Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The sunny weather hasn’t followed Kansas home from Hawaii. However, the Jayhawks will consider it an even trade, just so long as their poor play doesn’t carry over from the Big Island to the mainland.
After losing a series with Hawaii-Hilo for the first time in program history over the weekend, Kansas (2-3) heads to SEC country today for a midweek clash with Arkansas (3-0). The undefeated and uncharacteristically unranked Razorbacks reached the NCAA tournament last season, hosting a regional, which has added even more luster to Kansas’ match up with the SEC powerhouse for.
“That’s a huge RPI game any time you get to play an SEC game,” coach Ritch Price said. “We’ve been there four times since I’ve been here and we’ve lost (two) one-run games.”
That has Kansas looking for a bit of payback. One of those one-run losses came last season during a three-game Arkansas sweep. Of course, Kansas has had some bad luck with one-run games more recently.
In the process of losing three of five games to Hawaii-Hilo to open its season, Kansas suffered two one-run, extra-inning losses.
“Obviously we’re extremely disappointed in the win-loss record coming home, but everything we didn’t do well we can fix,” Price said.
Kansas had 40 strikeouts and 10 errors in the series, so the Jayhawks will need to find quick fixes to hang with the Razorbacks.
However, after a 16-4 shellacking of the Vulcans in game five, the Jayhawks may have started hitting their stride. Most notably, junior first baseman Preston Land capped off his weekend with a 2-for-3 performance, scoring two runs and hitting a three-run home run.
Looking to keep the Kansas bats cool will be Arkansas freshman right-hander James Mahler (0-0). Mahler pitched 1.1 innings of relief in Arkansas’ three-game sweep of Wright State over the weekend, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk, and striking out none.
Arkansas outscored Wright State 21-11 in the series with the help of junior third baseman Logan Forsythe, freshman first baseman Andy Wilkins and senior outfielder Aaron Murphree. Forsythe hit .500 in the series and led the team with five runs. Wilkins and Murphree each hit a home run and knocked in six runs as Murphree led the team with a .600 average.
Kansas sophomore left-hander Wally Marciel (1-0) will try to harness the Arkansas offense after a strong start on Friday. Throwing on a pitch count to make sure he’d be fresh for today, Marciel struck out four in six innings, allowing just one run. Today will mark Marciel’s first start in an SEC venue, but the youngest starter in Kansas’ rotation isn’t intimidated.
“The SEC has a lot of good teams and Arkansas is a very good team,” Marciel said. “I watched them, I didn’t get to pitch against them last year, but hopefully I’ll have a good game against them and just show them a new thing.”
—Edited by Russell Davies
Baseball wrap-up
Here's a look at the baseball team's games in Hawaii.
Late-game pitching leads to loss
The game, a defensive battle against Arkansas, gave Kansas a 2-4 record.
Baseball rides pitching, offense to victory
The annual trip to Hawaii proved successful for the Jayhawks. KU swept ...
Errors, extra innings for baseball team in ...
A weekend of solid pitching could not make up for errors on ...
Missed chances lead to baseball loss
The Kansas baseball team faced its toughest competition of the season so ...
Kansas baseball hopes to improve for the ...
The Jayhawk baseball team hasn’t started a season at 2-4 since 1999. ...
Strong-handed players
The wind usually blows into left field at Hoglund Ballpark, giving right-handed ...
Kansas shuts out Hawaii-Hilo in opener
Jayhawks play No. 21 Arkansas today
Young baseball team faces difficult playing environment against Razorbacks.
Baseball team opens season at Hawaii-Hilo tournament
Jayhawks defeat Team of the Decade
Jayhawks beat the Texas Longhorns 4-2.
Jayhawks escape sweep
After two losses to Texas, Kansas came out hard on Saturday.
Pitching rotation deep for Kansas baseball
Last season, the Kansas baseball team started two sophomores and a freshman ...
Freshman pitcher helps KU baseball to victory
The team defeated the No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks 9-3.
Jayhawks face tough competition
Kansas baseball hopes to bounce back against No. 9 Arkansas.
Walk-off home run breaks Kansas’ heart
Baseball loses 9-8 to No. 21 Arkansas in a 10-inning thriller.
Sports briefs
A brief look at some of Jayhawk sports notes from the weekend.
Kansas softball team returns 1-1 from away-game ...
The team will play its fifth and sixth straight away games in ...
Kansas baseball loses series to Michigan State
Kansas comes out of weekend with a 7-8 record.
Postseason play not
Hawks walk their way to a loss
The Jayhawks lose to the Razorbacks, 15-3.
Razorbacks complete weekend sweep
Kansas' hopes of stealing a game from Arkansas in its weekend series ...
Softball wins one, loses one
Splitting the series means the Jayhawks will have to fine tune their ...
Baseball avoids first conference sweep
Freshman left-hander Wally Maricel's first Big 12 Conference start lasted 5 2/3 ...
Jayhawks lose in record after defeat by ...
Even though Kansas improved its performance, the team took a hit from ...
Junior pitcher keeps it all together
Despite an inconsistent weekend rotation, pitcher Nick Czyz has remained a constant ...
Baseball road woes continue
The Kansas baseball team dropped its first two games of the weekend ...
Men’s golf to open season in Hawaii
Hawaii-Hilo Invitational features 17 teams, including three Big 12 foes.
Jayhawks lay 14 runs on Western Illinois
Tuesday’s game pulled the Jayhawks out of a string of one-run games.
Baseball team explodes in Nashville
Kansas had trouble scoring runs in the first game of the Music ...
Kansas wraps up island series
Baseball splits series with Northern Colorado
Last season, Northern Colorado defeated Kansas twice, but this year it could ...
Kansas holds off Arkansas-Little Rock, 11-8
The Jayhawks escaped with a slim victory after late Trojans rally
Softball earns split with Texas
Baseball heads to No. 10 Arkansas
Riding a four-game winning streak, Kansas travels to Fayetteville, Ark. to take ...
Baseball: Big innings doom chance to win
The Jayhawks left the weekend series with three more notches in its ...
Morning Brew: Pitching key to success
Depth in the baseball team’s pitching staff looks promising for this season.
Kansas wins 3 of 4 in series ...
Solid pitching and timely hitting helps Kansas win the series.
Softball splits double-header
Kansas' offense continued to struggle as it managed just one run in ...
Baseball outplays Wichita State
Kansas baseball remembers loss to Wichita State last year and wins this ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
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