SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 2015 MEN'S, WOMEN'S GOLF HEAD FOR BIG 12 WWW.KANSAN.COM FRIDAY,APRIL 25,2008 PAGE 6B COMMENTARY PAGE 1B Recruits. After Kansas' 12-1 season and Orange Bowl Championship, high school stars around the country started noticing Jayhawks. According to Rivals.com's top 250 high school prospects in the country for 2009, 17 players are interested in playing football at the University of Kansas. Talib joins other Hawks as NFL draft prospects Last season, Kansas had eight nationally televised games. For every Jayhawk drafted this weekend, Kansas will get even more airtime. The more exposure Kansas football receives, the greater chance recruits will become interested in the program. Moments after Kansas' 24-21 victory against Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Aqib Talib, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the game, proclaimed: "I felt like Deion." Now, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound cornerback will get a chance to be just like Deion Sanders. Sanders, a cornerback who played for Florida State was known for his game-breaking plays on defense and special teams. Many projected Talib would be a first round pick in the NFL draft this weekend. If Talib were drafted in the first round, it would end a 15-year drought for the Jayhawks. The last player chosen in the first round was defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield in 1993. Before Stubblefield, Kansas' last player to be drafted in the first round was wide receiver David Verser in 1981. Like Talib, several other Jayhawks will get a chance to live their dream of making it to the NFL this weekend. Most notable are offensive tackle Anthony Collins and wide receiver Marcus Henry. Collins was projected as high as a second round pick, while Henry was projected as a third round pick. What does this mean for Kansas football? In addition to this, Mangino and Co. will have more leverage enticing prospects. Currently there are six former Jayhawks active in the NFL. Archrival Missouri has 10 players in the pros, while in-state foe, Kansas State has 22 players. Should a number of Jayhawks get drafted this year, Kansas' resume will look a lot sweeter for a kid who has been dreaming of going pro since he was five years old. It's quite simple. If you are a recruit coming to Kansas, all you have to do is buy into Mark Mangino's system of hard work and selflessness, and you could get a chance to *shine*. After winning a BCS game and eight coach-of-the-year awards, it is clear that Mangino knows best. Aqib Talib and Anthony Collins were two-star prospects coming out of high school, while Marcus Henry was a one-star. Of the 17 prospects of the 2009 recruiting class interested in Kansas, all are rated at four stars. At schools such as Southern California, Notre Dame, Ohio State or Florida, it is much harder for players to compete for a starting position. Each year, these schools bring in a top-25 recruiting class. Given that Kansas has not had a top recruitring class during Mangino's tenure, the chance to have a breakout collegiate career is much greater for these athletes. SOFTBALL Looking toward the weekend, Jayhawk fans can expect to see a number of players make the first step toward making a name for the University in the NFL. In turn, Mangino can hope to assemble one of the top recruiting classes for 2009. —Edited by Nick Mangiaracina Rivals.com top-250 prospect rankings Jayhawks shut down Shockers in two games
RankNamePositionHeightWeight
25Gabe LynnDB6-1180
33Andre DeboseATH6-0170
41Tyrik RollisonQB6-2185
57Ronnie WingoJr.-ATH6-3212
51Kevin BrentDB5-11196
74Jeremy GallonATH5-9160
101David BarrentOL6-8290
116Brandon WebbOL6-4290
117Ryan MossakowskiQB6-4201
124Calvin HowellDT6-4280
136Eugene SmithQB6-2171
139Tate ForcierQB6-1195
146Keenan DavisWR6-3195
164Stavion LoweOL6-5294
177Daytawion LoweDB6-1180
181Nathan ScheelhaaseQB6-3184
204Bradley McDougaldDB6-0188
Weston White/KANSAN Junior Dougie McCaulley tries to get away from the Wichita State first baseman during a pickle Thursday evening. McCaulley finished with three hits and two RBI in an u-victory over the Shockers. BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH kbreckunitch@kansan.com The Jayhawks swept their second straight series and kept Wichita State scoreless in both games Thursday night. The team opened up with an 8-0 runrule victory. Junior pitcher Valerie George and freshman pitcher Allie Clark combined to throw a one-hitter for the second game in a row. George got the start for the Jayhawks and held a perfect game going into the fifth inning, when she allowed a hit to Wichita State senior shortstop Britnee Barnett. The Jayhawk offense gave George and Clark more than enough run support. Four batters, junior shortstop Stevie Crisosto and center fielder Dougie McCaulley, and senior left fielder Betsy Wilson and first baseman Addy Lucero, had multiple hits in the game. Wilson and Lucero had back-to-back RBI singles in the second inning. Crisosto crushed a home run in the fourth inning, her fifth of the season. Freshman Liz Kocon also had her fifth homerun of the season in the contest. McCaulley sealed the victory with a walk-off triple in the sixth season, only the Jayhawks third triple of the season. McCaulley could have stopped at second but she said she approached that game-winning hit like any other at-bat. "We've been stressing base running has been our game all year," McCauley said. She said her legs were feeling good and she hadn't hit triple all year, so that was extra incentive to extend the hit. The second game was a lot tighter, for a few innings. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Vertelka started the game, but came out in the third inning and was replaced by Clark. Crisosto led off the first inning with a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. McCaulley then drove in Crisosto with a single. That was the lone run for the Jayhawks until the fourth inning. Sophomore second baseman Sara Ramirez led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a walk and advance to second on a stolen base. Wichita State then misplayed a couple bunts, which lead to two runs for the Jayhawkes, and Kocon drove in the last run with a sacrifice fly. Coach Tracy Bunge said she was pleased with the way the team moved base runners, especially in the second game. She said the team did well moving runners by the hit-and-run and squeeze bunt. "I think we were really a hundred percent for execution today," Bunge said. Bunge said she was surprised by the lack of offense from the Shockers. "Today, I thought she did a great job of throwing aggressively and attacking hitters." Burge said. of them," Bunge said. She credited the Wichita State struggles to top performances from George and especially Clark. "Offensively, I expected a lot more out The team improved its record to 34-15 on the season and prepare for a two-game series with Oklahoma State at Arrocha ballpark over the weekend. Bunge said even though the Jayhawks got two big wins last night, they would still have to remain aggressive offensively over the weekend. "We're going back into the Big 12, which means a little tougher opponent, a little tougher pitching." Bunge said. Saturday's game will be the "Bark in the Park" promotional day where fans can bring their dogs into the ballpark if they make a donation to the Humane Society. McCaulley was doubtful it the added noise from the extra fans could help the team. "Not if there were as quiet as they were today. We need some more rowdiness in the stands," McGaulley said. Kansas will face off against Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. — Edited Jared Duncan BASEBALL Kansas to play Oklahoma State in three-game series BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com Then again, those are just two games. Oklahoma State (29-11, 11-7) also boasts the third-best record in the Big 12 and the No. 13 ranking in the latest Baseball America poll. Add in the Cowboys' 17-2 record at home, and the Jayhawks (25-19, 5-10) have a lot stacked against them to climb out of their eighth-place tie in the conference. If this week served as a measuring stick, Oklahoma State should have the upper hand on Kansas this weekend. Both schools played midweek games against Wichita State with the Jayhawks losing 6-4 to the Shockers Tuesday night and the Cowboys defeating the Shockers 5-3 Wednesday night. Two years ago the two teams combined for a Big 12 record of 14 home runs in one game, which Oklahoma State won 19-7, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. This time around, the Cowboy offense might be even more potent. Freshman designated hitter Jimmy Waters tries to avoid a tag at home on Tuesday night's game against Wichita State. Kansas faces Oklahoma at 6:30 tonight and twice this week more. "We have to pitch very,very well in order to handle that lineup in that ballpark." Kansas coach Ritch Price said. first in the Big 12 in home runs, second in batting average, runs and triples, and third in hits. In four more games, Kansas has 14 fewer home runs, 21 fewer runs, nine fewer triples and 40 fewer hits. The Jayhawks are also hitting 39 points lower than the Cowboys. Kansas faces Oklahoma State at 6:30 tonight, in the first game of a three-game series. First baseman Rebel Ridling leads Oklahoma State with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Jordy Mercer, who doubles as infielder and closer, is close behind with nine home runs and 40 RBI of his own. Senior left fielder John Allman has been Kansas' offensive stud lately. In his last six games, he's 10-for-24 with seven runs, six RBI and his fourth home run of the season. To tame the Oklahoma State offense, Price will first rely on junior left-hander Nick Czyz (2-4), who played a part in that 14-home run game in 2006. Czyz pitched the final three innings of that game for Kansas, shutting out Oklahoma State the first two innings before giving up a two-run shot in the eighth. Entering this week, Oklahoma State was Jon Goering/KANSAN Czyz fared about as well in his start against the Cowboys last season when he allowed five runs, three earned, in five and one-third innings of a losing effort. Czyz knows its up to him to set the tone for his team this weekend. night and give a good performance and keep my team in the ballgame and maybe single-handedly take over a game, I think that's huge and it'll set us up for the whole weekend." "It all starts with the starting pitching," Czyz said. "If I can go out on Friday Walz is coming off a victory in the third game of the Nebraska series that earned him a spot on the College Baseball Foundation's National All-Star Lineup this past week. Walz struck out five and allowed just three runs in seven and two-third innings against the Cornhuskers. Rejoicing Czyz in the rotation will be senior right-hander Andres Esquibel (3-3) and freshman right-hander TL Walz (3-0). Oklahoma State will send out left-hander Andrew Oliver (3-2) on Friday, left-hander Tyler Lyons (6-2) on Saturday and most likely right-hander Tyler Blandford (3-3) Sunday, despite his 7.08 ERA and oneinning start last week against Texas. Oliver and Lyons threw back-to-back complete games two weekends ago in back-toback victories over No. 8 Nebraska. One thing Kansas has going in its favor is the fact it's had a light workload of late. It only had one midweek game this week after its game with Kansas Wesleyan was rained out Wednesday. This season, Kansas is 3-10 in weekend series after playing at least two midweek games, but the Jayhawks are 10-4 in weekend series after playing fewer than two midweek games. Going back to last weekend, the Jayhawks used a total of three relief pitchers against Nebraska, so - although junior closer Paul Smyth was used all three games - the Kansas staff should be well rested. The Kansas bullpen received a boost on Tuesday when sophomore right-hander Thomas Marcin pitched an inning of scoreless relief. The appearance was only Marcin's 10th of the season, but based on his performance against the Shockers, he appeared to be over his throwing problems that followed him from last season on into this season. "We were really thrilled with Marcin, that he got on the mound in front of 6,900 people and pounded the strike zone," Price said. "We intend to have him come in and take up some of the slack from some of the guys we've lost to injuries." Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird