Coach Ritch Price said it was absolutely necessary for junior starter Travis Blankenship to jump ahead of hitters in the count if he wanted to be effective.

Apparently, the message stuck. Blankenship faced 17 hitters through five innings last night and threw 13 first-pitch strikes.

Price said it was the only way Blankenship (1-0) would see success this season.

“That’s the way he has to pitch,” Price said. “He hovers around 84-86 so he’s one of those prototypical soft lefties. He has to get ahead in the count in order to get guys to chase his breaking ball. I thought he did a really good job against their lefties today when he spun the ball away from them.”

Blankenship’s ability to attack the strike zone allowed him to throw his slider and changeup. With a fastball that sits in the mid-80s, Blankenship does not have the ability to overpower hitters at the Division 1 level, like he may have been able to last year pitching for Johnson County Community College.

“When you get out ahead,” Blankenship said, “you’re able to use your slider, change, really stretch the strike zone out because they’re going to be trying to take out pitches and get ahead.”

Blankenship’s job was made easier by a first-inning Tony Thompson three-run homer over the 2006 Big 12 Champions sign in left field. That was followed by a two-run second inning that gave Blankenship, who needed only 27 pitches to get through a perfect first three innings, a 5-0 lead.

“That takes a lot off me to get some run support,” Blankenship said. “I can go out there and just work on some things, get after hitters and not be afraid of working around or getting to fine with hitters. I can just go right after them.”

It was that ability to get after hitters that led to Blankenship’s terrific outing in his first start as a Jayhawk. He finished with five innings pitched, three hits, three strikeouts and one unearned run.

“Any time you can get a five run lead like that it really allows your pitcher to throw strikes,” Price said. “That’s what Travis’ strength is. He’s not a top velocity guy. He’s a guy that’s got to pitch to contact and get the ball hit so it gave him some margin of error.”

— — Edited by Realle Roth