Friday, April 17, 2009
It seems fitting that the Kansas baseball team is fifth in the Big 12. That’s the same Big 12 ranking as their defense.
Defense has either carried Kansas or let it down in a big way this season. This weekend against Texas Tech (16-23, 7-8), the defense will have to be in top shape, especially after Tuesday’s win over Creighton. In that game, Kansas’ defense committed a season-high four errors, letting Creighton back into the game.
Junior second baseman Robby Price thinks that two of the errors, one by senior catcher Buck Afenir and one by sophomore third baseman Tony Thompson, will not be repeated this season.
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Sophomore right-hander Chad Bettis worked his way into the weekend rotation earlier this season, and it paid dividends Sunday when he silenced the Oklahoma’s offense which had produced the most runs in the conference. Bettis worked a complete game and held the Sooners to season lows in runs (one) and hits (four). He will likely start Sunday against Kansas’ Lee Ridenhour.
Senior first baseman Chris Richburg leads the Red Raiders offense from the third spot in the lineup. Richburg is second on the team with a .338 average, and tops the Raiders with nine home runs and 37 RBI. Junior outfielder Taylor Ashby is a threat every time he gets on base, leading the team with nine stolen bases.
Rookie coach Dan Spencer has gotten comfortable with his team since conference play began. After starting 9-15, the Raiders have faced some of the top teams in the country in conference, but have held their own and managed a 7-8 record in the Big 12, with a big series win against Texas A&M two weekends ago.
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This Weekend WHO: No. 24 Kansas vs. Texas Tech WHAT: Three-game series WHERE: Lubbock, Texas
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Of the six runs scored by Creighton on Tuesday, only two were earned, which shows that the pitching is still as outstanding as it has been all season. Texas Tech is second to last in runs scored, so Shaeffer Hall, who pitched a complete game last weekend against Oklahoma State, might be able to repeat his performance on Friday.
While it’s easy to blame the defense for Creighton’s comeback in the game on Tuesday, the offense also looked abysmal during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. The Jayhawk batters had plenty of opportunities to increase their early five-run lead. Texas Tech is also second-to-last in pitching, so expect Buck Afenir, who was 0-for-5 on Tuesday, to come back strong.
It seems nothing can stop Kansas right now. The team is rolling with a six-game winning streak and is playing its first weekend series against an unranked team in about six weeks. Coach Ritch Price, however, won’t let his team sleepwalk in Lubbock, Texas. A sweep against the Red Raiders, which is very possible, would give Kansas 10 Big 12 wins, the fourth highest number of wins in the Ritch Price era.
“I think those two errors were uncharacteristic. I mean, catcher interference, and then Tony trying pick off the guy at first on a lineout, those two you just have to forget,” Price said.
The other two, however, were fairly simple plays, and both came during Creighton’s rally in the seventh inning.
Junior shortstop David Narodowski let a ground ball bounce off his chest and get away from him. Freshman pitcher Colton Murray simply dropped the ball while running to cover first base after a line drive hit to first baseman Zac Elgie.
“You’ve got a freshman on the mound, and he doesn’t react to cover first until he sees the ball caught by the first baseman, so he’s late to the bag,” coach Ritch Price said. “We work on it everyday and you just have to learn from your mistakes.”
But that wasn’t to say the Kansas division hasn’t had its fair share of spectacular plays. Robby Price and Narodowski have been involved in 26 double plays. They turned one on Tuesday that could have been shown on ESPN Baseball Tonight’s Web Gems, if it highlighted college baseball instead of the MLB.
“That was awesome, that was a lot of fun,” Price said with a smile.
Not too many teams can say they are successful when they produce multiple errors. Kansas is no different. The Jayhawks’ record when they commit two or more errors is 4-5.
However, Robby Price isn’t too concerned with the defense this weekend. “We’ll be alright, we’ll come back this weekend and play like we have all year,” he said.
Defense is the reason why freshman Jason Brunansky has seen so much time in center field. Brunansky has committed only three errors in the toughest part of the outfield to play. His speed enables him to take away potential hits.
Ritch Price specifically mentioned his catch in the seventh against Creighton. Not making that catch could have made the inning a lot worse for the Jayhawks.
“They had a leadoff double and the next guy hammered a ball over Brunansky’s head and he makes the great backhand catch in center field and takes a double off the board,” Price said. “Literally, they could have had back-to-back doubles and nobody out.”
This will be Kansas’ first Big 12 road series since March 27, making the pressure on the Jayhawk defense even more intense. Kansas is only 3-7 in road games this year and hasn’t won a Big 12 game on the road yet.
“Our pitching and defense has been there all year, one inning is not going to affect what we do behind them,” Robby Price said. “We just got to keep bringing those bats and hopefully it turns out well this weekend.”
— — Edited by Justin Leverett
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