8 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2006
Bittersweet ending for'Hawks
Team, players achieve many accomplishments throughout season
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
Familiar with the saying 'April showers bring May flowers'?
Well, after observing the Big 12 Champion Kansas softball team and hearing from coach Tracy Bunge, it is obvious that the new rhyme should be 'May showers bring softball powers.'
"We played real bad that weekend and for most of the game against Wichita State", Kansas coach Bunge said of Kansas' May 3 game against Oklahoma. "Then the rain started, and Serena came out with her home run afterwards. If that rain delay had canceled the game, who knows what would have happened."
Nobody knows what would have happened without the downpour, but what did happen was that Serena Settlemier's homer sparked Kansas to reach new heights with an eight-game winning streak, the program's first Big 12 Championship and an NCAA regional berth.
On May 11, the Jayhawks began their improbable run to the Big 12 Tournament title in Oklahoma City, Kansas, which entered the tournament as the sixth seed, upset third-
seeded Baylor in the first round. Later that day, the Kansas followed its victory against Baylor by shutting out Missouri and Nebraska, setting up a championship game against Oklahoma.
In the championship game, the Jayhawks showed they were ready to win early. In the first inning, freshman center fielder Stevie Crisosto singled and advanced to third on the senior Settlemier's double. With two outs, senior second baseman Jessica Moppin drove in both runners, giving the Jayhawks an early lead.
But Oklahoma answered back in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs off pitcher Settlemier. After Settlemier allowed a leadoff hit in the second, junior Kassie Humphreys trotted out to the hill, and the game might as well have been over. The All-Big 12 First Teamer, who had just pitched two complete games, allowed only two hits and recorded seven strikeouts in six innings.
"I was a little sore, but the adrenaline just takes you over," Humphreys said after her performance. "The defense was doing well behind me, and I knew it would come down to us scoring runs."
Humphreys was right. As she continued to pitch a gem, the Jayhawk offense finally broke through in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second, Moppin laced a
pitch deep off the left field wall, scoring one runner. Senior right fielder Heather Stanley drove in another on a sacrifice fly, giving Kansas a 4-2 lead that sealed the Big 12 Championship.
"We swung the bats well. It just was a solid overall team effort." Bunge said after the game. "It was an absolutely fun day. I'm so proud of this team and so proud of my seniors in particular."
seniors in particular.
With the Big 12 Championship won, Kansas earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, where they met BYU in the first round on May 18 in the Provo, Utah, regional. The third-seeded Jayhawks upset the second-seeded Cougars on the heels of another standout performance by Humphreys to earn their eighth straight victory.
Unfortunately for Kansas, it was unable to beat top seeded Washington. The Jayhawks lost to the Huskies on consecutive days and were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
Even though the end was bittersweet, Kansas (36-26, 8-10 Big 12) had plenty of accomplishments. Kansas upset No. 2 Texas during the regular season, won its first Big 12 Tournament championship and advanced to its second straight NCAA Regional.
Leading the way for the Jayhawks this year
were Settlemier and Humphreys. Settlemier, who was named Big 12 Player of the Year and an NFCA Second Team All-American, led the team in batting average at .281, home runs and RBI's. Her school record 22 home runs and her 61 RIB also led the conference. On the mound, she was third in the conference in ERA and picked up 17 victories. Perhaps the most extraordinary stat of Settlemier's was her performance with the bases loaded. She was 7-for-8 with the bags full and had six grand slams.
Humphreys had a breakout year on the mound, finishing second in the Big 12 with a 1.19 ERA. She earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors twice and was named National Player of the Week because of her performance in the Big 12 Tournament.
"For a couple of weeks in the middle of the season, she was pitching as good as anyone in the country" Bunge said of Humphreys. "Then she was a little inconsistent for a while before picking it up again here at the end of the season."
In the Big 12 Tournament, Humphreys carried the team on her shoulders, pitching 22 innings without allowing a single run and striking out 25 batters. She also pitched a shutout against BYU in the NCAA Regional and had 19 victories during the season.
Senior designated player Serena Settlemier rounds the bases during Kansas' game against Nebraska on May 12 at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. Settlemier went 1-for-3 in the Jayhawks 2-0 victory against the Cornhuskers.
photos by Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics (above) Members of the Kansas softball team gather around their Big 12 Tournament trophy after its 4-2 victory over Oklahoma on May 13 in Oklahoma City. The championship was Kansas' first in Big 12 history.
(left) Junior pitcher Kassie Humphreys delivers the ball during Kansas matchup with Nebraska May 12. Humphreys had seven strikeouts in the Jayhawks 2-0 victory against the Cornhuskers. The victory sent them to the Big 12 Tournament final, where Kansas defeated Oklahoma, 4-2.