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SPORTS ERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1995
SECTION B
Senior says he misses infield action
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
Senior Dan Rude, making only his second career start, threw a complete game Friday night to boost the Hawksy to a 4-2 victory.
Rude (3-2) is now a perfect 2-0 in starting games. He also got the victory in an 18-1 win against Iowa State on April 8.
Kansas State coach Mike Clark was impressed with Rude.
"Kansas has a great rotation." Clark said. "Rude was very effective in the first game, and the other two pitchers have also been tough."
Rude's work as a starter is even more impressive considering the fact that he began the season as the starting shortstop and a reliever. Kansas coach Dave Bingham shifted the Billings, Mont., native into the rotation after injuries to other starting pitchers caused a lack of depth.
Rude said that he missed playing in the infield but was getting used to being a starting pitcher.
"Sometimes I get a little lonesome for it," he said. "I have to do some conditioning for my arm between
starts, and that is a welcome change for my arm. It gives me something to work on."
One disturbing statistic for Rude was the nine walks he issued compared to only four strikeouts in his last start.
"There was nothing wrong with my motion," Rude said. "It is just a matter of working to be strong mentally."
Freshman Ryan Van Glider began the season as a starter and stood at 0-5 before the April 6 game with Washburn. That night, Bingham moved Van Gilder to the bullpen to see if there would be improvement.
There was.
Van Gilder, a walk-on from Watertown, S.D., entered the game in the fourth inning in relief of freshman starter Casey Barrett. The Ichabads had a 8-2 lead but did not score
again.
Van Gilder combined with sophomore reliever Tim Lyons for 4 1/3 shutout innings as the Jayhawks scored seven times to win the game 9-8.
The game became a big milestone
— his first college win
The freshman admitted to being a bit nervous that night, but said the confidence level had risen quickly ever since.
"I feel confident in the bullpen," Van Gilder said. "The move there has been really beneficial."
When K-State scored seven runs off Kansas starter Clay Baird in the first four innings of Sunday's game to take a 7-4 lead, Bingham again called on Van Gilder, and he responded with four more innings of shutout ball.
Kansas scored two more times to
cut the lead to 7-6 but could not get enough offense to win.
Van Gilder said the loss wasn't too bad.
"I think we just got into trouble with Clay," he said. "They capitalized on our walks. I was able to come in and get guys out."
Both Kansas and K-State will meet for game four of the five-game series at 7 tonight at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
The final game is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow at Frank Myers Field in Manhattan.
Rude said the final two games should be as close as the first three, two of which were won by the Wildcats.
"I think we are two evenly matched teams," he said. "I'm looking forward to two more close games."
Sean R. Crosier / KANSAN
Kansas junior pitcher Beth Robinson pitches in a recent game at Jayhawk Field. Last week she was named Big Eight Conference pitcher of the week despite being plagued by back problems throughout her career.
Beth Robinson is fighting injury and opponents to be ... THE Silent MOTIVATOR
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
Under a warming April sun, Jayhawk Field looks perfect.
The well-kept grass and straight, chalked lines provide the backdrop for Beth Robinson.
She stands stictoily on the mound, waiting for the sign. Her teammates wait intently for
the junior's next offering.
Only chatter can be heard coming from the opponent's dugout.
Robinson rocks back and hurls the ball toward the plate.
And, like the field, the pitch is perfect—the third strike for the third out. Robinson smiles as she walks toward the Kansas dugout.
But that smile quickly disappears once she's in the dugout. Robinson remembers the intense pain radiating from her lower back. Nothing is perfect now.
"I know it's bothering her at times. But she never says a word."
Kalum Haack
Kansas softball coach on Beth Robinson's ailing lower back
"I'm used to it now," she said modestly.
However, her teammate, junior Charlene Reyes said the pain did bother Robinson. But few realize it.
cerned, though, surgery is far in the future.
"When I'm actually pitching, it doesn't bother me," Robinson says. "In between innings is when I really feel it."
The pain is a result of Robinson's pelvis growing crookedly. She first experienced problems during high school in Corona, Calif., but the pain kicked into a higher gear last year. Now, Robinson regularly has numbness in her legs.
Kansas softball coach Kalum Haack has first-hand knowledge about back pain like Robinson's. He suffered a herniated disk but had surgery to correct it.
"Some days it doesn't bother you, and some days you can't hardly move," Haack said of back injuries. "I know it's bothering her at times. But she's never said a word."
"She'll never let the coaches know," Reyes said. "She'll never let the trainers know."
Surgery may be a reality for Robinson in the future. The athletic trainers have mentioned that possibility. As far as Robinson's con-
Actually, it's a little more than that. The Jayhawks have 10 games remaining in the 1995 regular season. In that span, Robinson may have time to improve on her team-leading statistics.
"As soon as someone mentions surgery, I drop it," Robinson said. "I just think that I've got one more year to get through."
Robinson has a 9-6 record, good for more
than half of Kansas victories. Her 2.53 ERA and opponents' .226 batting average are the best marks on the team. Last week, she was named Big Eight Conference pitcher of the week for the first time in her career.
"She controls the game so much," Reyes said. "She's a silent motivator. When your pitcher has confidence, the team has confidence."
But confidence has been a problem for Robinson, she admitted. She got a
chance to learn about confidence last year from All-American Stephani Williams, who completed her four-year career at Kansas last season. She struck out 938 batters and recorded a 0.68 ERA in her career, both top marks in Jayhawk history.
Learning from Williams was a positive, but playing in her shadow did not allow Robinson much time on the mound.
Nonetheless, it was more time than she had her freshman year. Robinson got no playing time then because she was declared academically ineligible under NCAA Proposition 48 legislation. Instead of practicing and playing with the team, Robinson spent the 1993 season studying.
"It got my mind set straight," she said. "My team motivated me to get through it."
After a lost freshman season and a sophomore season backup up Williams, this year is almost like Robinson's first, Haack said. She's had to adjust to being the Jayhawks' top pitcher.
"She's struggled at times this year," Haack said. "She's taking her lumps, but she's learning. There's been times where she's pitched lights out."
LAWRENCE — Yesterday, Kansas officially announced the signing of Paul Pierce, one of the nation's best high school seniors, to a national letter of intent.
Kansas recruit finally signs
Pierce, a 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds a game for Inglewood High School
Pierce, who scored 28 points in the recent McDonald's High School All-American game, is expected to play immediately in the frontcourt.
Seven-footer Travis Williams of Rozel, is expected to regain his eligibility next year after sitting out a season because of Proposition 48.
Kansas, 25-6 last year, earlier had signed 6-5 Ryan Robertson of St. Charles, Mo. and 6-9 T.J. Pugh of Omaha, Neb.
Crew club wins first overall trophy
in Los Angeles last year.
Guard Calvin Rayford, a medical redshirt last year because of a knee injury, was also expected back.
After several attempts, the Kansas crew club finally got what it wanted last weekend — a first place finish.
At the Great Plains Rowing Championships at Lake Shawnee in Topeka, Kansas topped a lineup of 32 teams, including Big Eight Conference rivals Kansas State, Nebraska and Colorado.
"It was the first time we won the overall trophy," said Bryan Tylander, Alexandria, Va., senior and
Both the men's and women's teams combined their scores in the overall totals. Minnesota finished in second place, followed by Colorado and Wichita State.
club president. "I knew we were close, but it was a real rush to win it."
Leading the way for Kansas was Mary Beth Kurzak, Lawrence junior and women's captain. Kurzak won six medals at the event.
The Jayhawks went 1-2 in their pool, then moved on to the consolation bracket where they lost two straight games and were eliminated.
Men's volleyball beaten at nationals
"It was a good experience for us,
it Saelzar Abdelfattah, Lawrence senior and team co-captain." For us,
it was a major accomplishment.
Although the Kansas men's volleyball club team won only one game at the national championships last weekend in Minneapolis, there is a sense of accomplishment.
Abdelfattah said the Jayhawks were selected to go to the tournament based on their record in tournaments throughout the year. This was Kansa's first trip to such an event in more than 10 years.
We're happy that we went. Now we are looking forward to going back next year."
Compiled from The Associated Press and Kansan staff reports.