KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010 / SPORTS
7B
BASEBALL
New season brings great expectations, difficulties
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
The first pitch of the season has yet to be thrown and Kansas has already been forced to deal with adversity — from winter weather to an injury to one of its best players.
Snow and ice have cost Kansas valuable outdoor practice time during the past few weeks and it reared its ugly head again this weekend, spoiling the team's home opener. In spite of the weather, the Jayhawks will begin the 2010 season this afternoon when they take on Eastern Michigan in a doubleheader at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.
The contests were originally slated over the weekend as part of a three-game series, before being forced to relocate from Hoglund Ballpark to the Metrodome because of the weather conditions.
Every home game is precious, especially for a team that went 25-3 at Hoglund a season ago, but the Jayhawks weren't willing to make any excuses. Even during the eight-hour bus ride to Minneapolis, Minn. on icy roads, the team had only one thing in mind; getting back on the field.
"You just have to make do," sophomore infielder Zac Eleg said. "It's actually kind of nice to still have an opportunity to play."
Coming off a 39-win season where the team advanced to the Chapel Hill Region of the NCAA Tournament, Kansas is anxious to return to action, as it aims for a run deeper into the post-season.
The high expectations don't lie solely within the team either. In addition to a number of national rankings, including a No. 25 slot by Rivals.com, the Big 12
coaches picked the Jayhawks to finish second in the conference.
"All of us are pretty excited," sophomore catcher Chris Manship said. "There's all the added pressure on us this year."
Adding to that pressure is
"All of us are pretty excited. There's all the added pressure on us this year."
the number of looming questions Kansas has surrounding its lineup. Already facing a hole at catcher with the graduation of four-year starter Buck Afenir, the lajawhicks are now forced to replace the injured Tony Thompson at third base.
CHRIS MANSHIP Sophomore catcher
That means relatively inexperienced players like Manship and Jake Marasco, as well as the completely untested redshirt freshman Jordan Dreiling and freshman Alex DeLeon will all be asked to
play large roles to begin the season. Sophomore James Stanfield also draws a large assignment, as he'll be called upon to play significant time at both positions.
Some of the more experienced members of the team will also need to make larger contributions this year. Elgie will likely assume the role of every-day first baseman, junior limmy Waters needs
to be productive at the plate in order to protect hitters in the middle of the lineup. Junior T.J. Walz, who led the team with eight wins and 88 strikeouts last season, faces the burden of increased responsibility — as he replaces departed ace Shaefe Hall.
Like many of
his teammates though, Walz is undaunted by the task set before him.
"You still face the same team," Walz said. "You still have to go out and shut them down as best you can."
With the weather, last minute change of venue and every other potential distraction thrown their way, the jayhawks simply need to focus on handling their business.
Edited by Ashley Montgomery
PLAYERS TO WATCH KANSAS
Pitching: T.J. Walz
Walz
Now the ace of the staff, Walz will get the ball to start off the season from the
mound. Replacing Shaeffer Hall won't be easy, especially considering the opening day no-hitter Hall tossed against Air Force last season. But Walz is more than ready for the added pressure from throwing in the number one spot, and no-hitter or not, he should start off the season with a strong outing.
Hitting: James Stanfield
Stanfield suddenly finds himself as one of the answers to two of the Jayhawks biggest questions. The sophomore will be asked to be a main contributor at catcher, as well as third base during junior Tony Thompson's injury. Stanfield
will start game one behind the plate, and the second at third base. It's a difficult task
Stanfield
for Stanfield, but one that his coaches and teammates are confident he can handle.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Pitching: Corey Chaffins
Chaffins will get the ball in the Eagles' first game of the season. Chaffins had a successful 2009 season
as he led the team in strikeouts with 69 in 66.2 innings pitched. He was a second team All-MAC pitcher last season as well.
Chaffins
Hitting: Matt Skirving
Last season, catcher Matt
Skirving was a dominant force at the plate as he was the team's leading RBI and home run man
tallying 64 RBI and 16 homers. In 18 games in 2009, he earned multiple RBI and was named All-MAC first team as a designated hitter.
Skirving
TUESDAY'S GAME IN DOUBT
The weekend series at Hoglund Ballpark may not be the only home games lost because of the recent weather. Tomorrow's contest against Wichita State, scheduled to start at 5 pm, is also in jeopardy because of snow and ice.
Though a cancellation isn't official, should the game be lost - and barring any changes to the schedule - Kansas won't play its first home game until March 5th.
SOFTBALL
Ben Ward and Andrew Hammond
Ramirez hits home runs in invitational game win
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
Senior shortstop Sara Ramirez said she didn't know about the first hit, but knew the second one was gone.
"I was just thinking base hits, base hits, and it turned out to be home runs," Ramirez said.
Ramirez, who hit only one home run all of last season, hit two during the weekend at critical times, each helping to seal a victory.
While the Jayhawks won three games throughout the weekend, they needed a big inning in each contest to put the game away. Head coach Megan Smith said she thought the offense is still finding its groove and would progress.
"We've been moving some people around in the lineup and inserted new players into our lineup," Smith said. "Once they got some time to settle in, they put up a lot of runs against a good Marshall team."
The Jayhawks are now 5-5 on the season and will see action again Feb. 26-28 at the UTC Frost Classic, where they will play Kentucky, Tennessee at Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
LIPTON INVITATIONAL
FRIDAY
MARSHALL 7,
KANSAS 3
Kansas had a rough start as an error and a wild pitch helped Marshall take a three-run lead in the second. Marshall stretched
its lead to 6-0 in the fifth, and Kansas' comeback attempt was too little too late. Junior catcher Brittney Hile and freshman outfielder Maggie Hull both recorded one run on two hits for the game.
NO.9 FLORIDA 12,
KANSAS 4
It looked like it might have been a close match as Florida was up 3-2 after the second. Florida then scored four runs in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the fifth and six to runleer Kansas in the sixth. Kansas' offense just never had an answer
to last year's national runner-up team. Freshman outfielder Rosie Hull showed how invaluable and versatile the freshmen class has been this season as she racked up two runs on three
SATURDAY
KANSAS2,
CAMPBELL1
In spite of 13 hits between Kansas and Campbell, the game was a defensive struggle. Kansas was down 0-1 in the fifth until senior shortstop Sara Ramirez had a two-run homer to give Kansas the edge over Campbell. Freshman pitcher Alex Jones pitched seven innings with just one earned run, and offensively had one run on two hits.
"I was just thinking base hits, base hits, and it turned out to be home runs."
SARA RAMIREZ
Senior shortstop
KANSAS 3, EAST CAROLINA 1
Even though Kansas gave up seven hits and had two errors, East Carolina only mustered one run. Another defensive match, the score was tied 0-0 going into the sixth when East Carolina scored its lone run. Kansas then responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth, two from another home run from Ramirez.
SUNDAY KANSAS 7,
MARSHALL 3
The rematch with Marshall was nearly a mirror of the first game. Marshall had a couple of errors and Kansas' bats were hot, hitting a season-high 13 hits. Kansas was down 1-3 when it scored two runs in the fourth and four in
the fifth to break the game open. Sophomore infielder Marissa Ingle got her first collegiate hits, going 3-for-3 in the game after being 0-17 over her two-year career. She had four RBIs and two runs from her three hits. Ingle said that it all finally came together and she told herself to stop pushing and just relax. Freshman infielder Mariah Montgomery also had three runs on three hits for the game.
Edited by Drew Anderson
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