WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 17
Softball team ranked No.22 in final poll
The Kansas softball team (36-26, 8-10 Big 12) was ranked No. 22 in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll released June 14. The Jayhawks finished the regular season ranked No. 24.
The softball team won its first Big 12 Conference tournament championship this past season en route to the team's most victories in a season since 1997. The Jayhawks also advanced to the NCAA Regionals Softball Tournament before being eliminated by 14th seed Washington in Provo, Utah.
Arizona, Northwestern, UCLA Tennessee and Texas made up the top five, respectively, of the final poll. Big 12 schools Nebraska, No 15, Oklahoma, No. 17, Texas A&M, No. 18 and Baylor, No. 21, were also ranked in the final poll.
Jack Weinstein
Basketball adds three games to schedule
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Kansas basketball has added three more games to its home schedule for the upcoming season.
Dartmouth College will travel to Allen Fieldhouse for a game on Nov. 28 for the first ever meeting between the two schools, The University of Detroit Mercy will oppose the Jayhawks on Dec. 28 for the third
meeting in the series, the first since 1986. The University of Rhode Island will be in Lawrence on Dec. 30 for the first meeting between the two schools since Rhode Island eliminated Kansas in the second round of the 1998 NCAA tournament.
Jim Marchiony, Kansas associate athletics director, said that the schedule is still subject to change.
"There's still more games to schedule," Marchiony said. "At least one game, maybe two. It changes so much that a game that we had a month ago may not exist now. That's why we don't put anything out until it's done."
The final schedule may be complete by the end of July, at the earliest, Marchiony said.
Jack Weinstein
KU/MU football game to be televised on ABC
The Kansas vs. Missouri football game this season will be televised nationally on ABC. The season finale for both schools will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday Nov. 25 at Farout Field in Columbia, Mo.
Jim Marchiony, Kansas associate athletics director, said that a nationally televised game was great exposure for the University of Kansas.
"It's good for our fans," Marchionny said. "It's good for our program. It highlights one of the great rivalries in the country. KU/MU is one
of the most intense rivalries in all of college sports. It's good, it'll be on full display this year."
Marchiony also said the game, televised on network television, says a lot about the progress the program was making. People at the networks and people in general were taking notice of what was going on at Kansas.
The game will mark the 115th meeting between the two schools and is the oldest rivalry in college football west of the Mississippi River.
-Jack Weinstein
Pitcher earns more postseason awards
Don Czyz has two more honors to add to his ever-growing list of postseason awards.
The National Collegiate Baseball
Writers Association named Czyz a Pro-Line Cap/NCBWA First Team All-American on June 13. On the same day, Baseball America, http://www.baseballamer
ica.com, named Czyz a Second Team All-American.
Czyz
Czyz, a senior right-handed closer for the Jayhawks, has already been named a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, All-Big 12
First team, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, a College Baseball Foundation All-American and was drafted in the 7th round by the Florida Marlins.
Czzy finished the 2006 season with 19 saves, a 6-0 record, a 1.56 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. His two biggest saves of the season were his last two.
-Shawn Shroyer
His 18th save clinched the Big 12 Championship for Kansas, as well as an automatic bid to an NCAA Regional. His 19th save came in Kansas' first regional game in 12 years, a 9-6 victory against Hawaii.
Fairchild to embark on professional career
A seventh Jayhawk from the 2006 squad has the opportunity to embark on his professional baseball career.
Senior right-hander Ricky Fairchild signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Indians.
Fairchild transferred to Kansas from Tulane this season and became a mainstay in the Kansas' weekend rotation. In 18 starts, Fairchild garnered a 6-6 record and ate up 95.1 innings while compiling 42 strikeouts. He tied senior closer Don Czyz for second-most victories on the team and only senior right-hander Kodiak Quick pitched more innings.
Czyz, Quick, senior outfielder Gus Milner, senior shortstop Ritchie Price, senior infielder Jared Schweitzer and junior left-hander Sean Land were all drafted in last week's MLB Amateur Draft.
Fairchild
-Shawn Shroyer
KU forward, Giles has surgery on right thumb
Kansas junior forward CJ Giles had minor surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb. The injury occurred while he was working out June 13.
Giles will avoid contact drills for the next six weeks, but can resume individual workouts in the next two to three weeks.
Giles
The Seattle native averaged 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 33 games last season. He is expected to be an integral part of the returning Big 12 Conference regular season co-champions and Big 12 Conference tournament champions.
-Jack Weinstein