Sports
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 9, 1989
11
'Hawks baseball gets in the swing
Pitcher Renko's strong start finishes Washburn Ichabods
by Mike Considine Kansan sportswriter
Kansas pitcher Steve Renko gav the Jayhawks six good innings and was rewarded with his first victory of the year yesterday at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Renko, 1-1, allowed two runs and four hits, leading 3-4 Kansas to a 5-2 victory against Washburn.
"I've been coming along," he said. "I just need to relax and feel comfortable out there."
"I was not so much nervous about who we were playing as I was about playing well. It took awhile for me to get under control."
It was the third appearance for the Overland Park junior but his first start. He allowed five runs in three innings and was charged with a loss Feb. 25 against Arkansas. He improved slightly against Oral Roberts, giving up three runs and three hits in a 13-9 loss.
"I just made a bad pitch," Renko said. "I was having trouble with my
The Jayhawks held a 2-0 lead after three innings, but Renko ran into trouble in the top of the fourth. An RBI single by Washburn catcher Ryan Spencer brought the Ichabods, 0-1, within a run.
curve. I just couldn't get it down.
From then on, I just tried to battle
with fastballs and use the curve to
offset them."
Renko said Kansas coach Dave Bingham did a good job of calling pitches to help him avoid possible errors and get the hit one and run after Spencer's hit.
Washburn center fielder Kris Schuab gets back to first base before Kansas' Tom Buchanan can pick him off
"Renko is a very talented young man," Bingham said. "The thing we're working on with him is making more good pitches. He made some of them and helped me find mistakes. If he can deliver quality pitches, he'll be a great pitcher."
Bingham said he thought Renko freshman Mike Massey, sophomore Curtis Shaw and junior Craig Stoppel did a good job pitching. The second-year coach wasn't as happy with the team's hitting.
Renko walked four batters to bring his season total to 13 in 14 innings. However, he struck out six batters, more than twice his previous total
After the game, Bingham made the Javhawks take batting practice.
"We need to make some adjustments to (playing outdoors)," he said. "We've had a hard time most good clubs. We were trying to make sure we did not look bad. We
have to not worry about how we look and worry about getting the job done."
Topeka native Troy Mentzer had three of the Jayhawks' eight hits against the Ichabobs. Mentzer, who battled 237 last year, said he was
more aggressive at the plate this year.
"I wasn't aggressive last year, and it got me in a hole all the time," Mentzer the catcher, said. "I have to my compulsion to right out of the hole."
Left field Dan Benninghoff drove in the game's first two runs with a fueler's choice and a base hit.
Kansas 5, Washburn 2
A fifth-inning triple by first baseman Tom Buchanan gave Kansas a 3-1 lead. Mentzer followed with an RBI single.
Washburn           000 101 000—2 4
Kanas                101 101 000
Menshek            Renso 101 000
Shaw               8 (Stoppel 9) and Mentzer, Schmidt (8) Washburn, Weiners, Osthaus (7) and Spencer, Kulwhoff (8) Wilferman (1-1) L-Wiemer (9) Brikker (1-1) L-Wiemer, Root 38-Kansas Buchanan
Gueldner enjoys quieter role
by Mike Considine
Kansan sportswriter
Those who haven't watched a Kansas basketball practice may not think of Jeff Guelden as an offensive threat.
However, teammate and roommate Scooter Barry said the 6-foot 5 guard was the scorer in his game, his average of 5.1 points a game indicated.
"He has slow and deliberate moves, which are just as effective as quick moves," Barry said. "He realizes that he can't make five or six quick moves to get his shot off, and he adapts."
One talent of Gueldner's that Kansas fans have seen is his ability to shoot three-point field goals. The junior has made 10 of 28 three-pointers (35.7 percent) this season and of 62 (33.9 percent) in his career.
Despite his shooting ability,
Gueldner said he didn't mind not being top scorer.
"We need people who can do things other than score. Mark, Milt and Kevin can do that."
“Hives have fallen in place at Kansas,” Gueldner said. “Last year, we had a great scorer in Danny (Marming); and one of the reasons is that the ball to the open man. That’s one of the reasons I’m out there.”
Guelderon was in the national spotlight last season, starting 16 games on the Jayhawks national championship team. He has started just three games this year missed four with a thigh injury.
"He was an important part of the team, even when he wasn't starting," Kansas coach Roy Williams said "he was playing eight four games before he before and we last six of eight games."
Gueldner said his offensive ability had improved this year. Gueld
her has shot 54.7 percent from the field (41 of 75) this year, and he has shot 48.9 percent during his Kansas career.
"I think I've gained a lot of confidence offensively, although I haven't shot as much as some people would like me to," he said. "When I first got here, it wasn't like I panicked when the ball hit my hands, but I was happier when I got rid of it."
Gueldner said he had learned to play better defense with collegiate experience. He had 22 steals in his first two years and has 20 this
"A lot of the people I'm guarding are quicker, so I've learned to stay off of them a step." Guelder said. "I think that's what I can pressure on the floor."
Barry said Gueldner was a good defensive player because of his intelligence.
"Jeff knows his own limitations," he said. "He plays a game of position rather than a game of speed. It's not that he's slow, most of the players he guards are smaller and quicker than he is.
Out of high school, Gueldner was recruited only by Kansas and his hometown college, Eastern Illi- the NCAA Division I level.
"Coach Brown told me I had a great chance of playing once I developed (physically) and developed as a player." Guelden said.
A lot of people thought I should stay home and play, but I basically felt I owed it to me to try to play at this level. "Guelder said, "Last year was like a dream come true. Growing up, you dream of a championship team or all the things that can happen."
Guelner averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game at a high school senior, but he said that the students in his town understated his ability.
Steve TravnorKANSAN
Kansas junior Jeff Guelder shoots against Iowa State. Guelder started three games this season and averaged 5.1 points a game. He started 16 games during Kansas' 1988 national championship season.
by Laurie Whitten
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas softball coach Kalum Haack said the only thing preventing a Jayhawk victory today in the Sooner Invitational was Kansas' lack of concentration.
"I think we have excellent athletic ability, but we've got a problem right now." Haack said. "And that is we're not ready mentally to play. We don't concentrate enough to prevent easy mistakes, and that's something you've got to do when you're competing at the Division 1 level."
The Jayhawks, who are grouped with Texas-Arlington, Creighton, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University in one of two tournament pools, will play Texas-Arlington at 7 p.m. tonight in Norman, Okla. After two days of preliminaries, they will face a single elimination round against Iowa, Northern Iowa, Wichita State, Oklahoma State and Sam Houston State.
Haack said Texas-Arlington, Creighton and Oklahoma State would be the toughest competitors in the tournament. Oklahoma State is ranked third nationally, and Texas-Arlington is 17th.
"These teams are always strong — we're going to have to play better than we've been playing to beat them." Haack said. "Oklahoma State is the toughest team in the Big Eight, and Creighton beats us twice this fall. Texas Arlington looks good this year — they finished second at the Nevada-Las Vegas tournament.
"We want to do well at this tournament because we're playing teams we'll see a lot the rest of the year. We want to make our impression now."
The Jayawhacks finished tied for fifth with Uah at the Arizona Softball Classic. Feb. 16-19 in Tucson, Az. The team is the first to play well as it should have, partly because
three players were injured, and the substitutes were players unfamiliar with the vacated positions.
Freshman infielders Christy Arterburn and Jennifer Frost received stitches after being cured above the knee, and center player Shelly Sack broke her finger. Sack had two screws placed in her finger two weeks ago and would not be able to play today. Haack said.
"We didn't play very well in Arizona, and part of that was because so many girls were injured." Hasee said. "I've never seen any man."
"But our defense was not so good, and our pitching was pretty average. That made things seem worse."
Left leftferner Jessica Hennig said that since the season opener, the Jayhawks primarily had practiced their defensive skills.
"We weren't satisfied with the way we played (in Arizona) — we made too many defensive errors," Heming said. "Since then, we worked on our hiting and being more aggressive, and finally we've emphatically steered our defense."
"We're looking forward to this tournament because we feel we have a lot to prove. Nobody was satisfied with how we played at Arizona."
Haack said the Jayhawks also were at a disadvantage in Arizona because they were competing with the Raptors for winter break practicing outdoors.
"We had to adjust to playing on dir for the first time since break," Haack said. "The game is not the same when you play it on artificial
"At Norman, we'll be outside again — it's supposed to get on the 80s. It's been warmer here, so we've been trying to get outside again." We should be better prepared for this tournament than the last one."
Sports Briefs
KU WOMEN'S GOLF* Playing for the first time this spring, the Kansas women's golf team finished third in George, Utah. *Classic in Saint George, Utah.*
Twelve teams participated in the tournament, which began Monday and ended yesterday. Brigham Young won with a score of 899 after 54 holes, followed by California State Beach with 102 and Kansas with 926.
Jayhawk freshman Sheila Triplett shot 72, 75 and 73, Kansas' lowest rounds, and missed being the tournament's individual medalist by three goals. Sheila Meliza Gibole won with 217, followed by Triplett with 220.
Junior Sherri Atchison had the second best score for Kansas with 235, followed by junior Donna Lowen and freshman Laura Myers, who tied with 237.
BLAYLOCK SUSPENDED: Oklahoma officials suspended starting guard Mookie Blaylock for one game yesterday after reviewing details surrounding his arrest by Norman
police early Sunday
nours before the suspension was announced, Blaylock entered a no contest plea to an amended charge of disturbing the peace. He originally was arrested on a complaint of public intoxication after police answered a call from a convenience store clerk about an argument.
The missed game, against Colorado, will be the second-ranked Sooners' first in the Big Eight Conference tournament tomorrow at Kansas City.
"This type of conduct will not be condoned," interim president David Swank and athletic director Donnie Duncan said in a joint statement.
Police said they arrested Blaylock and a woman after an argument between the two was resumed outside the store.
ROYALS BEAT TIGERS; Nick Castaneda, a non-roster player from the Mexican League, hit a three-run home run yesterday, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 3-0 exhibition victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Jerry Don Gleaton, the third of four
Kansas City pitchers, allowed one hit in the three innings he worked and earned the victory. He combined with Charlie Li Brandt, Aguedo Vazquez and Hector Wagner to limit the Tigers to five hits.
BIG 8 HONORS TUBBS: Billy Tubbs was named Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year by The Associated Press newsday.
It's the second straight year that Tubbs' Oklahoma basketball team has captured the regular season title and the second straight year that the AP media panel has judged him top cop.
Tubbs drew 12 votes from the panel, and Kansas State's Lon Kruger and Iowa State's Johnny Orr got two each.
KINGDOM TIES RECORD: Roger Kingdom of the United States tied Greg Foster's world indoor record in the 60-meter hurdles yesterday, winning a meet with a time of 7.36 seconds.
seconds. Foster set the record Jan. 16, 1987 in Los Angeles.
KU bowlers roll to invitational for chance at national tourney
by Beth Behrens
Kansan sportswriter
Spring Break starts early this year for the Kansas Bowling Club. The team will leave tomorrow for Phoenix, where it will compete in a tournament that could give it a berth in the national playoffs.
Six regional tournaments will be held nationwide to determine national playoff teams. Five of the regionals are for four-year colleges, and one is open only to junior colleges.
The National Bowling Council Session Roll-Offs is an invitation-only tournament in which the top two teams advance to the national championships April 14-15 in Las Vegas.
Bowling coach Michael Fine said that only 48 schools out of the 250 colleges that offer men's bowling invited to the tournament each year.
"It's really a great honor to be invited." Fine said. "What it's what we've worked for all year. Everybody seems to be starting to peak in their scores, and we feel good about our chances."
Fine said the five were picked from 40 candidates through a series of qualifier rounds last semester.
enfaces
The five players who will represent Kansas in the tournament are Jeff Alton, Olate senior; Mark Geris, Leavenworth sophomore; Steve Smith, Topeka senior; James Kiser, Overland Park senior; and John Percival, Overland Park senior.
quarter round. "It's been a long haul for these guys," Fine said. "They've probably
Fine said the teams he expected to be the tournament's main competition were Wichita State, Arizona State, West Texas State and San Diego State. Wichita State is ranked second, West Texas is ranked sixth.
shot between 5,000 and 6,000 games this season. Being able to compete in this tournament was a nice reward for them."
"I think this is the first time all year that we've gotten together as a team." Smith said. "We've always talked about our potential as a team, but it's come down to a kind of do-or-die situation."
Smith said the team was optimistic about its chances.
Smith said the scouting report the Jayhawks had received indicated that the lanes in Phoenix were dry, outside-shot lanes. He said that type of lane was similar to the lanes in the Jaybowl, where the team practiced
Kansas will play eight games tomorrow and 13 games Saturday
Other tournaments to determine national finalists will be in Portland, Ore.; Omaha, Neb.; Binghamton, N.Y.; Atlanta; and Baltimore.