SOFTBALL Kansas split this weekend's series against Iowa State, ending the season with its first losing record since 1988. Page 2B
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MAY 1. 1995
SECTION B
Jerel Harris / KANSAN
Kansas outside linebacker Chris Jones, No.49, and several other members of the defensive team race for the ball after quarterback Derick Milgrim fumbled during Saturday's Blue-White spring game.
Yearly battle marks end of spring practice
Blue-White game displays new offense
By Tom Erickson Kansan sportswriter
Kansas coach Glen Mason ended Saturday's Blue-White game with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
He wasn't angry or upset about the way the offense and defense played, but he said the team had done what he wanted it to. The Kansas defense beat the offense 58-46, using a point system created by Mason.
"Today's game was about the same as last year." Mason said. "We're not dealing with live play but instead different situations, I
wanted to keep playing, but we didn't want to risk any injuries.
Alate-game fumble by the offense helped the white team win. The defense got 14 points for the play, seven for causing the turnover and seven more for doing it inside the 20-vard line.
Mason said the players had been excited and intense on the field.
"They played a lot of good football," he said. "There was a lot of crisp, intense hitting, and the defense kept the quarterbacks on their toes."
Fans who braved the wind and rain got to see the Jayhawks' new passing game and 3-4 defense. Senior quarterback Mark Williams, named as Kansas' starter after spring practices, and junior Ben Rutz, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, spent most of the time running the new offense.
Two big changes that were evident immediately were the swing passes to the running backs and the
many plays called out of the shotgun position.
Williams said the more he worked with the new scheme, the better things got.
"I feel very confident," he said.
"I'm still trying to learn a new thing,
but things went well today."
Rutz, who has been adjusting to both a new school and a new offense, said being No. 2 to Williams was not much of a problem.
"There won't be any conflicts," he said. "We're both still learning, and there will be good competition for the starting job."
Senior running back LT. Levine finished with 76 rushing yards, including an impressive 49-yard run in the second quarter which set up a touchdown for the blue team. Levine also had two receptions for 14 yards.
But the most productive offensive player was junior June Henley, who scored three touchdowns and
grabbed three passes for 28 yards.
"Everybody is selling in to what we are doing," Henley said. "We want to go all the way. Our goal is to win the Big Eight Championship."
Henley praised the work of several of his teammates in spring practice.
"Both of our quarterbacks are good," he said. "Now we will wait and see who the starter will be. The linemen have come a long way from the first spring practice to today."
The new offense helps to make Henley and his teammates become more multi-dimensional players.
"The defense can't just key on me," Henley said. "We really spread everybody out."
Saturday's game was the 15th and final practice for Kansas this spring.
The players will continue to work out individually until the first day of fall practice on August 10.
Jerel Harris / KANSAN
Kansas freshman running back Julius Bruce takes a pitch and runs around the outside of the offensive line as defensive back Luke Richesson zeros in for the tackle.
BRIEFS
Kansas relay teams place high in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Kansas relay teams turned a few heads this weekend at the Drake Relays, one of the stiffest competitions for collegiate athletes.
Kansas' success started with a fourth place finish in the men's 4x400-meter relay team — made up of Eugene Coleman, Nathen Hill, Brian Martin and Joe Pickett — in a seasonal-best time of 3 minutes; and Coleman, Hill, David Cooksey and Pierre Lisk took fourth in the 4x100-meters with a time of 40.68.
The women's 4x100-meter quartet — Diamond Williams, Latanya Holloway, Micheal's Edwards and Natasha Shafer — placed fourth with a time of 45.53 seconds. The women's sprint medley team of Shafer, Williams, Dawn Steele-Slavens and Kerri Woolheater also finished fourth with a time of 3:58.23.
Other notable finishers were Melissa Schwartz, sixth in the women's 1,500-meters; Shafer, third in the women's 100-meters; John Bazzoni, third in the men's pole vault; and Jeff Dieterich, sixth in the men's lavelin.
The Jayhawks' next meet is the Big Eight Conference championship on May 15-16 in Ames, Iowa.
Tennis coach wins award
"Anytime you get an award, it's exciting," Center said. "When I get an award, it is because the team is doing well. I have to credit them because their successes are my successes."
On Friday, Kansas men's tennis coach Michael Center was named the Region V Coach of the Year for the second straight year.
Kansas outfielder Brian Turney gets tagged into a second base by Nebraska shortstop Darin Petersen. Kansas won yesterday 11-4 but lost the three-game series 2-1.
Compiled from Korean staff reports.
Bingham chalks up 800th win
Games against Missouri and Iowa State were canceled because of rain, and Kansas lost the first two games in this weekend's series with the Cornhuskers.
Bingham, now 800-493-2 in his 22-year coaching career, said the milestone was not something to dwell on.
After three rainouts and two losses, Kansas coach Dave Bingham got his 800th career victory yesterday against Nebraska 11-4.
"Inow have 800 wins, but there are also almost 500 losses to go with it," he said. "I'm afraid that's just me. I enjoy the wins, but hate the losses. Getting 800 wins is not something you try for. Instead, you just try the best you can to win."
By Tom Erickson
After the Cornhuskers scored a single run in the first inning, the Jayhawks sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom half of the inning, scoring seven runs off Nebraska starter Alvie Shepherd (2-3). Shepherd, who is used primarily as a reliever, lasted just 2/3 of an inning but stayed in the game as the designated hitter.
Nebraska's record fell to 29-19 overall and 11-12 in the Big Eight Conference. Kansas improved to 17-31 and 8-17.
Kansas sophomore pitcher Robert Garola (3-5) scattered 14 hits across nine innings for his first complete game of the season.
"Coach Bingham said in our postgame meeting that Nebraska's hits were timely hits," Garola said. "After that, I came back and got them out. It didn't hurt to get seven runs in the first off Alvie. That really helped me out a lot."
Kansan sportswriter
Garola also avoided one of the Jayhawks' major problems this year — the big inning. Nebraska, after one run in the first inning, added only single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings.
Defense also aided Garola. The Jayhawks didn't commit any errors after two in Friday's game and another on Saturday. Nebraska won the opener 7-2 and won Saturday's game 17-13.
"We had a lot of opportunities to put the game away that we lost, but the kids came with two outs in the sixth and scored four times," he said.
"The defense played great," Garola said. "I'm glad they did, because I'm not a guy who will strike out people, so I need their
help a lot."
When Nebraska cut the Jayhawks' lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning, the offense returned with four more runs. Bingham said the rally was positive, especially after losing a 13-6 lead the day before.
Kansas ended its season series 1-4 with Nebraska and will need at least one win
Kansas 11. Nebraska 4
JAHYAWKS (17-31)
ss DeMarco 3 1 2 r h rbl
2b Kliner 2 1 0 0
2b Wilhelm 5 1 1 1
dh English 4 1 1 1
ph King 1 0 0 0
cf Byrd 3 2 2 1
1b Headley 4 1 2 1
lf Turney 2 2 1 1
rf Igou 3 1 1 2
c Meadows 3 1 2 2
Totals 30 11 12 11
'MUSKERS (29-19) ab r h rbl
3b Dalton 5 2 3 1
ss Petersen 4 0 1 0
lf Erstad 5 0 1 1
rf Motley 5 0 2 0
p/fdh Sheperd 4 0 0 0
cf Jenkins 5 1 3 0
1b Meyer 5 1 1 0
c Johnson 3 0 1 1
2b Wuffing 4 0 2 0
Totals 40 4 14 3
Kansas IP H R ER BB SO
Gerola 9.0 14 4 ER 5 4
Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO
Shepherd 0.2 5 7 7 4 1
Couter 5.2 5 7 4 6 1
Strasser 0.2 2 0 0 1 0
Gomes 1.2 0 0 1 0
DP Nebraska 2 LOB Kansas 7, Nebraska 12
2B Jenkin, Meyer, Mayer, Byrd, Meadows,
Turney 3B Dalton, English SB DeMarco 2
in the final two Big Eight games with Missouri to earn a spot in the conference tournament.
Garola said today's win could start some momentum for the Jayhawks' post-season hopes.
Kansas continues its homestand at 7 tonight with a make-up game with Rockhurst College at Hogland-Maupin Stadium. The Jayhawks will open a two-game series with Missouri at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
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