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SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY. MAY 2, 1995
First things first: Jayhawks victorious. 11-3
SECTION B
By Tom Erickson
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas' 11-3 win last night against Rockhurst College was filled with several firsts.
Making his first college start was freshman pitcher Linus Williams. Williams (1-1) also earned his first win. Freshman outfielder Eric Vann also picked up his first college hit, a triple to lead off the fourth inning.
"We've needed a couple of games like that to work on a couple of things," Bingham said. "The kids are continuing to develop and they handled this thing real well."
Most of the firsts were set up by Kansas coach Dave Bingham to give some of the younger players a chance to gain experience and build for the future.
The game, added to the schedule last week as a make-up for some of the Jayhawks' rainouts, was used specifically
for Williams to get his first start, Bingham said.
"Linus is really good," he said. "We knew all along he was a quality guy. He has a great chance to be a starter in the future."
Williams, who walked three and struck out two in five innings, said he was a bit nervous when the game began.
Freshmen Casey Barrett, Mike Terry and Ryan Van Gilder and sophomore Tim Lyons followed Williams, each pitching one inning and holding the Hawklets scoreless.
"Our bullpen was very aggressive," Bingham said. "The only guy who got into trouble was Casey, and he got through."
Kansas scored two times in the first and second innings, and again in the third to take a 5-2 lead.
Then sophomore outfielder Isaac Byrd hit a run-scoring single in the fourth inning and was followed later
with a three-run home run by senior designated hitter Brandon English. The Jayhawks finished their scoring with two more runs in the seventh.
Byrd, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI, said the victory helped build momentum for the team's series with Missouri, which begins at 7 tonight.
Kansas must win both games to guar-
antee a spot in the Big Eight tourn-
ament later this month in Oklahoma
City.
"This win is exactly what we needed going into the Missouri series," Byrd said. "This is a young team, and we are definitely building for the future. These are games we desperately need, but we will treat this series the same as all the rest and get a couple of wins."
The Jayhawks are currently in sixth place in the Big Eight with a 8-17 conference record. Missouri is in seventh at 5-16. The two teams split a two-game series earlier this month in Columbia, Mo.
Kansas junior Clay Baird (3-7, 6.96 ERA) will start tonight's game, with junior Jami Splitterff (4-6, 4.48 ERA) following the next day. Tomorrow's game begins at 2 p.m.
Kathleen Driscoll / KANSAN
Kansas catcher Josh Dimmick throws to first baseman Alex King, putting out Rockhurst first baseman Craig Burroughs. The Jayhaws beat the Hawklets 11-3 in yesterday's game, and now are sixth in the Big Eight Conference with a record of 8-17.
Groundskeepers rake field of benefits
Baseball crewworks up to 40 hours weekly get in-state tuition
By Matt Fey Special to the Kansan
The grounds crew for the Kansas baseball team left the garage door open before a game against Iowa on March 10 at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. Their oversight may have helped Kansas win the game.
Early in the game, with two Iowa runners on base, the batter hit a slicing shot down the right-field line. The ball landed in fair territory, but curved into the open tool shed. Two Iowa runs scored. However, the umpires ruled the hit a ground-rule double, taking a run off the scoreboard.
Kansas escaped the inning without giving up another run and won 4-3. Normally, the five students responsible for the care of the field do not have a noticeable impact on the game. In this case, their mistake, rather than their work on the field, helped the baseball team.
This year's crew members are Scott Koenigs, Rochester, Minn., graduate student, Eric Young, Rosemount, Minn., senior, Brandon Marsh, Dickinson, N.D., senior, Erik Gagus, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore and Ryan Coleman, Omaha, Neb., freshman.
They are responsible for the upkeep of the baseball field. As compensation for this task, the team reduces the students' tuition to in-state tuition, saving the students several thousand dollars.
Wilson Kilmer, Kansas pitching coach, is in charge of the groundkeepers. He hires them, assigns their duties and oversees their work.
"Just like our team, we expect certain things out of them and get pretty unhappy when they don't perform," he said.
Using students to take care of the field began about four years ago when the NCAA cut baseball's graduate assistant program and reduced the number of collegiate baseball coaches from four to three.
In order to complete all of these duties and maintain the field's quality, the groundkeeper must work all year and up to 40 hours a week. Marsh, who worked as a groundkeeper and at another job and took 18 hours last semester, said that time management was important.
Their daily duties include chalking the lines, raking the infield dirt and watering the field. The crew also is responsible for building bullpen benches and repainting the outfield fence.
Despite the long hours and hard work, the crew said that the rewards of the job outweighed any negative aspects. Though they do receive tuition breaks, as well as free food at the stadium and free equipment, they said that the intangibles were most rewarding.
"Sometimes you feel like you're living there," he said. "You feel like pitching a tent in right field."
"We're really proud of the field," Koenigs said. "It takes a lot of work to keep it looking so good."
Photos by Sean B. Crosier / KANSAN
One example of their hard work came before the garage door incident against
ABOVE: Scott Koenigis, Rochester,
Minn., graduate student, foreground,
rakes the pitchers mound as Brandon
Marsh, Dickinson, N.D., senior drags the
infield to smooth it at a recent game at
Hofstad-Maupin Stadium.
RIGHT: Erik Graggy, Kansas City. Mo., junior uses a steel outline to make chalk lines straight at home plate in preparation for a recent game at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
lowa. The crew had to rake the entire field by hand to break up a few inches snow. Two days later, the field was completely ready for play.
Young said that he joked with Gnagy that the grounds crew deserved an award, a golden rake, for their achievement.
"We busted our butts," Young said. "We got the field so dry that we had to water it again."
"We all whine about the hours and whine about being scrubs. You know, 'We work for the baseball team. We scrub bases," he said. "But we all love the job. We know it's a great deal we get."
Coleman said that pride in their work and love for the game of baseball made the difficult job worth their effort.
Regionals, finals keep team busy
Kansas golfers stay confident despite strong Midwest field
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas has not received its official invitation to regions. Invitations will come later in the week.
After taking on the Big Eight Conference last week and placing second, the Kansas men's golf team has another foe to conquer — finals.
However, District V, the Jayhawks' district, sends its top seven teams to regionals, and Kansas currently is fourth.
But while they are trying to study and do well on semester-ending tests, the Jayhawks also must focus on the NCAA Midwest Regionals. The tournament is scheduled for May 18-20 at the Bentwater Country Club in Conroe, Texas.
"We're in pretty good shape right now," said Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall. "I'm very confident that we're in."
Kansas will join 20 teams from districts V, VI and VII in the Midwest Regional. There are eight districts across the nation that are divided into three regionals. Out of each regional, the top 10 teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in late May.
"We know exactly what we need to do," Kansas junior
Dan Rooney said of regional play. "We don't have to play great. But we have to play consistently."
The Jayhawks will battle some of the nation's best teams in the Midwest Regional. Big Eight teams will include Oklahoma State, who is ranked No. 1 nationally, and Oklahoma
"We don't have to play great. But we have to play consistently."
Dan Rooney
Kansas iuniorgolfer
Kansas junior Alan Stearns said the competition was stiff but that the Jayhawks were a team that could and should advance through regionalists.
Arkansas, Texas, Texas Tech and Kent State are some of the other likely regional participants.
Knowing the Bentwater Country Club is one advantage Kansas will possess. During spring break, the team played two tournaments in Texas and took time to play a round at Bentwater. Stearns said the course had a couple difficult holes, but there would be many pars and birdies overall.
With finals ending five days before regional, the Jayhawks will have to work to maintain their games. Rooney said he planned to set aside three or four hours a day to practice and play golf during finals.
Being on the golf course will help break the monotony of studying, Stearns said.
"That helps you refocus when you're studying," he said. "You just have to refocus because we're all here for school."
In hopes of regaining their competitive edge, the Jayhawk starters will attempt to qualify for the PGA's U.S. Open three days before regionalists. Junior Slade Adams will try to qualify in Wichita while Rooney, Stearns, and seniors Tyler Shelton and Tom Sims will travel to Kansas City's Heritage Park.
"It's a great scheduling move for us," Rooney said. "It gets you back in a competitive mindset."
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