The bonds between teammates in the clubhouse can make up for a lot of things.

It can hide a team’s weakness, lack of talent or lack of experience. Kansas certainly doesn’t bring in the recruits that programs like Texas, Oklahoma or Texas A&M bring in, but what the Jayhawks may lack in stellar recruits they make up for with the chemistry that coach Ritch Price helps create.

Kansas already has the second most Big 12 victories in the Price era, all with dozens of young players, some even playing their first full collegiate season. Watch the team on the off the field, it’s clear there’s a bond that has helped propel them past all projections.

“The energy in our dugout is outstanding,” Price said. “The team chemistry is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here.”

Kansas hopes to continue to build its NCAA tournament resume today as they face Chicago State in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. If the season up until now is any indication, the Jayhawks will continue to hoot, holler and shout in the dugout for their teammates on the field and in the batter’s box.

It doesn’t hurt that Kansas has 10 comeback victories this season, which Price believes are huge contributors to the clubhouse vibe.

“The guys like each other and they’re playing for each other,” Price said. “I think that some of those rallies are a result.”

One of the bigger games in the season exemplified that bond loud and clear. At the Missouri game at Kauffman Stadium last Wednesday, the Jayhawks came back from a 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning. Like Price said, the players made plays for each other.

Senior first baseman Preston Land’s three-run home run in that inning turned the game around, and Land has been struggling most of the season. The Jayhawk dugout exploded in yells as many of the Jayhawks jumped out to meet Land as he returned to the dugout.

“Everyone was pumped after that. We knew that we were going to take that game after that,” junior shortstop David Narodowski said.

Freshman infielder James Stanfield is one to know about the dugout energy. Stanfield is regulated to a back-up role and only gets to start if one of the starting middle infielders are hurt, like junior second baseman Robby Price was on Sunday. The comeback victories are definitely a boost to team morale Stanfield said.

“These comeback wins definitely help out your team and confidence,” Stanfield said. “They help you move onto the midweek games then again to the next weekend series.”

Kansas will play a relatively weak Chicago State, a team that already has 33 losses and only three victories. But Price doesn’t expect his players to let each other down Tuesday night with the postseason looming.

“You’re building your resume every time you play,” Price said. “We got to keep the momentum going, pick up two more W’s and keep building our resume.”

Kansas Scouting

The normal pristine weekend rotation of Shaeffer Hall, T.J. Walz and Lee Ridenhour showed some chinks in their armor over the weekend. Hall gave up 10 hits in only 5 2/3 innings, while Ridenhour struggled to keep runners off base in his six plus innings. But now its time to turn it over to the midweek rotation. Brett Bollman has pitched great his last two starts but didn’t get the victory. Once again, he’ll be looking for his fifth victory of the season.

Offense

It seems as if everyone in the lineup has done something. Zac Elgie had three hits in game two on Sunday. Preston Land had two RBIs on Friday. Which Jayhawk will step up for the double header? With the starters getting plenty of rest, Elgie will probably see more time since that three-hit game on Sunday.

Momentum

The past weekend could have been detrimental to the entire Jayhawks’ season. But as Brian Heere said, the team showed a lot of maturity to sweep the double header. The team hasn’t lost a midweek game to a team with a losing record all season. Don’t expect that to change.

Chicago State Scouting

It’s hard to find a bright spot on a pitching staff that has allowed double-digit runs in 26 of 36 games. If there is one for Chicago State, it is senior William Lawrence, who went seven shutout innings earlier this season against Ball State. Freshman James Tucker gets the lion’s share of the work though, despite his 11.90 ERA. Opponents are hitting .411 against them.

Offense

The offense is led in slugging percentage, triples, doubles and hits by senior infielder Patrick Hernandez. Despite Hernandez’s success at the plate, the team has struggled collectively. The Cougars have combined for only seven home runs all season, and they have yet to score double-digit runs in a game this year.

Momentum

The Cougars started the season ice cold, losing their first fifteen games. They won number 16 on the strength of Lawrence’s pitching. Two games later, they lost by thirty runs. Since then they’ve stayed in a major rut, struggling their way to a 3-33 record. After an inclement-weather-prompted eight-day break, Chicago State played Robert Morris on Thursday. They lost, 9-8.

— — Edited by Susan Melgren