Friday, May 4, 2007
Coming off a split series with No. 3 ranked Oklahoma, Kansas’ (32-21-1, 7-9) frustrations were compounded Wednesday by a series loss to Wichita State.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
17, Val Chapple, sophomore, third base
But heading to Ames, Iowa, for a weekend series against the Cyclones (22-39, 1-15), coach Tracy Bunge was ready for the ups and downs her team would face this season.
“I expected a roller coaster type of season due to some inexperience,” Bunge said.
Although the team returns six starters from last season’s team, three of them are sophomores and three freshmen fill the remaining starting positions.
“We’re hoping to be able to put things together by the end of the year,” Bunge said.
The roller coaster season hasn’t hit too high or low for this squad, ranked seventh in the Big 12.
In early season tournaments from as far west as California to as far east as Florida, Kansas was competing against quality teams while picking up wins and learning from losses.
When Big 12 play hit, the young team was going up, sweeping Oklahoma State at its home.
The roller coaster ride started to decline as the team faced four of the top five Big 12 teams in Lawrence.
The team hit a wall offensively and the pitching staff struggled.
pullquote
We’re hoping to be able to put things together by the end of the year.
-coach Tracy Bunge
Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys said that being swept by Missouri was a turning point of the season. Fellow senior first baseman Nicole Washburn said that sweeping Texas Tech was important for the team’s confidence.
Since then, the roller coaster ride has continued with a win at Nebraska and a win against the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, Oklahoma.
Now Kansas finds itself coming to the end of the roller coaster ride by facing Iowa State. While the Jayhawks defeated the Cyclones earlier this season, 7-4, Bunge insisted that the Cyclones weren’t the same team they saw earlier this season.
“Iowa State was not playing well, and looking at scores and talking to people recently, they are a different ball club,” Bunge said.
“They’re playing with confidence, and they’re kind of a dangerous ball club here at the end of the year.”
The Jayhawks face the Cyclones at 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.
— Edited by Trevan McGee
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