tuesday, february 10, 2004
sports
the university daily kansan
Baseball team gets more victories, more fans in stands this season
By Joe Bant
jbant@kansan.com
Kansas writerwriter
Don't bother trying to buy box seat tickets for this year's Kansas baseball season.
Thev're already sold out.
For the first time in the 13-year history of Hoglund Ballpark, all 220 box seats are taken for the season.
Baseball coach Ritch Price said he couldn't be happier with the interest fans were showing in the team. He said fan support was a big part of his team's success last year and would continue to be a big part in the future.
"If we're going to continue to make progress, we have to make Hoglund Ballpark a special place to play." Price said.
This is Price's second year as Kansas' baseball coach. Last year the team finished with a record of 35-28, a 13-victory improvement from the previous season's 22-29
Price
mark. The team was also invited to the post-season Big 12 tournament for the first time ever and four Jayhawks received all-conference honors.
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for external affairs, said the fan interest was a testament to the job Price has done with the team. Marchiony said more fans would improve the
program's future.
"It helps when you're trying to build a program and keep it at an elite level, because recruits see this and take notice," Marchiony said.
Baty
He said the fans gave the team an incentive to play the best it could.
Senior All-Big 12 infielder Ryan Baty said the crowd was an element in the team's success. He said it was nice to see the team's core fan base expanding.
"If we're going to be a Top-25 program, as we grow as a team, our fan base needs to grow." Baty said.
He said crowded stands were more fun for the players and fans and that a full Hoglund Ballpark offered a great atmosphere.
"He's done a great job getting the team together and performing." Millard said.
Baseball fan Matt Millard said he wanted to be one of the people filling up Hogland this year. The Overland Park junior attended several games last season and said he was impressed by the team and the atmosphere. He gave Price credit for the fans' increased interest.
This season, the Jayhawks are off to a 7-4-1 start. The team continues its season this Friday at Stanford. The Jayhawks will open their home schedule on Feb. 22 when they host Creighton.
- Edited by Danielle Hillix
Basketball poll ranks Texas No.1
The Associated Press
Say howdy to the new No. 1 team in women's basketball. After a long absence, the Texas Longhorns and coach Jody Conradt are back on top.
Texas replaced Tennessee at No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll Monday
the school's 46th appearance as the leader, but its first since the week of Dec.28,1987.
"I've been feeling for a while this is a good team," Conradt said. "This is a team that I think deserves some recognition for their hard work and talent.
The Longhorns' move kept the revolving door at the top of the poll spinning. It was the third time in six weeks the lead changed hands, an abrupt switch after two-plus seasons of Connecticut hogging the No.1 spot.
A path to the top opened after Tennessee lost to Connecticut
and last week's No. 2 team, Duke,
was upset by Florida State.
Texas (21-2), moving up from third, received 29 of the 47 first-place votes from a national media panel and had 1,154 points 11 more than Connecticut. UConn (18-2), fourth last week, received the remaining 18 first-place votes.
Tennessee (19-2), which had been No. 1 for two weeks, dropped to third. Duke (18-3) slipped to fourth.
Texas became the fourth team to be ranked No.1 this season, following Connecticut, Duke and Tennessee. The AP women's poll started in 1975 and there has been only one other season, 1987-88, when as many as four teams ranked No.1.
The Longhorns have wins over Duke and Tennessee and lead the nation in victories. They have won seven straight and 14 of their last 15.
"Wearing No.1 on our back
will create an even more intense list of opponents," Carey said. "If anything, this team will have to focus more."
Purdue moved up one spot to fifth, while No. 6 Louisiana Tech and No. 7 Texas Tech each climbed two places. Penn State dropped three spots to eighth after losing at Minnesota, Kansas State was ninth and Minnesota 10th. Minnesota advanced three places.
Stanford dropped from seventh to 11th after losing at Arizona and Arizona State. Colorado was 12th and DePaul 13th, followed by Auburn, North Carolina, LSU, Michigan State, Baylor, Georgia and Florida.
Virginia Tech, TCU, Southwest Missouri State, Arizona and Houston held the final five places.
Arizona, ranked in the first three polls of the season, followed its 88-83 victory over Stanford with a 77-59 win over Cali
fornia. The Wildcats (18-5) have won six of their last seven to take over first place in the Pac-10.
Houston was 25th in mid-January, then dropped out the following week after an overtime loss to Louisville. The Cougars (19-3) have bounced back to win four in a row, including an 83-78 victory over Tulane in three overtimes on Sunday. Houston star Chandi Jones matched her career high with 39 points in that game.
Notre Dame returned to the poll last week at 23rd but lost at Seton Hall after beating Georgetown.
Miami, 22nd last week dropped out after an 83-65 loss at Connecticut.
Auburn made the biggest jump within the poll, moving from 19th to 14th after beating Kentucky and LSU. TCU matched Stanford for the biggest drop, falling four places to 22nd after losing to South Florida.
Two Big 12 teams surprise conference
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oh,
how expectations can lift up the
lowly and bring down the mighty.
Baylor goes into the week with two Big 12 Conference wins, leaving Scott Drew as a real candidate for coach of the year. Missouri, meanwhile, has won four Big 12 games and looks like a train wreck of a team, which may have coach Quin Snyder wondering if he'll keep his job.
Behind the 33-year-old Drew, Baylor is rising above a rash of terrible distractions, including last summer's murder of a player and allegations of NCAA violations. They're also adjusting to the loss of three players who were allowed to transfer amid the chaos without paying the usual penalty of sitting out a year.
The quality of the players left behind may have been underestimated. But nevertheless, nobody would have given it a second thought if the Bears had gone through the Big 12 season with a victory.
"I think it's a situation where the crowd gets behind us at home, and the team playing as hard as we've played at home," said Drew, who replaced the disgraced Dave Bliss. "It gives us a chance to make something special happen. It's more a tribute to the work everybody's put in and the support we've had at home."
If the players who left were still in Waco, the Bears might even be close to contending. Among those who left: John Lucas, who has energized Oklahoma State and may be the best point guard in the conference. Named Big 12 player of the week yesterday. Lucas is averaging 17.5 points in conference games and is leading the league in assists-to-turnover differential.
How good could the Bears have been?
"I've been asked that numer-
oustimes," Drew said. "But we've got a team, and that's all we can focus on."
The same NCAA enforcement staff that's looking at Baylor is also investigating Missouri. The Tigers have had terrible off-the-court distractions involving former player Ricky Clemons and his taped jailhouse conversations, which brought embarrassment to the entire university.
The talented and experienced Tigers were still voted preseason favorites in the coaches' poll. But typical was Saturday's 78-62 loss at Nebraska, which dropped Snyder's team to 9-10 overall and 4-5 in the league.
"We're going to continue to come together as a group," Missouri assistant coach Marcus Perez said yesterday. "We're not going to give up. We're not going to stop teaching. We're not going to stop working. Our guys are not going to quit competing. There's no quit in our players. There's no quit in our staff and we have confidence there's no quit in our fans."
Next up for the troubled Tigers is a midweek home game against Colorado, which beat Missouri by double-digits earlier this season in Boulder.
"I think everybody's a little surprised," said Colorado coach Ricardo Patton.
"But when you think about all the distractions they've had, then it's not a surprise. It's hard to win ball games when you have to deal with a lot of off-the-court distractions. It's hard to keep your kids focused. From that standpoint, it's not as much a surprise."
The Bears went to 7-14 and 2-6 on Saturday with a 72-64 victory over Texas A&M, which fell to 0-8 in the league.
"We knew they had some talent," said Aggies coach Melvin Watkins. "Their top three particularly are pretty good players. You've got to give them credit for the job Scott has done."
NAME THOSE LIPSL
Correctly match the picture of the lips with the correct KU person.The top twenty people who guess correctly will win a free Kiss Me T-shirt, or a gift certificate for $10 from Jayhawk Bookstore. Entries must be submited by February 13th to 119 Stauffer-Flint.
Dean Richard Johnson:
Jim Ryun:
Eric Chanowith:
James Naismith:
Phog Allen:
Kirk Hinrich:
Paul Pierce:
NAME: PHONE:
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Provost David Shulenburger:
Gale Sayers:
John Hadl:
Wilt Chamberlain:
Nick Collison:
Lew Perkins:
Danny Manning:
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