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SPORTS / THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
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KANSAS 16, BAKER O
MEN'S BASEBALL REWIND
Howard Ting/KANSAN
Junior infielder Tony Thompson lands a hit with loaded bases during the rain-shortened game against Baker University Wednesday. Thompson finished the game with four RBIs, which led the Jayhawks to a 16-0 victory against Baker University, their seventh victory of this season.
Key inning
The fifth
With the game well in hand, Kansas' only concern was being washed out by the rain. But the rain held up just long enough for redshirt sophomore Jordan Jakubov to retire Baker in the top half of the fifth inning, officially ending the game and sealing the victory for the Jayhawks.
Freshman pitcher Thomas Taylor winds up for a pitch against Baker University Wednesday. Taylor delivered on the mound by not allowing one run for three consecutive innings during the game.
Game to remember
Sophomore first baseman Zac Elgie
Mired in a season-long slump, Elgie had exactly the game he needed. He enjoyed a three-for-three evening with a single, a triple and his first home run of the season. Elgie also scored a pair of runs and drove in four more. Though senior Brett Lisher has seemingly locked up the role as the everyday first baseman, having Elgie producing to his potential will be a huge boost for Kansas' offense.
Elqie
Game to forget
The Baker pitching staff
Pitching staff appears to be jelling
The Wildcats were woefully undermatched against the Jayhawk hitters, who teed off on virtually every pitch thrown over the plate. When Kansas wasn't putting on a hitting display, the Baker hurlers couldn't find the zone; they issued seven walks and hit three batters.
BY ANDREW HAMMOND
ahammond@kansan.com
HowardTino/KANSAN
Once again, the Kansas pitching staff put together a solid performance, allowing one hit in a 16-0 rain-shortened victory against Baker Wednesday. In its final game before the conference opener at Baylor Friday, Kansas' pitching staff appears to be coming together.
In two games against St. Louis on March 20, Kansas' pitchers surrendered 20 runs. In the two games since then, the Jayhawks have allowed only four runs.
"I feel good about the pitching," coach Ritch Price said. "We've had seven or eight quality starts before our struggles at St. Louis."
Starting pitcher Thomas Taylor picked up his second victory of the season. He pitched three innings during a rain-soaked game.
This marks the second consecutive outing where Taylor has been solid. He pitched five innings and struck out five against Tulane on March 17. Taylor said he could sense that the pitching staff was coming together before a pivotal conference opener at Baylor.
"We're getting a lot better and starting to get into a groove," Taylor said. "I'm becoming more confident and relaxed on the mound."
of Taylor, Tanner Poppe, Travis Blankenship and Brett Bochy, the Jayhawks are looking for success with mid- and late-game situations. And that all starts with Bochy, who has established himself as the closer for the Jayhawks this season by being effective late in games.
Bochy leads the team in saves and picked up the 5-4 victory against Creighton Tuesday.
As far as starting pitching, T.J. Walz and Cameron Selik have been solid and Brett Bollman is filling in nicely for Lee Ridenhour, who is still recovering after ankle surgery.
The Jayhawks will certainly find out more about their pitching rota.
tion now that conference play is set to begin.
"Our rotation looks pretty set at this point in the season," Price said. "Bollman looks to be our third starter. Poppe and Taylor have pitched well, but Brett has experience and in our conference you need that, and I believe he's ready."
— Edited by Jesse Rangel
Elgie's big game
In perspective
Stat of the night
36
If Elgie's big game can fully bring him out of his slump, Kansas will have yet another offensive weapon in its arsenal. With Thompson back and Elgie producing to his potential, the Jayhawks are that much more powerful one-through-nine in the batting order and even deeper on the bench.
Kansas' season total is up to 36 on the year. The all-time Kansas record for hit batsmen in a season is 1991, recorded in the 2005-06 season.
With three batters getting hit by a pitch against Baker,
First time for everything
Gamenotes
In the fourth inning, junior third baseman Tony Thompson recorded his first hit of the season, a three-run triple to deep right-center field. The triple wasn't merely his first hit of the season. Thompson, who has put eye-popping offensive numbers during his Jayhawk career, had never hit a triple before last night.
Don't walk
Redshirt freshman pitcher Thomas Taylor got another start for Kansas, and despite earning the victory with his three hitless innings of work, struggled with his control. Taylor issued three walks in the game, which upset coach Ritch Price, who said the youngster still needed to have better command of the strike
zone as he did in his start against Tulane.
"He has to let our defense play behind him," Price said. "If you walk guys,you set the table for crooked number innings in our league. That's the next step in his development is to eliminate the walks and eliminate being behind in the count."