6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2007
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
the T-Bones' field and Kauffman Stadium was repairing the warning track, so neither venue ended up as a possibility.
He even tried all the local and community ballparks in order to better prepare for the Cardinal, a team that won its regional last year before losing in the super regional to the eventual World Series champions, Oregon State.
"This will have been two weeks since we've played," Price said. "Obviously they've got a huge advantage and we have to try and find a way to overcome it."
The layhawks' arsenal may not look the same as the squad that took two of three from the Cardinal last season, but they're still bringing plenty of power to the Sunken Diamond this weekend.
Senior outfielder Kyle Murphy led the offensive attack the last time his team was able to take the field, going a strong 5-10 in the South Dakota State series. Murphy still leads the offense at 381 while junior outfielder John Allman provides a double threat hitting a close. 375 behind Murphy — A double threat Price is hoping to show off in California.
"To go there last year when they
were No. 4 in the country and beat them two out of three was one of the best series we've played on the road since I've been here," Price said.
Stanford is also a different team than Kansas defeated last season. Instead of an entire lineup of experience that Kansas brought in 2006, the teams are more evenly matched between the two schools this trip.
After pushing back an entire weeks worth of games, the lahvayes are ready to hit the field and get back on the road to making progress.
Freshman shortstop Adam Gaylord leads the Cardinal offense. The rookie is hitting .355, has five RBI and has started every game. Freshman pitcher Jeffery Iman (1-1), however, is the only Stanford starter with a victory.
"For us, each year that we've gone out there, we've gotten better on Saturday and better on Sunday," Price said. "We certainly hope that'll be the case this weekend."
The first pitch of the series goes out at 7 p.m. at Stanford
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
— Edited by Will McCullough
MEN'S BASKETBALL
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Andrea Hudy to lose 30 pounds. His new slimmer frame paid dividends for Robinson on Wednesday as well
- there was less Sherron Collins falling on his foot.
"If I was 228 I probably would have broke it," Collins said. "I've got to thank coach Hudy when I get out there."
Collins said he is excited about the opportunity to start, but wishes that Robinson was still there during introductions.
"I'm used to Russell being there," he said. "I like to hear the 'New York, New York.'"
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by Will McCullouah
TRACK
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Hefferon, whom Wissel credits with pushing him throughout his races.
On the men's side, junior Egor Agatonov is the heavy favorite in the weight throw, and several other Jayhawks are sitting in good position to take top spots.
Junior Kate Sultanova and freshman Britany Parker rank first and third, respectively, in the women's pole vault in the Big 12 heading into the weekend. Junior Crystal Manning has the second best conference mark in the women's triple jump.
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@kansan.com.
Edited by Ryan Schneider
KANSAS VS. COLORADO 8 P.M. SATURDAY, BOULDER, COLO.
>> WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Colorado relies on junior forward lackie McFarland to shoulder much of the load on offense. She is averaging 18 points per game, second in the conference, and her 61 percent field-goal shooting ranks first in the conference. McFarland is an outstanding player, but could use some help from her teammates from time to time. Senior forward Jasmina Illic is not afraid to shoot, but she only converts on 35 percent of her attempts. Freshman guard Whitney Houston has proven to be one of the sloppiest ball-handlers in the Big 12, committing 81 turnovers.
OFFENSE
The Kansas offense is the polar opposite of Colorado's. After struggling early in the season, the Jayhawks have shown improvement in recent games. Kansas has found success by sharing the ball and distributing shots evenly. Freshmen Kelly Kohn, Sade Morris and Danielle McCray have blossomed as scorers as the season has progressed, and senior Shaquina Mosley is capable of breaking down any defense with her ability to get to the hoop.
DEFENSE
ADVANTAGE
Saturday's matchup showcases the weakest defenses in the conference. Colorado ranks last in points allowed per game and Kansas stands in 11th place. When the teams met in Lawrence earlier this month, the Kansas defense was just sturdy enough to give the team its first conference victory. In that game, McFarland and Houston ran wild, accounting for 47 of the Buffaloes' 68 points. Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson will undoubtedly need to think up a new game plan to neutralize McFarland, one of the nation's most efficient scorers.
McFarland is also a force on defense, ranking among the conference leaders in rebounds and blocked shots. Unfortunately for Colorado, the rest of the team has shown an aversion to crushing the boards or playing any defense. Sophomore center Kara Richards is 6-foot-4, but plays like she is six inches shorter, grabbing only five rebounds per game. In the last several weeks, Kansas has enjoyed outstanding rebounding efforts from post players McCray and junior guard Taylor McIntosh, and Mosley is always a threat to tally double-digit rebounds.
MOMENTUM
Both teams played well against stellar competition earlier this week. Kansas fought hard but lost to No. 13th Oklahoma, and Colorado nearly upset No. 14 Baylor. Although each squad is merely trying to avoid the bottom of the standings at this point, the teams obviously possess enough pride to give their best effort in every game. The Jayhawks are still riding the momentum from a thrilling double-overtime victory against Kansas State, while Colorado is trying to avoid a three-game losing. The Buffaloes have used their high-altitude home court to their advantage so far this season by posting a 4-3 home conference record. However, the Jayhawks are an extremely well-conditioned group of players and should have no problem keeping up with the Buffaloes for all 40 minutes.
ADVANTAGE:
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
The same inconsistency led the lajahaws to start Big 12 conference play 0-9. But now, Kansas has a chance to get out of last place in the Big 12. At 3-10, they currently are only one game behind Kansas State.
Freshman forward Sade Morris has been aggressive off the bench. The two have combined to score 29 points in each of the last two games.
"Our kids have gotten better." Henrickson said. "We were inconsistent early and made ourselves look worse than we were because we weren't used to the pace and weren't used to the tempo."
"The Big 12 is so crazy right now," Kohn said. "Teams are jumping all around and we have a great chance to move ourselves up in the pack."
Being in 11th place instead of 12th may not seem like a big difference, but in the Big 12, seeding is everything going into the tournament.
Colorado, in a three-way tie for eighth place in the conference at 5-9, has the same motive.
Johnson played in all 12 games and started two as a freshman in 2005, when he had 17 tackles, broke up three passes and had two interceptions.
Kansan sportswriter Case Keefer can be contacted at ckeefer@kansan.com
"I know we beat them once but it wasn't that easy." Mosley said. "We have to go to Colorado at their house and I know they're going to play hard."
Domonique Johnson, who just finished his sophomore year, started the first three games of the season for the Tigers but lost his
starting spot because of disciplinary reasons. Johnson later missed five games because of an injured knee suffered in Missouri's win over Colorado on Sept. 30.
He would have competed for a starting spot next year, along with Darnell Terrell, Hardy Ricks and Del Howard.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Probable starter leaves
MU football program
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Missouri cornerback who started three games last season has decided to leave the program for personal reasons, University Media Relations Director Chad Moller confirmed Thursday.
Edited by Kelly Lanigan
MLB
The Kansas City Royals' designated hitter, who appeared in just 60 games last year because of a bulging disk in his upper back, turned to yoga in the offseason.
MLB Yoga gets Sweeney back on track with training
SURPIRE, Ariz. — A new workout regimen has Mike Sweeney hoping his back problems are finally behind him.
"It has paid big dividends," Sweeney said Thursday. "I've
always been strong, but never flexible. I always thought yoga was for women and never applied to us macho men."
Sweeney, 33, thinks and moves differently now.
"It has been amazing," he said. "I can touch my toes, easily. I can touch my palms (to the floor). I was doing things over the winter that I never dreamed of. I'm hoping that three years from now, I'll look back at three healthy years."
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