Kansas Baseball to Host North Dakota State This Weekend

March 10, 2005

The University of Kansas baseball team will continue to prepare for play in the Big 12 Conference as it plays hosts to North Dakota State in a three-game series this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark. Game times are 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Jayhawks (13-8) are coming off a road trip to Mississippi where they took part in the 2005 NBC Classic hosted by Mississippi State. The Jayhawks split a pair of games with Austin Peay, pounding out a season-high 18 hits in a victory over the Governors on Saturday. KU was unable to take a game from No. 17 Mississippi State, who improved to 6-0 over the weekend. Junior outfielder A.J. Van Slyke turned in an impressive performance at the tournament, collecting seven hits in 15 at bats to lead the team with a .467 batting average. The Ladue, Mo., native also connected on his team-leading third home run of the season against APSU. Senior Travis Dunlap tied his career-highs with three hits and four RBI in a 3-for-4 performance during the Jayhawks’ opening loss of the tournament.

Junior reliever Don Czyz was KU’s top pitcher over the weekend, working 5 1/3 innings out of the KU bullpen and yielding no runs on only three hits, while collecting seven strikeouts.

North Dakota State (0-7-1), which has not played since Feb. 26, comes to Lawrence still searching for its first win in its first season at the Division I level. The Bison have yet to play at home this season, as they have taken part in a tournament hosted by the Air Force Academy and traveled to Sacramento, Calif., to take on Sacramento State in a four-game series.