Breckunitch: The weather's nice and talent's tough

Friday, February 6, 2009

A quick glance at the KU softball schedule may look like a spring break sampler to some, but it will be a rugged test for the Jayhawks.

“Everyone wants to jump in the suitcases with us and go,” coach Tracy Bunge said. The warm weather though is just a façade. This is no vacation. The only reason that so many warm weather tournaments are on the schedule is because of the unpredictable weather in Kansas during this time of the year, Bunge said.

“You never know what you’re going to get,” said Bunge. “It’s kind of like a box of chocolates.”

The Kansas weather has held the team back from practicing outside, and Bunge said that’s why many players are looking forward to the first tournament.

“I think that everybody’s excited to get into warmth,” Bunge said.

Maybe the Jayhawks bring the bad weather with them though.

“Of course, now they’re calling for rain,” Bunge said of the weekend forecast in Tempe, Ariz.

The talent level in the tournaments is sure to prepare the Jayhawks for the rest of the season. Four of the five teams they will face in Arizona are ranked, but Bunge said the team is prepared.

“We felt with an experienced group, we were at the point where we needed to improve our RPI a little bit,” Bunge said.

Bunge said she knows the team can take a couple games from ranked opponents if they stay focused on the task at hand.

“We’re not looking down the road,” Bunge said.

The competition is one reason the Jayhawks are looking forward to these tournaments, but there are some other reasons they lined up the schedule they way they did.

“We also like to try and go where our players are from,” Bunge said.

Senior pitcher Valerie George is from Arizona and the Jayhawks have not been out to Arizona since she’s been on the team, so Bunge said that was a factor in getting George an opportunity to play in front of family.

Bunge also said that these trips are big recruiting opportunities for the team and that is a big reason they are going to Texas later this month.

Although the Jayhawks are playing in vacation areas, they do not get anytime to enjoy the cities.

“Our time is spent between sleeping, eating, or being at the ballpark,” Bunge said.

The trips also keep the team away and traveling for quite awhile.

“By the time we hit Palm Springs, we’re going to be a little bit tired of already being on the road,” Bunge said

It isn’t a joy ride, even if they are flying all across the country. You may envy the players for getting to escape to cities like Tempe, Ariz., Orlando and Palm Springs, Calif., but it’s all business for the Jayhawks who are out to prove they can hang with the big dogs of college softball.

— — Edited by Sam Speer

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