8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GAMEDAY
FRIDAY, APRIL 7. 2006
'Hawks must overcome Tech's pitching
KU First Pitch AT A GLANCE:
Kansas (20-12, 4-5 Big 12 Conference) is finally a complete team again after senior center fielder Matt Baty and sophomore second baseman Ryne Price returned to the lineup last week. As a bonus, the team is done with the toughest part of its schedule and now is solely focused on gaining ground in the Big 12.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Jayhawks traveled to Wichita on Wednesday night and fell to the Shockers, 4-0. The highly-charged Wichita State fans greeted the Kansas players. Although the Kansas pitchers allowed only six hits, two of them were home runs to Wichita State third baseman Conor Gillaspie.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
John Allman. Despite not getting a hit against Wichita State, the sophomore left fielder has
done extensive damage to opposing pitchers, Kansas coach Ritch Price tried to shake his lineup around earlier in the season. Price moved All-team to the six
Allman
and seven holes to put him in a spot to see more favorable pitches to hit. It worked. Allman has hit .500 in the past five games with four RBI.
5 QUICK FACTS:
17 - The number of consecutive games Kansas has played against a ranked opponent, including No. 26 Texas Tech this weekend.
3 — The Big 12 Conference's RPI as a league.
10 — The number of saves this season for senior closer Don Czyz, good for first in the Big 12.
33 — The number of KU home runs this season, tying Nebraska for the highest in the Big 12.
LOOKING FORWARD:
2 — The number of at-bats senior center fielder Matt Baty needed to get his first hit after 18 games on the disabled list.
The Jayhawks have to find their rhythm on offense. Last weekend, Kansas took two games from then-Big 12 leader Missouri. But in the first game against the Tigers, the Jayhawks scraped together only three hits and no runs. Kansas has to be more consistent if it wants to make a serious run during Big 12 play.
KEY TO VICTORY:
Hit the ball. Despite having a higher team ERA, Texas Tech pitchers have collected 90 more strikeouts than the Kansas staff. Kansas batters have also struck out 63 more times than the Red Raiders. If the Jayhawks bring their bats tonight and for the weekend, they have a good chance at taking the series.
Kansas vs. Texas Tech 6 p.m. today at Hoglund Ballpark
KANSAS
Kansas, ranked No. 24 by Baseball America, continues to bring a hot and cold offense to the table. On Wednesday, Wichita State held Kansas to five hits and no runs.The Jayhawks scored eight runs on the Shockers only a week earlier. The Jayhawks 33 team home runs ties the Cornhuskers for the most in the Big 12 Conference. But with their team batting average falling below .300,the Jayhawks are sitting in seventh place in the Big 12. Senior center fielder Matt Baty returned to the field on Wednesday. Baty will step back into the lineup in his typical leadoff spot. He led Kansas last year with 75 hits.
Defense:
TEXAS TECH
The numbers don't paint a clear picture for the effectiveness of the KU defense this season. The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in stolen bases allowed (47) and passed balls (12). They are, however, a solid defensive club to watch. Sophomore second
weekend against Missouri. He mentioned his wrist be sore afterward. Price did not play against Wichita State on Wednesday. Kansas coach Ritch Price said after the game that it was just precautionary and that Ryne could have played if needed. Having Price back on the field sets up a nearly flawless double play combination with Ryne's brother Ritchie on the field, too.
Coaches:
Kansas has played 14 consecutive games against a ranked opponent and is still hanging on with 20 victories and an
almost .500 conference record. The Jayhawks even jumped back onto the Baseball America poll at No. 24 using players off the bench to replace Baty and Price while they were injured.
Offense:
TexasTech does it all on offense. It ranked 3rd in the Big 12 with a .330 team batting average.The Red Raiders have by far the most runs scored in the Big 12 with 263. Only Nebraska and Kansas have hit more home runs than Texas Tech's 32, and its 45 stolen bases are fourth in the conference. TexasTech also has plate discipline, leading the Big 12 with 158 walks. Freshman outfielder Roger Kieshnick leads the Red Raiders with a .399 batting average, 55 hits, 40 RBI and a .616 slugging percentage. He's second on the team with 33 runs and third with five home runs.
Defense:
Texas Tech pitchers only wish their defense would give them as much support as their offense. No Big 12 team has committed more errors than TexasTech's 47 and it is second to last with a .963 fielding percentage. Red Raider catchers have
thrown out potential base stealers only 23 percent of the time, which is next-to-worst in the Big 12. With only 19 double plays turned — also worst in the Big 12 — Texas Tech pitchers are having to get out of jams one out at a time. With 268 strikeouts, the Red Raiders lead the Big 12, but their 4.33 team ERA is fourth worst in the conference.
Coaches:
TTT
Big 12 coaches predicted Texas Tech to finish in a tie with Kansas for eighth in the conference,but
Big 12 coaches predicted Texas Tech to finish in a tie with Kansas for eighth in the conference, but coach Larry Hays has the team in a three-way tie for fourth with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The Red Raiders are 15-4 at home, but only 7-7 in games outside of Lubbock, Texas. Hays is in his 20th season as head coach of the Red Raiders and would probably be the first to admit that the team must bring its pitching and defense up to the level of its hitting and play more consistently away from home if it wants to be successful in the Big 12.
Shawn Shrover
TT First Pitch AT A GLANCE:
Over its past 11 games, Texas Tech is 6-5, including a series split against Texas, a series loss to Texas A&M and a series victory against Baylor. This weekend, Texas Tech (22-11, 4-4 in the Big 12) will try to win back-to-back Big 12 series for the first time since May 2004.
LAST TIME OUT:
Texas Tech lost 9-4 to New Mexico State Tuesday. The Red Raiders committed three errors, allowing five unearned runs to cross the plate to put the game out of reach.Texas Tech senior infielder Joey Callender went 3-for-4 with a walk, a run, an RBI and two stolen bases.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Roger Kieschnick. The freshman outfielder leads the Big 12 with 55 hits, 40 RBI and 85
total bases. His .399 overall batting average is fifth best in the conference. In eight Big 12 games, he's batting .433 with 13 hits, nine runs, two home runs, 11 RBI and a .767 slugging nerve.
slugging percentage.
5 QUICK FACTS:
.5 — The number of games separating Texas Tech (4-4)
and Kansas (4-5) in the Big 12
standings.
1 — The number of games Texas Tech has lost when scoring at least six runs this season. The Red Raiders are 19-1 overall in such games.
9 — Games in Kieschnick's current hitting streak. His longest this season was 13 games.
19 — The number of times Texas Tech has defeated Kansas in 26 Big 12 meetings, nine of which have come in Lawrence.
263 — The number of runs Texas Tech has scored in 33 games. Oklahoma is next in the Big 12 with 231 runs in 31 games.
LOOKING FORWARD:
With Texas and Baylor out of the way, a series victory against Kansas could make Texas Tech a mainstay in the heart of the Big 12. Nebraska and Missouri are the only teams left on Texas Tech's schedule that currently have winning conference records.
KEY TO VICTORY:
Kansas has allowed runners to swipe 47 bases, so Texas Tech should have no problem pressuring the defense by adding to its 45 stolen bases. The Red Raider pitching staff, with 268 strikeouts, must exploit a free-swinging Jayhawk lineup that has struck out 239 times. When Kansas puts the ball in play, though, Texas Tech can't afford to add to its 47 errors.
Around the Big 12
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com  kansan sportswriter
The Wildcats have not won a series against the Longhorns since 1998. The last time the two faced off in Manhattan, they played a 20-inning game, the longest in Texas baseball history. Texas right-hander Kyle McColloch (3-4, 3.12) will face undefeated Kansas State pitcher Brad Hutt (5-0, 3.43) tonight. Although McColloch comes in with a losing record, he is fourth on this season's Big 12 Conference strikeout list with 48 in 572 Innings. Last Sunday, the Longhorns hit five home runs against No. 28 Oklahoma. Kansas State outfielder Joe Roundy leads the Big 12 with a .474 batting average.
No. 9 Texas (21-11,6-2) at Kansas State (21-5,2-4)
No. 6 Nebraska (21-5.4-2) at Missouri (16-11.6-3)
Missouri leads the all-time series between the two, 135-105-1. However, Nebraska took four of the five match-ups last season. In the last 11 meetings, nine of them were decided by two runs or fewer. Nebraska right-hander Joba Chamberlain (3-2, 2.70) will take on Missouri lefty Nathan Culp (6-2, 1.98) tonight. Culp threw a three-hit shutout against Kansas last weekend. It will make for an interesting match-up between Culp and Nebraska's Brandon Buckman, who hit a pair of home runs against Creighton on Tuesday.
No.28 Oklahoma (22-9,3-3) at Texas A&M [18-14, 2-7]
Oklahoma (22-9, 3-3) at Texas A&M (18-14, 2-7)
Oklahoma barely leads the series 26-24. Neither team is playing impressive baseball at the moment. WhileTexas A&M is on a four-game losing streak, Oklahoma has won just two of its last five games.The trip to College Station, Texas, will mark the first one for the Sooners this season.Texas A&M catcher Josh Stinson leads the Aggies with 16 RBI.Lately, Oklahoma left fielder Kody Kaiser has been productive offensively. Kaiser is hitting 500 with 10 hits and two triples in the Sooners' past six games.
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