Jayhawks Return Home to Host Iowa This Weekend

March 4, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Game Notes in PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader

Links to the Audio Broadcasts:
Game 1 | Game 3 | Game 4

The 25th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will play their first home contests of the season when KU plays host to Iowa in a four-game series beginning Friday at 1 p.m. The Jayhawks and Hawkeyes will play a doubleheader on Friday, and single games on Saturday and Sunday also beginning at 1 p.m.

Two of the first three contests will be broadcast via audio web cast at www.kuathletics.com, while Sunday’s game will be carried by KLWN (1320 AM) radio with Brian Hanni and Tom Hedrick on the call.

Series Histories

Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa, 8-6, including three consecutive wins in the last two seasons. Iowa’s last win in the series came in 1995 when the Hawkeyes took the third game of a three-game series in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are 4-4 against Iowa in Lawrence, and 3-0 under Head Coach Ritch Price.

About the Jayhawks

Kansas snapped a four-game winning streak on Tuesday with a loss at No. 15 Arkansas. The Jayhawks won three games at the Peoria College Baseball Showdown in Peoria, Ariz. last weekend. KU is ranked 25th in the Rivals.com poll released on March 1.

KU’s offense is led by junior Jimmy Waters, who has hit .375 in the early campaign with a double, a homer and eight RBIs. Senior Brett Lisher and junior Brian Heere are tied for the team lead with two doubles each.

On the mound, senior Cameron Selik has KU’s best numbers with a 2-0 record, and a sparkling 0.68 ERA in two starts. As a team, KU is batting .262 and has a team ERA of 4.25.

Scouting the Hawkeyes

Iowa enters the weekend series in Lawrence with a 3-2 record after taking two wins from Big East foes Villanova and Rutgers at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge last weekend.

Through five games, the Hawkeyes have hit .366 as a team with 11 doubles, six homers and are avaraging 9.8 runs per game. Junior outfielder Kurtis Muller leads the team with a .476 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. Junior infielder Kurt Lee has a team-high nine RBIs with a pair of doubles.

On the mound, the Hawkeyes have a team ERA of 5.02 with 28 walks and 32 strikeouts in 43 innings this season. Sophomore lefty Jarred Hippen is the staff ace. The 6-foot-3 southpaw is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts with five walks and eight strikeouts.

Iowa head coach Jack Dahm is in his seventh season with the Hawkeyes and has a 140-188 record at the school.

The Hawkeyes were predicted to finish eighth in the Big Ten Conference in the Baseball America preseason coaches’ poll.

Last Time Out

Arkansas right fielder Jarrod McKinney’s three-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning which powered the No. 15 Razorbacks to a 15-3 victory over No. 25 Kansas Tuesday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

Waters Run Deep

Junior Jimmy Waters became the first Jayhawk to homer this season with an eighth-inning solo shot to right field against No. 15 Arkansas on Tuesday. It was the junior’s first home run since his freshman season.

Waters has filled in the cleanup spot during Tony Thompson’s absence this season, and leads the team in batting average (.375) and RBIs (eight), as well as on-base percentage (.600).

Cameron Crazy

Kansas senior Cameron Selik was named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday, sharing the award with Texas righty Cole Green.

For his second straight start, Selik was a dominant force on the mound at the Peoria College Baseball Showdown last weekend. The senior held Sacramento State to one run on six hits over 7 1/3 innings in his longest outing in a Jayhawk uniform. Selik is currently seventh in the Big 12 with an 0.68 ERA, allowing just one earned run this year in 13 1/3 innings.

Selik, who had season-ending surgery prior to the 2008 season, had an up-and-down first year with Kansas last season. However, he seemed to turn a corner with his start against the Chanticleers in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Over his last 20 innings, Selik has allowed just two earned run on 13 hits with four walks and 12 strikeouts.

You Da Man-Ship

Sophomore catcher Chris Manship returned to his home state of Arizona and recorded a 4-for-4 effort against Sacramento State on Feb. 27.

Manship actually started the contest on the bench, but entered the game in the third inning as a pinch hitter for starting catcher James Stanfield. The sophomore collected his first hit of the season when he singled up the middle. An inning later, Manship drove in two runs with a double to left.

The four-hit game from the Cave Creek, Ariz. native was the first four-hit game by a Jayhawk since Nick Faunce collected five hits against Kansas State on Senior Day last season.

Brett the Jet

Kansas senior Brett Lisher has provided an offensive spark for the Jayhawks over the last week. The senior first baseman has hit safely in all three of his starts this year, going 6-for-11 in those games (.545) with two doubles and three RBIs.

On Tuesday at Arkansas, Lisher delivered an RBI single in the first inning and added a base hit in the eighth to give him his second-straight multi-hit contest, matching his total from a year ago.

Chasing History

Kansas Head Coach Ritch Price can move up in the school record books with a successful weekend against Iowa. The eighth-year skipper is three victories shy of tying Dave Bingham for the second-most wins in team history.

Bingham coached for eight seasons at Kansas (1988-95) and compiled a 249-225 record with the Jayhawks (.525). Price has won 246 games from the KU dugout and boasted a .558 winning percentage in his seven-plus seasons.

Legendary head coach Floyd Temple is the winningest coach in Jayhawk history, posting a 438-396-5 record (.524) over 28 seasons with the team (1954-81).

Home Sweet Home

Kansas has been outstanding at home under Head Coach Ritch Price, but especially over the last two seasons. Since the beginning of the 2008 season, KU is 43-10 at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Jayhawks have won 17-straight against non-conference foes in Lawrence, and are 25-1 in non-league home games over the last two seasons.

Last year, KU batted .323 in its home games, averaging 8.5 runs per game. The pitching staff was also better at home, posting a 3.44 team ERA with 66 walks and 242 strikeouts in 251 innings.

KU Adds Home Game with Saint Mary

Kansas baseball announced that it will add a home game on Tuesday, March 9 with the University of Saint Mary at 3 p.m. The game is a makeup for one of the contests lost to the weather earlier this season.

Fans can gain admission to Hoglund Ballpark for the Kansas-Saint Mary game free of charge.

Around the Horn

– Kansas hosts Iowa in the first home games for the team this season. KU has not lost a home-opener since 1999, and is a perfect 7-0 in home opening games under Ritch Price.

– The Iowa Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten foe on the Jayhawks’ schedule this season. KU has a 22-23 all-time record against the conference, including an 8-2 mark under Ritch Price.

– The Jayhawks have done a pretty good job of getting an early jump on teams this season. KU has outscored its opposition 15-5 over the first three innings of the game, including 8-2 in the opening frame.

– Kansas catcher Chris Manship returned to his home state of Arizona and delivered a 4-for-4 performance against Sacramento State on Feb. 27. Making Manship’s day even more remarkable was the fact that he wasn’t in the starting lineup. The sophomore catcher entered the game as a pinch hitter in the third inning.

– First baseman Zac Elgie has hit safely in three-straight games after going hitless in the season-opening doubleheader at the Metrodome on Feb. 22. Last season Elgie was a .323 hitter at home with 17 hits in 52 at bats, including seven for extra bases.

– Senior Brett Lisher is 6-for-12 this season (.500) and has had multiple hits in his last two games. He is tied for the team lead with two hits when runners are in scoring position.

– Senior Robby Price collected a pair of hits at No. 15 Arkansas on Tuesday, raising his batting average by 63 points. Despite a slow start with the bat, Price is still reaching base at a .444 clip this season, which is second-best on the team.

– Third baseman Jake Marasco recorded his first career two-hit game on Tuesday at No. 15 Arkansas. After starting the year 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, Marasco has four hits in his last nine at bats.

– Sophomore James Stanfield has KU’s lone triple this season, which drove in a run in the Jayhawks’ 9-5 win over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 22.

– Junior Brandon Macias had base hits in back-to-back games on Feb. 27, including a bunt single against Gonzaga which helped break the game open in the fourth inning.

– Junior Jimmy Waters hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday at No. 15 Arkansas, and first since a three-run blast against Oklahoma on May 2, 2008.

– Sophomore Jason Brunansky recorded his first-career three-hit game on Feb. 27 against Sacramento State. The second-year outfielder collected hits in his final three at bats after striking out in his first two at bats.

– Center fielder Brian Heere collected his first three-hit game of the season against Sacramento State on Feb. 27. Last season, Heere went 7-for-8 against Iowa with three runs scored.

– Right fielder Casey Lytle leads the team with three stolen bases and has a .379 on-base percentage.

– Junior pitcher T.J. Walz recorded seven strikeouts against Gonzaga on Feb. 27. This marked the seventh time in his career that Walz has tallied seven K’s or more in a game.

– Senior right-handed pitcher Brett Bollman earned the win against Sacramento State on Feb. 26, pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. It marked the senior’s sixth-straight winning decision. Bollman’s last loss came at Kansas State on May 18, 2008.

– Senior Cameron Selik has found a niche as a starting pitcher at KU. As a starter, Selik has a 3.79 ERA with 14 walks and 47 strikeouts.

– Redshirt freshman Thomas Taylor will start Sunday’s game against Iowa. In his first collegiate start, Taylor pitched effectively through three innings. He allowed two runs on two hits with four strikeouts.

– Junior Brett Bochy has been the Jayhawks’ top relief pitcher this season, allowing just one baserunner with eight strikeouts in four innings. The junior recorded his first career save against Sacramento State on Feb. 26.

– Junior Wally Marciel retired Eastern Michigan slugger Matt Skirving in his first outing of the season on Feb. 22. It was the junior’s first appearance since April 4, 2008 after missing the entire 2009 season with an injury.

– Junior Matt Kohorst made his first appearance in a Jayhawk uniform on Feb. 27 against Sacramento State, pitching out of trouble. He retired the final two hitters of the inning on five pitches.

– Freshman Tanner Poppe made a splash in his Kansas debut against Gonzaga on Feb. 27. After allowing a leadoff single in a one inning relief appearance, Poppe retired the next two hitters without trouble, including a pair via the strikeout.

Up Next
Kansas will return to action next week with a pair of games against non-Division I foes in Saint Mary and Tabor at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks will take on Saint Mary at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, before tangling with Tabor on Wednesday at 3 p.m.