Sports KU The Uni
Softball
Kansas will end a five-game road stint in Lincoln, Neb., when it faces No. 15 Nebraska tomorrow. The Jayhawks and 'Huskers will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Bowlin Stadium.
1B
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
'Hawks snap losing streak, 7-6
By Shane Kucera
skucera@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Coach Ritch Price mixed up the batting order last night and it resulted in the team's first victory in seven games.
Sixteen hits and seven runs for the Hawks against the Southwest Missouri State Bears was one of the team's best offensive performances during the seven-game road trip. The result was a 7-6 victory.
Kansas came out swinging to start the game. Ritchie Price, Ryan Baty and Travis Metcalf had consecutive singles to give the team a 1-0 lead. A balk by
SMS starter Chris Krawczyk scored Ryan Baty to give the Jayhawks a 2-0 lead before the inning was finished.
The Bears answered in the bottom of
The Bear answered the first. A walk to the lead-off hitter led to a run when SMS's offensive leader Jake Manning singled to center field.
While the 'Hawks were held scoreless in the second and third, SMS added more runs. Four walks and three hits in the sec-
Price
three in the sand and inning allowed the Bears to take a
4-2 lead. The next inning, SMS scored a third insurance run on a wild pitch and two hits.
and two ins.
The score remained 5-2 until the fifth inning when the 'Hawks put four more runs on the board. Second baseman Matt Baty doubled to start the inning and was followed by shortstop Ritchie Price's single. An error during senior Ryan Baty's at-bat allowed younger brother Matt to score and advance Price. Third baseman Travis Metcalf reached base on a fielder's choice and was followed by RBI singles by Matt Tribble and Sean Richardson. An RBI single by designated hitter Mike Dudley capped the inning and gave the
Jayhawks a 6-5 lead.
SMS tied the game in the sixth inning and threatened to hand Kansas its eighth straight loss. A home run over the left field wall by Bear's first baseman Matt Weglarz made the score 6-6.
The Hawks would answer in the eighth with the tie-breaking run. Right fielder Andy Van Slyke led off the inning with a single. After sophomore Ritchie Price was hit by a pitch, Ryan Baty doubled to left center field to make the game 7-6.
The one-run lead was all that the Jayhawks would need for the victory. Pitchers Clint Schambach and Ken
Livesey held SMS scoreless the final two innings to end Kansas' losing streak.
streak.
Sophomore shortstop Ritchie Price was the offensive leader in yesterday's game. Swinging the bat well during the road trip, Price continued his success with a 4-for-4 performance with two runs and a hit by pitch.
runs and a big pitch. With the victory, Kansas moves to 25-22-1 on the season and SMS drops to 21-20. The next match-up for the Jayhawks will be Friday at Hogglund Ballpark for a three-game series against conference opponent Texas Tech.
— Edited by Guillaume Doane
The University of Kansas receives 8 percent of the royalties on KU merchandise, such as the products shown above. Some argue that money from the merchandise, especially jerseys with players' names on them, should go back to the student athletes themselves. The University and the NCAA disagree.
Royalty rumble
By Joe Bant jbant@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
It would be hard to tour Lawrence without encountering KU athletics merchandise.
In addition to the on-campus bookstores, there are the multitude of sporting goods stores around town and the sporting goods departments of larger multi-purpose stores where the University of Kansas trademark also exists in abundance.
Outside of Lawrence, the University logo is marketed to a national audience by a variety of vendors and can be found across the country.
Each year the University makes royalties from the wholesale value of all of the trademark products sold. The University currently gets 8 percent.
That money goes to a variety of different places. But one place it doesn't go is into the pockets of student-athletes.
According to University administrators, the NCAA should not change its stance on jersey revenue. Athletes, they say, get enough from college without making money off of athletic apparel carrying their names.
carrying their names.
Eight percent might not seem like much money, but in 2003 it amounted to almost $750,000. That's money coming back to the University based on sales of products carrying the Kansas trademark.
The University distributes the royalties across several different channels. Paul Vander Tuig, a University licensing administrator, said 40 percent goes to the University's General Scholarship Fund. Thirty-five percent goes to the Williams Fund, which supports Kansas athletics, and the remaining 25 percent goes to the Kansas and Burge Union scholarship and programming funds.
Sports-related materials are not the sole contributor to these royalties. Any product with the Kansas logo is fair game. Nevertheless, sports play an important role in the sales success.
Witness the effect of the men's basketball team's 2002 trip to the Final Four:
In the fiscal year 2002, before the Final Four appearance, the University garnered just under $500,000 in trademark royalties. By 2003, that number was up nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Vander Tug said the increase was largely because of the men's trip to the Final Four. He said he expected a similar royalty payout for 2004 based on the team's 2003 Final Four appearance.
Despite the role that their success has on sales, athletes don't receive compensation for any of these profits. And some products, replica jerseys in particular, are references to specific athletes, but athletes don't receive compensation for these sales either.
Maggie Mason, vice-president of the Big 12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, said the issue came up about every couple of years. The last time at Kansas was with former basketball player Kenny Gregory in 2000, she said.
er Kenny Gregory. Mason said Gregory was a vocal proponent of athletes being compensated for jersey sales. But the NCAA's response to the issue historically has been being a student-athlete as a privilege not a right.
This issue has been brought up to the NCAA more than once.
Besides, there are other benefits such as scholarships, access to facilities and exposure, she said. And in most cases, if athletes are good enough to generate substantial jersey sales, they have the option of playing professionally where they can make money, she said.
Mason said that mentality was fine with her.
changing his hair. For their part, University administrators also think it would be problematic to compensate athletes for jersey sales.
"You're getting an education out of it." Mason said. "That's your payment."
Mason said she didn't see the NCAA changing its mind on the issue.
Kansan File Photo
"Even though it's athletic teams that
Hemenway said it was important that the NCAA maintain its amateur status. He said part of being a student-athlete was understanding that athletes don't profit directly from their participation.
generate the interest in purchasing that apparel, scholarships for students should be the primary beneficiary," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
Replica jerseys often display names of individual players. If a replica of J.R. Giddens'jersey were sold, he would get no compensation, though the University would profit.
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for external affairs, also emphasized the need to use the money to benefit a broad range of people.
"We are trying to raise money to provide opportunities for many student-athletes," Marchiony said. "Not just one or two teams."
Marchiony said if athletes were being paid individually, it would take away from the Athletics Department's ability to spread out the money. He said he believed athletes were well provided for at Kansas.
SOFTBALL
Kansas softball will attempt to can Nebraska's Peaches
"The myth that some people want to portray of athletes being taken advantage of is way off-base," Marchiony said
So far this season, the Kansas softball team has struggled with its Big 12 opponents.
It won't get any easier tonight
when the Jayhawks face the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who are undefeated in conference play.
Edited by Stephanie Lovett
Kansas goes into tonight's game with a record of 27-25-1, including just 3-10 against Big 12 teams. Nebraska
teams. Not based on the other hand, leads the conference with a perfect 12-0 mark as well as a 34-12 overall record.
Kansas and Nebraska have met three times this season, with Nebraska leading the season series 2-1.
Ever since entering conference play, Nebraska has depended on senior pitcher Peaches James to
lead the team to victory.
Soraska was not againne James has been named the Big 12 Softball Pitcher of the Week numerous times this season; she was also named the National Player of the Week recently.
Humphreys
Kansas' one victory against Nebraska was not against James.
"We've got to find a way to score against Peaches," Kansas head coach Tracy Bunge said.
If only it were that easy. James leads the Big 12 in both earned run average and strikeouts recorded. James' average is only .68 and she has recorded 271 strikeouts.
Kansas freshman Kassie Humphreys has the lowest ERA on the team, 1.62, and has recorded only 165 strikeouts.
Tonight's game will begin at 5:30 and will be available to KU fans via LiveStats. LiveStats can be accessed from www.kuathletics.com.
— Jonathan Kealing
Texas Longhorns win Big 12 Tournament
By Eric Sorrentino esorrentino@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
to place three. Kansas State finished fourth with a three-round total of 881, while Colorado and Texas Tech tied the Jayhawks for fifth place with 893 three-round totals.
three-round total of 873 to place third.
This was enough to hold off second-place Oklahoma by six strokes. Oklahoma State, who was a favorite coming into tournament play, finished with a three-round total of 873 to place third.
The No. 9 Texas Longhorns won the tournament after shooting a three-round total of 864.
The Jayhawks were led by senior Tyler Hall, junior Kevin Ward and freshman Tyler Docking, who all finished in a tie for 20th place individually after shooting three-round totals of 224.Junior Andrew Price finished in a tie for 29th place after a 225 threeround total. Freshman Gary Woodland finished with a three-round total of 229.
The No. 24 KU men's golf team remained in fifth place yesterday after the final round at the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Hutchinson.
totaI of 223. Individual honors were taken by Texas senior Jason Hartwick, whose play was highlighted by an eye-opening 66 during the second round. Hartwick finished the tournament as the only player under par (six under) with a three-round total of 204.
Oklahoma freshman Anthony Kim placed second individually after shooting the lowest round of the day with a 67, amounting to a 213 three- round total.
round total. Oklahoma State junior Alex Noren and Texas freshman Farren Keenan tied for third place individually after shooting three-round totals of 214.
Kansan File Photo
The jayhawks resume action Mav
The KU women's golf team finished eighth at the Big 12 Tournament in a 12 team field in College Station, Texas, after the third round was cancelled because of foul weather.
20 to 22 at Purdue University at the NCAA Central Regionals Tournament.
The Jayhawks shot a two-round total of 617 at the Pebble Creek Country Club. Amanda Costner led the Jayhawks with a two-round total of 148 to earn a tie for seventh place individually.
Junior Kevin Ward took a swing during the KU Invitational tournament last September. Ward tied in the Big 12 Conference Championship at Kansas State with teammates Tyler Hall, senior, and Tyler Docking freshman, for 20th with a three-round total of 224.
The KU women's golf team plays next May 6 to 8 at Illinois State University, where it will compete in the NCAA Regionals Tournament.
— Edited by Robert Perkins
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPORTS@KA.SAN.COM
---