Kansas’ pitching was the biggest question mark for the team coming into the season. The Jayhawks knew where their power would come from — sophomore Tony Thompson leads the Big 12 with 43 RBIs and is tied for fourth with nine homers. They knew that small ball and speed would have to prevail on offense — junior Robby Price is second in the conference with nine sacrifice bunts. But no one had any answers about the pitching.

Maybe they thought it would speak for itself.

Shaeffer Hall started it this weekend. The junior left-hander — and unquestioned staff ace — took the mound Friday night and silenced an offense that puts up more runs per game than any in the conference except Oklahoma. Hall worked a complete game, allowing only one run on a solo homer to left-center, while striking out a career-high nine hitters.

“We’ve got outstanding starting pitching, obviously,” coach Ritch Price said. “We’re facing a first-round draft choice and you’ve got to match him zero for zero. I thought Shaeffer Hall was absolutely fabulous.”

Sophomore T.J. Walz took note of Hall’s performance. In a display of one-upsmanship that made pitching coach Ryan Graves happy, Walz got a career-high 10 Oklahoma State hitters to go down on strikes. It was part of a three-earned run effort that clinched a series victory for the Jayhawks.

“I think there’s always competition between pitchers on that kind of stuff, especially when they’re throwing well,” Graves said. “They try and match each other. Shaeffer set the tone on Friday and T.J. has to go out there Saturday and he is trying to match what he did, and that’s great. I think all three weekend starters try and pay attention to what the others are doing and try and keep up with them.”

Then, in the series finale Sunday, freshman Lee Ridenhour overcame a bout of food poisoning that had plagued him since Friday night to allow just one run in five innings of work. The coaches didn’t know if Ridenhour was going to be able to go until the morning of the game.

“I’d been battling food poisoning the last couple days,” Ridenhour said, “and then in the fifth inning in between innings I came in (to the locker room) and was actually sick. I was struggling the whole game, so I was happy to get through five and hand it over to the bullpen.”

Even though Ridenhour was sick all weekend long, he wasn’t going to be held off the mound.

“He wanted to go. There was no doubts,” Price said.

— — Edited by Sam Speer