THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
Team goes 1-2 over the weekend in Nashville
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011
Although the Jayhawks beat Memphis 17-7 in the first game, inadequate practice left them unable to beat Vanderbilt or Clemson later in the tournament. The team next travels to Iowa City to take on division rival Iowa Feb.25.
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FRESH START
PAGE 8A
Turning over a new turf
Added players bring hope for 2011 season
BY MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.edu
The snow has been cleared, revealing the new plush $1.2 million turf. The weather starts to heat back up and the frequent pop of a baseball meeting a bat can be heard now at Hoglund Ballpark. This can only mean one thing: It's baseball season at Kansas.
Coach Ritch Price, now in his ninth season at Kansas, leads the Jayhawk squad, whose roster is full of question marks.
of question mark "I think to lose three first-team all-conference players in one season is pretty unique." Price said.
is pretty unique. First last season, the Jayhawks came into the year with high expectations and were picked by the league's coaches to finish second in the Big 12. The Jayhawks' season ended up being anything but successful, as the team finished 7th in the conference.
the conference.
It's going to be tough for Kansas to replace their three top hitters: Brian Heere, Robby Price and Tony Thompson. Leading the Jayhawk lineup this year is senior Jimmy Waters, the回转 returning hitter from last year's squad, who batted .309 while belting nine home runs and driving in 63 runs.
"It's going to be a lot different for me not hitting behind Heere, Robby and Tony," Waters said."We have to have guys step up and fill those shoes. I think they're very capable of it,and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes."
But what the Jayhawks lost in star power, they might gain in talent from top to bottom. First basemen Zac Elgie, right fielder Casey Lytle, and shortstop Brandon Macias could all prove to be big bats for Kansas this year.
New to the lineup this year will be freshman Kaiana Eldredge. Eldregde will open the year starting at second base. The young man from Honolulu has made quite an impression on his team-
"I don't think we are capable individually of replacing those three guys in our lineup; what I'm hopeful for is that we will be more solid No. 1-9 in the batting order," coach Price said.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6A
RIGHT FIELD - Casey Lytle
Lytle, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz., provided gritty play last season and hopes to improve in his third year as a starter. Winner of the 2010 Mike Hill Sr. Hustle Award, Lytle swiped a team-high 14 bases and was hit by pitch a school-record 22 times. A contact hitter, he will likely bat at the top of the lineup and increase the use of his speed in the running game, something first-year assistant coach Jay Uhlman has stressed since he arrived.
CENTER FIELD-Jason Brunansky
Coming off an injury last season, the Poway, Calif., product provides the Jayhawks with range in centerfield. Although he only played in 23 games in 2010, Brunanky posted a 466 OBP. He batted .280 in his freshman season and provided flashy moments with his glove. Freshman left Jordan Brown may platloon with Brunanky depending on the pitching matchup, according to coach Rich Price.
2ND BASE - Ka'iana Eldredge
The freshman out of Honolulu Hawaii, will be making a big splash into the Jayhawks starting lineup this spring. Eldredge is out of Punahou High School, winner of the last seven state championships in a row. Eldredge also played This summer Eldredge was named the number two prospect in the Hawaiian Collegiate Baseball League, and he will be a welcomed addition to the Jayhawks lineup this season
EFT FIELD - Jimmy Waters
1ST BASE-Zac
Beginning his third year as a starter, Waters, a senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, returns some much needed pop to the lineup. He led the Jayhawks last year with nine homers and 63 RBI. The left-handed slugger will likely bat cleanup and looks to lower his team-high 46 strikeouts from a year ago. He was also second on the team with 16 doubles. He led the outfield with 98 put-outs and recorded only three errors.
SHORT STOP - Brandon Macias
Winner of the Walt Houck Newcomer of the Year Award, Brandon Macias looks to be back in a big way for the Jayhawks this year. The transfer from South Mountain Community College hit .290 for the Jayhawks in 55 starts last year. Macias tore up conference opponents batting .345 in conference play last year. Macias will be a key component for the Jayhawks baseball team this year.
PITCHERS
3RD BASE-Jake Marasco
T.J. Walz
Wally Marceli
Tanner Poppe
Alex Cox
Colton Murray
Jake Marasco, a redshirt sophomore, started in 28 games for the Jayhawks last season, hitting 273 with 12 doubles and 19 runs scored. The All-Big 12 Academic First Teamer finished with a perfect fielding percentage for the Jayhawks last year. The 6-3 third baseman has got to be big for Kansas this year.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2009-2010 campaign. Zac Elgic will be starting at first base for the Jayhawks. Elgic started 20 games last season, batting. 226 with four homeruns and 14 RBIs. Elgic will look to return to his freshman year form where he started 28 games and batted. 305 with three homeunls and 9 RBIs.
CATCHER - James Stanfield
This will likely be a platoon at least for the early part of the season. Stanfield struggled to hit well for the Jayhawks last season. Stanfield hit .238 while starting 43 games at catcher last year and eight at third base. He hit .305 in Jayhawk home games last year and will have to be more consistent at the plate for Kansas this season.
GOLF
The Jayhawk women's golf team placed second in the Claude Jacobs Intercollegiate in Victoria, Texas this past weekend. With a total team round score of 920 for the weekend, they only trailed Texas State for first place by eight strokes. The Jayhawks entered the final round in fourth place and moved
Women's golf places second in tournament
BY LAUREN DRUMMOND
ldrummond@kansan.com
up two spots in the final round to take second overall.
Meghna Bal,
a senior from
New Delhi.
India, tied for
third place
overall in the
tournament.
Bal
Her final stroke count of 227 for the entire tournament was the second best score of her career. Five other jailhawks placed in the top sixty this weekend. Meghan Potee, a freshman from Noblesville, Ind.,
SEEGOLF ON PAGE 6A
Jayhawks not lost, but a long way from title contention
Twins and others showed weaknesses that could cost victory
A few weeks ago — I don't remember the exact date, but it was while Kansas State was bearing straight for the NIT — freshman guard Will Spradling offered up his thoughts on why the Wildcats were struggling so much. There is a leadership void, he said, with senior point guard Jacob Pullen sitting next to him. No one on the team was stepping up to right the ship.
jayawaks.
"I'm leaving out of here not really recognizing the team that played tonight," coach Bill Self said. "We've got to get some things straight."
Monday night, that problem wasn't the Wildcats'. It was the Jayhawks'.
Marcus and Markieff Morris are both brilliant talents. No one will argue that. Marcus could be an All-American, Markieff has a shot at all-league. But both have critical mental lapses that wind up in technicals (Marcus against Texas, for example) or inten-
things straight.
Starting with figuring out who, among the trio of juniors that the team calls its leaders, will actually step up and lead.
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
Tyshawn Taylor has been off in both losses as well, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Texas backup point J'Covan Brown scored 23 and Jacob Pullen put up a career-high 38. Taylor spent time on both of them.
being truly involved.
It's no coincidence that in both of Kansas' losses, the twins have been off their game, whether because of foul trouble or suffocating defense. As the twins go, so goes Kansas.
tionals (Markieff against Kansas State). Now they have a reputation, fair or not, for being dirty players.
Monday night was filled with mental errors for Taylor as well. He let one turnover snowball into six and let his frustration show on the court. He's kept his cool off the court
this year, which is a big step in the right direction, but he still lets the outcome of the play before dictate what happens next when he's out there. Point guards, like pitchers and quarterbacks, need short memories. Taylor needed to forget that he turned the ball over and stopped Jacob Pullen He didn't do that.
The umpire said:
It cost Kansas Monday, and it could continue to do so down the road.
Here's the good news: It's a fool who counts Kansas out of the national title race this early on. The layhawks have arguably the best offense in the country and, statistically, they have the defense to match. The talent is there to win a national championship, and four of Kansas' title-winning teams have lost to Kansas State.
But it's a greater fool who doesn't acknowledge the fact that Kansas, especially the team that played Monday night, has a long road to walk before that discussion becomes reality.
- Edited by Caroline Bledowski
TWEETING WITH THE KANSAN
@UDKbasketball
"How will the Jayhawks fare in the NCAA Tournament this year?"
@KyleScottRoss
@xDYLx
"The team will at least make the Final Four. When we won in '08 we had a close group but no standout leader. This team is like that."
@MelanieRR
"At least Sweet Sixteen. Anything after is up in the air. Depends on T-Rob's health and if our defense can step up."
Metaphor I'll like to think that they'll pull together and do well, but I could also see it being a Bradley or Bucknell year."
@Jays_Fan3
"If healthy, I don't see why they can't make a strong push for a National Championship."
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@tomfehr
"Cant tell yet, if I had to bet? Elite Eight. But I can easily see a second round flop or a title run (if Selby and Tyshawn play well)."
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