Jayhawks Travel to Nebraska, Host Texas Tech for Pink in the Park Game

April 21, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Game Notes in PDF Format

One week after falling to Nebraska in Lawrence, the Kansas softball team will have a chance for revenge when it travels to Lincoln on Thursday, April 22 for a single game versus the Cornhuskers at 5 p.m. Two days later, the Jayhawks will welcome Texas Tech to Arrocha Ballpark. On Saturday, KU and TTU will open the series at 6 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend with a noon contest on Sunday in the Jayhawks’ Pink in the Park game.

Fans wearing pink to Sunday’s game in support of breast cancer research will gain admission to the contest for $3. KU Athletics will also be giving away free Kansas softball magnets.

Live stats for all games will be available via Gametracker on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com/softball. In addition, Nebraska will have a radio broadcast of Thursday’s game on www.Huskers.com.

About Kansas

The Jayhawks suffered a pair of losses to No. 9/9 Oklahoma State last weekend as they enter Thursday’s contest 18-26 overall and 1-10 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks’ top four hitters are freshmen led by Rosie Hull, who is batting .381. Rosie’s twin sister, Maggie Hull, has paced the team over the last six outings with a .438 batting average. Freshman Alex Jones is tied for eighth in the conference with 48 hits. In the pitcher’s circle, KU’s three-person bullpen is led by junior Allie Clark, who owns a 3.75 ERA. She also has the most wins from the circle with seven, including the Jayhawks’ only conference victory.

Scouting Nebraska

Nebraska lost to Iowa State Tuesday night to drop to 26-20 overall and 5-6 in the Big 12. Ashley Guile leads the Huskers with a .383 batting average while Heidi Foland’s 57 hits are the most among Big 12 players. During conference play, Nikki Haget paces NU with a .412 average. In the circle, Robin Mackin (2.34 ERA, 12-11) and Ashley Hagemann (3.21 ERA, 11-9) have split time at pitcher.

Nebraska is guided by head coach Rhonda Revelle, who is 650-342 in her 18th season at NU and 658-358 in her 19th year overall. The Huskers return 12 letterwinners from their 35-19 regional team in 2009.

Series Info: KU owns a 51-48 edge over Nebraska in the all-time series, including a 18-17 advantage in Lincoln. Nebraska defeated KU 2-0 last week in Lawrence. The teams have split the last three regular-season series.

Scouting Texas Tech

Texas Tech hosts Oklahoma State in a doubleheader Thursday night before making its way to Lawrence. Prior to their OSU series, the Red Raiders are 31-12 overall, including 3-8 in Big 12 play. As a team, TTU is second in the league hitting .305 and six players average over .300 from the batter’s box led by Emily Bledsoe’s .365 average. Mikey Kenney (.339) has the second-most home runs in the Big 12 with 14 so far this season. In the pitcher’s circle Ashly Jacobs owns a team-best 1.34 ERA, which ranks third in the conference.

TTU head coach Shanon Hays is in his first season at the Division I level after compiling a 114-16 mark in two seasons at NAIA Lubbock Christian University.

Series Info: KU leads the all-time series with the Red Raiders 25-11, including 9-3 in Lawrence. Last season, TTU defeated the Jayhawks in game two of the series to snap Kansas’ 12-game win streak versus Texas Tech.

Clark Coming On Strong

Heading into the home stretch, junior Allie Clark has really come on strong for the Jayhawks. The pitcher/designated player combo has been effective on both sides of the ball in recent games. In the last six contests, Clark has earned a 2.01 ERA, almost two runs better than her season average. Clark also has five hits in that span (.278 average), including three that went for extra bases.

Up Next

Kansas will play its last home non-conference games on Wednesday, April 28 when the Jayhawks welcome Wichita State for a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.