The same offense that averaged 78.1 points per game at home averaged just 59.1 points per game on the road.
"They punched us in the mouth right away and we just didn't have an answer," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Thursday's matchup magnified Kansas' road weaknesses on both ends of the floor.
"Once they got us down, they had their confidence up," senior guard Sade Morris said. "It's already hard to play on the road when you go in. Once they came out on fire, it was hard to come back."
In its first two victories in the WNIT against Prairie View A&M and Creighton, Kansas relied on its post players for the bulk of scoring. Junior center Krysten Boogaard scored a career-high 37 in an 82-70 victory against the Panthers. Freshman forward Carolyn Davis followed with 25 points in a 71-68 triumph against the Blue Jays.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"We need to be able to hit a couple of shots to pull somebody out of there," Henrickson said.
On Thursday, Davis didn't stand a chance. Redbirds swarmed the All-Big 12 rookie with double- and sometimes triple-team defenses every time she touched the ball. She finished with just two points.
Despite Illinois State clearly favoring the paint and allowing guards Morris, LaChelda Jacobs and Monica Engelman to take wide open shots, the attempts weren't falling.
"Sade and LaClaheld are wide open and they're crowding the lane," Henrickson said. "Sade wasn't aggressive, so I said, 'Aren't you insulted that they're not guarding you?"
Morris never found her stroke, missing all nine of her shot attempts. Engelman made just five of her 16 shot attempts. Kansas shot just 20 percent in the first half and 34 percent for the game.
Freshman guard Monica Engelman goes up for a shot in the lane against a Creighton defender. Engelman scored 14 points at Illinois State but shot just 5-of-16 from the field.
An early jump shot by sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland
SEE WOMEN'S ON PAGE 8A
FOOTBALL
Quarterback battle a focus of spring practice
BY JAYSON JENKS
With a cast of unproven players, the Jayhawks will likely choose between returning backups Kale Pick and Jordan Webb as well as junior college transfer Quinn Mecham.
For the first time since Todd Reesing and Kerry Meier battled for the starting position three seasons ago, Kansas' spring practices will feature a quarterback battle.
All three will start competing for the job tomorrow when Kansas begins spring practices under first-year coach Turner Gill.
jjenks@kansan.com
KALE PICK
Growing up in Dodge City, the one time home of Old West shootout legends Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, sophomore Kale Pick's nickname is only fitting: The Gunslinger from Dodge.
After moving his high school's offense by way of his arm, local news outlets connected the gun slinging roots of Dodge City with the deep passes Pick tossed on Friday nights.
Yet serving as Todd Reesing's backup last season, Pick quickly developed a reputation as a runner. He carried the ball just 14 times but gained 167 vards.
"I get the sense that most people think he's a running quarterback." Pick's high school coach, Justin Burke, said. "And I think he's more of a gunlister. Maybe it's because
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 6A
COMMENTARY
Sophomore quarterback Kale Pick calls an audible during the game against Texas Tech on October 31st, 2009. Pick is competing with freshman Jordan Webb and junior college transfer Quinn Mecham for the starting quarterback position for the upcoming season.
Kansas regains offensive rhythm
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kaos.com
Look at all the great lineups in Major League Baseball. Let me know when you find
Let me know when you find one that doesn't get above average offensive production from the corner infield spots.
The Yankees have Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox have Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis. The Cubs have Aramis Ramirez and the remains of Derrek Lee. The Cardinals have Albert Puols and it doesn't freaking matter because they have Albert Puols
The college game, certainly, is a different beast, but this year's Jayhawks team was picked in the preseason top 25 in part because they had such solid offensive weapons manning first and third base.
This is why Thompson's doughnut hole Tuesday shouldn't surprise. Yes, he's the most naturally gifted hitter in the Big 12, but there is no substitute for at bats in getting your game rhythm back. So Thompson's 1-for-4, four RBI night Wednesday was a big deal. It was baby steps in the right direction, and the one hit was a rocket – his first career triple.
Third base was the real bright spot. Tony Thompson was coming off a triple crown year in the Big 12 - leading the league in average, home runs and RBI - but he fractured his kneecap and just returned to the lineup Tuesday, going 0-for-4 in his debut.
First base wasn't as locked in,
but sophomore Zac Elgie was a
12th-round draft pick out of high
school and had shown real potential,
especially late in the season, as
a freshman. He entered Wednesday
night's game hitting a whimpering
114 on the year.
For starters, any game action is good game action right now for Thompson. Coming off a long-term injury in baseball is remarkably difficult (I would know, I once partially tore a ligament in my elbow, missing six months of action) and finding the same hitting stroke or throwing motion can take longer than you'd imagine
So Wednesday, when the Jayhawks played Baker in a rain-shortened miserable 4.5 innings, they came away with nothing productive. What can the Jayhawks possibly take from a 16-0 thumping of a team that didn't really belong on the same diamond as them.
LA
Elgie was one of the biggest reasons the game got so ugly. In his first plate appearance, Elgie took a pitch over the left-centerfield wall for his first homer on the season and the team's eighth. He then roped a single and a triple in his next two at bats, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored
It was a 2009 swing, which, at this point, is what the Jayhawks desperately need. As a team, they had just seven home runs entering the game.
The level of competition wasn't what it will be this weekend when the Jayhawks open conference play at Baylor, but it was a start. If Elgie and Thompson start the hit parade, the Jayhawks can march into the postseason.
- Edited by Kelly Gibson
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