THE UNIVERSITY DARRY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2008
SPORTS
BASEBALL
3B
Experience key for middle infielders' defense
Senior shortstop reunites with old double play partner; first baseman hopes to return to form
Kansas also has a handful of players who can fill in around the infield. Senior Matt Berner is the team's top utility infielder. Senior Justin Elrill will back Preston Land up at first base. Ryne Price will come in from right field to catch one or two times a week and senior Joe Southers is also expected to catch a few innings. Kansas' backup catcher last season, Joe Servais, transferred to Creighton to finish his college career with his dad, Creighton coach Ed Servals.
BY SHAWN SHROYER
shroyer@kansan.com
1B – Preston Land -
.206 AVG/4 HR/27 RBI
In past years, coach Ritch Price hasn't been able to play all of his infielders at their natural positions. In an effort to put his best lineup on the field, Price sometimes had to move players to different positions than they'd played in high school and hope their athleticism would take over.
Pos - Player - 2007 stats
38 - Tony Thompson -
.471 AVG/18 HR/71 RBI [at
Galena High School (Reno,
Nev.)]
C - Buck Afenir -
.286 AVG/8 HR/38 RBI
2B - Robby Price -
.286 AVG/1 HR/27 RBI
Weston White/KANSAN
backup infielders
First baseman, Preston Land, catches the ball while practicing a pick-off. The Jayhawks have been practicing in anticipation for their Feb. 22 trip to Kona, Hawaii.
But this season, with minimal tinkering, Price has been able to put his infielders in the positions that best match their skill sets.
starting infielders
No changes were made behind the plate, where junior Buck Afenir will get most of the playing time. Afenir started 45 of 58 games for Kansas last year and nearly all those starts were at catcher.
SS - Erik Morrison -
.296 AVG/7 HR/44 RBI
Afentr was one of Kansas' best power hitters in 2007 with eight home runs, 12 doubles, 38 RBI and a .519 slugging percentage. However, his aggressive nature at the plate hurt his on-base percentage, which was only 53 points higher than his batting average. His 12 walks were the least among Kansas' everyday players.
Nevertheless, in just 46 more at bats than he had in 2006. Afenir was exponentially better in every hitting category last season. Price hopes Afenir will make similar strides this season.
"The thing we talk to Buck all the time about is his on-base percentage, because he very rarely walks," Price said. "If he can take the final step and be more selective at the plate. I think you'll see his power numbers, his on-base percentage and his slugging percentage go up — he'll improve in every area of the game."
Junior Preston Land will start at first base for the third consecutive season, determined to prove last season was an aberration. Land
experienced significant drops in nearly every offensive category last season as his batting average flirted with sinking below the Mendoza Line.
NATION
After taking last summer off from baseball, Land is mentally and physically ready to be an offensive leader again for the Jayhawks. Price shares Land's expectations and has Land penciled in as his cleanup hitter for Kansas' series with Hawaii-Hilo this weekend.
Sophomore Robby Price has shifted from third base to second base this season to occupy the spot vacated by his older brother Ryne, who has moved to right field this season.
While shortstop is technically Robby's natural position, he fits the mold of a second baseman, and it should suit him better than third base did. That's not to say Robby struggled at third base. On the contrary, Robb had only 11 errors at the hot corner as a freshman, starting all but one game for Kansas.
Offensively, Robby didn't produce the power numbers coveted for corner inffielders, but he still posted the fourth best batting average and hit total of Kansas' everyday players, was third in runs and on-base percentage, and tied Ryne for the team lead in walks.
At second base, Robby is reunited with his former double play partner, senior shortstop Erik Morrison. Although last year was their first season together in college, the two played together a few summers in California.
Morrison said they first played alongside one another when Robby was 15. In all, Morrison estimated the two played at least 250 game up the middle together.
"There's gonna be a lot more leather flashed, that's for sure," Morrison said. "I don't feel like I have to hold anything back on any feeds to him. We've got a few things up our sleeves."
As for Morrison, the Kansas coaches know what to expect
from the lone senior in the infield. With 24 home runs in his career, Morrison is tied with Ryne Price five home runs behind former Jayhawk Travis Metcalf for the Kansas all-time home run record.
But Morrison's leadership will be every bit as important as his bat this season. One of the most vocal Jayhawks. Morrison has provided guidance for freshman third baseman Tony Thompson, who should see most of the action at the hot corner.
And Morrison is the perfect player for Thompson to have in his ear.
When Morrison was a freshman, he started 62 games at third base. Morrison said Thompson has welcomed any advice he's had to offer. Not that Thompson, a two-time, first-team all-state infielder, needs too much help.
- Edited by Daniel Reyes
"He's got real good hands and fields the ball out in front of him," Morrison said. "You don't really see that with younger guys. He's come in here a step ahead of a lot of other infielders I've seen in the past."
Lefty locks in LA victory
LOS ANGELES — Phil Mickelson now has left his mark all over the Left Coast.
Mickelson held on long enough for Jeff Quinney to self-destruct on the back nine Sunday at Riviera, closing with a 1-under 70 to win the Northern Trust Open and complete an impressive collection of trophies in California and Arizona.
Super Bowl lawsuit filed
A year ago, "Lefty" was poised to win in L.A. until he bogeyed the 18th hole and lost in a playoff against Charles Howell III. This time, he was steady down the stretch as Quinney faltered, and won by two shots for his 33rd career victory, 16 of those on the West Coast.
NEW ORLEANS — A lawsuit filed Friday by a former St. Louis Rams player and others seeks millions of dollars in damages from the alleged taping of Rams practices by the New England Patriots before the 2002 Super Bowl.
The Patriots won the game 20-17 in the Superdome.
The $100 million suit, filed on behalf of former Rams player Willie Gary in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, names the Patriots team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick.
Judges rules in favor of steroid dealers
SAN FRANCISCO — A judge overseeing the BALCO steroids case has ruled against the government and said BALCO founder Victor Conte and Barry Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, can keep evidence prosecutors turned over to them from the investigation.
Federal prosecutors wanted the two convicted steroids dealers to return the documents. U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston turned them down.
SOFTBALL
Associated Press
Jayhawks return 3-2 from tough weekend invitational
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH kbreckunitch@kansan.com
Photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics
The Jayhawks got off to a great start in the desert, but suffered two late-inning losses on their final day of the UNLV Invitational tournament.
Dougie McCaulley, junior outfielder, helps the Kansas defense during the UNLV invitational tournament last weekend. The Jayhawks won the first three games and lost the last two late in the games.
The Jayhawks' offense exploded for four home runs and 14 runs in the first three games of the tournament. The tables turned on Sunday when the Jayhawks could muster a mere three runs in two games.
Brittany Hile, freshman catcher, Betsy Wilson, senior outfielder, Ally Stanton, sophomore outfielder and Amanda Jobe, sophomore first baseman all hit home runs in the tournament.
On Sunday, though, the Jayhawk offense had a tough time gaining any momentum against Seton Hall and host UNLV. The Jayhawks could only manage five total hits in those two games compared to 20 hits during the first three games of the tournament.
Coach Tracy Bunge said the offensive struggle was due to poor offensive adjustments made by the lavihawks in the final two games.
Coach Bunge was very pleased with the pitching staff, as she continued to see improvement by all three of the Jayhawk pitchers. "Our pitching continues to be very good across the board," Bunge said. She was especially pleased with freshman pitcher Allison Clark, who she said continued to improve in her first few games as a Jayhawk.
The pitching staff is very balanced, as Clark, sophomore pitcher Sarah Vertelka and junior pitcher Valerie George all earned a victory in the tournament. "All three of them at times have looked like our number one," Bunge said.
UNLV Invitational results
The two losses the Jayhawks suffered were tough because they came in the late innings of the ball game. Seton Hall took the Jayhawks into extra innings and scored three
**Feb. 15:**
vs. Oregon, W 6-1
vs. Portland State, W 3-2
**Feb. 16:**
vs. BYU W 5-3
**Feb. 17:**
vs. Seton Hall (8) L 3-2
vs. UNLV L 2-1
runs in the top of the eighth. The Jayhawks came back and scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but they fell short in their rallying effort.
The Jayhawks had an early one-run lead on UNLV, but a homerun by UNLV's sophomore shortstop Jaci Hull in the bottom of the seventh inning spoiled the victory for the Jayhawks.
"We didn't take advantage of what opportunities we had," Bunge said. The late inning losses will prepare the Jayhawks for more adversity as the season rolls on. "I hope that it gives them a little motivation to work even harder." Bunge said.
Both losses were tough for the Jayhawks, but they have been playing a high level of competition. UNLV is ranked 23rd in the ESPN com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. The Jayhawks also beat two teams, Oregon and Brigham Young University, who were just outside of that poll. Bunge was happy with the win against BYU because they were such a tough team. Bunge complimented BYU's offense and said it was a good quality win, where the offenses were battling back and forth.
Bunge said the Kansas defense improved in the UNLV tournament and she was happy about that. The offensive inconsistencies are one thing Bunge hopes to improve upon going into the next tournament. She said the team needed to make quicker adjustments on offense. "Different kids are stepping up at different times," Bunge said.
Next up, the Jayhawks head to Texas for the Houston Invitational tournament. Bunge said the competition will continue to get tougher as the Jayhawks get further into the season, which will help them prepare for the tough competition they'll face in the Big 12 conference.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
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