2B
BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 7 2007
12Diamond update
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Editors Note: This is the debut of Big 12 baseball reporter Shawn Shroyers weekly look at the Big 12 Conference.
Baylor (0-0)
scoreless, no hit innings for the 2007 Baylor squad
paved their Alumni Game during the weekend, which ended in a 2-2 tie after 10 innings. Pitcher lake Weekend threw four
Who's on deck: The Bears open their regular season this weekend at the Minute Maid Park College Classic in Houston Baylor will play Houston on Friday, No. 1 Rice on Saturday and Vanderbilt on Sunday.
Missouri (0-0)
Kansas State [0-0]
The Wildcats don't play their first regular season game until Feb. 16.
Who's on deck?
Missouri will open
its season this week
end in Miami with a
three-game series against Florida International.
No.19 Nebraska (0-0)
The Cornbuskers will open their regular season Feb. 16.
Oklahoma (1-2)
Who's up? Pitchen Joseph Hughes was the only starting pitcher to find success last week end. He pitched six
innings on Sunday, striking out five. It not for five errors by his defense that allowed four unearned runs to score, hed have earned the victory.
Weekend results
Friday
San Diego 6, Texas 5
Texas State 8, Oklahoma 3 Saturday
Saturday
Texas 13, San Diego 8
Texas Pan American 2,
Oklahoma 0
Texas Tech 4, Stephen F.
Austin 3 (11 linings)
Sunday
San Diego 4, Texas 1
Oklahoma 6, Texas Pan-
American 5
Stephen F. Austin 2, Texas
Tech 1
Who's in the hole: The entire Oklahoma batting lineup, which compiled a 198 batting average during the weekend, should be embarrassed by its performance, but outfielder Ioe Dunigan and designated hitter Mike Gosse should be the most humiliated Sooners. The two went a combined 2-for-18 in the Texas Pan-American Classic with only one RBI.
Who's on deck: The Sooners travel to Wilmington, N.C., this weekend for the Hughes Bros. Challenge. Oklahoma will play No 4 South Carolina on Friday. UNC-Wilmington on Saturday and Western Kentucky on Sunday.
No.22 Oklahoma State (0-0)
No.7 Texas (2-2)
Who's on deck? After its home series with Hofstra was canceled last summer.
weekend because of weather, Oklahoma State hopes to open its season this weekend at the Citrus tournament
in Edinburg, Texas. Oklahoma State will play Lamar on Friday. McNeese State on Saturday and Illinois-Chicago on Sunday.
Who's up: After going 0-for-3
in the first game of the San Diego series third baseman Bradley Sutlite
Who's in the hole: Center fielder Nick Peoples was ineffective as Texas' leadoff hitter, going 2-for-11 in the series with one run scored.
rebounded, going 5-for-9 with two runs; three RBI and one home run in the last two games.
Who's on deck: Texas heads west this weekend for a three-game set at Long Beach State.
Texas A&M (1-0)
Who's on deck? The Aggies will also take part in the Mirage Maid
Park College Classic this weekend. Texas A&M will play No. 16 Arizona State on Friday, Houston on
Saturday, and No. 1 Rice on Sunday.
Texas Tech (1-2)
Who's up? Texas Tech's bullpen came up huge against Stephen F. Austin. Red Raider relievers threw
10 shutout innings, which helped Texas Tech come back in Saturday's game and stay in Sunday's game.
Who's in the hole? Catcher Matt Smith, Texas Tech's top returning hitter from 2006, went 0-for-8 in the series.
Who's on deck: Texas Tech wraps up a seven-game home stand this weekend with two games against Northwestern on Friday and Saturday and two more games against Western Illinois on Sunday and Monday.
Edited by Ryan Schneider
Kansan senior sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshoyer@kansan.com.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Junior pitcher Hiarall Garcia and Andres Esquibel are adjusting to life as a Jayhawk after transferring from junior colleges for the 2007 season. Kansas brought in seven transfers this year.
Transfers adjust to Kansas
BY ALISSA BAUER
When Andres Esquibel's plane landed in Kansas, the Oceanside, Calif., native took one look at the snow-covered ground and thought to himself, "Oh my God, what am I getting myself into?"
Fellow junior right-handed pitcher Harali Garcia also transferred to Kansas this year. Unlike Esquibel, Garcia spent both his freshman and sophomore years at a junior college.
At Eastern Oklahoma State, where the Windsor, Ontario, native went before coming to Kansas, Garcia was selected NJCAA All-Region II in 2006. This was the same season he struck out 89 batters while walking only 22. However, Garcia is under no illusion that success at a junior college means success as a Big 12 Conference pitcher, but he is picking up on the differences.
"But the snow and everything wasn't that bad," Esquibel said. "I kind of liked it — it was something new."
The cold weather isn't the only thing Esquibel will be getting used to. The junior right-hander is adjusting to new collegiate surroundings for the third time in three years. Transferring from one college to another can be a difficult process, even when the previous experiences include a fellow Division I school.
"My freshman year I was at San Diego State so I pitched against the Texases, the Long Beaches and North Carolinas and I did well." Esquibel said, "So coming here it's given me a lot of experience knowing that I can do that already. I'm just ready to start playing."
With adjustment comes experience, as Esquibel spent his freshman year on the mound for San Diego State and last year at Palomar Junior College. Named honorable mention all-league at Palomar in 2006. Esquibel is once again getting used to Division 1 baseball.
"If anything I already know it's going to be quick paced." Garcia said. "I've got to be on top of my game and in top shape day in and day out so throughout the season I'll be able to contribute. It's definitely a higher level of ball. Nonetheless, down in Oklahoma we had competition, but this is totally different."
Much like this year's line up.
This season the Kansas roster contains 10 transfers from different colleges; all but two of those transfers came from a junior college. Although the time at junior college is not Division 1 caliber, it does provide a beneficial stepping stone from high school to the NCAA.
Replacing the talented crew of seniors that led the lajayhawks last season has been anything but easy for coach Ritch Price and staff. Price has said he believed in recruiting his talent from high schools and supplementing his line up with experienced, quality junior college transfers.
"I've seen guys swing wood and I've seen guys swing aluminum," Garcia said. "I guess the maturity factor also contributes in. As long as I pitch games like I did in the past, I think I should be fine."
Esquibel was happy to find that Kansans were friendly and the overall college town experience was also exciting.
Both Esquibel and Garcia have enjoyed getting to know their new teammates and coaching staff.
What surprised him was the baseball, San Diego State prepped Esquibel for the fast-paced game he would see at Kansas, so that came as no surprise. Instead, it was the way Kansas got ready for those challenges that caught him off guard.
"The way they run things here, it's really good!" Garcia said. "It was nothing like I've ever been a part of. I never had practice this intense. I really like it a lot."
As for Garcia, he has no qualms whatsoever, he said, about the season that started last weekend. The cold doesn't faze him, but Garcia is still facing the challenges expected after transferring to Kansas from a junior college.
"I've been running around since day one when I got here trying to get papers done, trying to get classes done," Garcia said. "The campus is much bigger than I'm used to. But I love it. I have no complaints at all."
Kansan senior sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch