Jayhawks End Regular Season With Trip to Iowa State
May 4, 2007
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
First Pitch
Kansas (32-21-1, 7-9 Big 12) will play its final regular season games of the season this weekend as they travel to Ames, Iowa to face the Iowa State Cyclones (22-39, 1-15 Big 12) in a weekend series. Game one is scheduled for Saturday, May 5 at 2 p.m., with the series-capper scheduled for Sunday, May 6 at noon. With the completion of Sunday’s game, Kansas will turn its attention to defending its 2006 Big 12 Tournament Title. This year’s tournament will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 10-12.
The Jayhawks return 10 letterwinners from last year’s Big 12 postseason championship team, including All-Big 12 senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys (18-13). Sophomore shortstop Stevie Crisosto leads the Jayhawk attack with a .304 batting average. Head coach Tracy Bunge is in her 11th season at KU with a 350-292-2 record.
Jayhawks Close-Out Regular Season at Iowa State
The streaky Jayhawks will try to end a current three-game losing streak this weekend at Iowa State. Before the team’s recent struggles, Kansas had won five straight games including a 2-0 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma and victories over Nebraska and Creighton–both of whom are receiving votes. Kansas and Iowa State met earlier this season at the Great Western Downtown Plaza Classic on March 2. KU defeated Iowa State 7-4, and will look to continue its recent success over the Cyclones. Kansas has won six straight against ISU, and during that span, KU has defeated Iowa State by at least two runs in every contest.
Iowa State will recognize seven seniors on Sunday, as they play their final home game at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Live GameTracker will not be available for the games through kuathletics.com, however, Livestats from Iowa State’s official website, cyclones.com, will be available for free.
About Iowa State
The 2007 Big 12 campaign for Iowa State has been a struggle, as the team has garnered only one victory–versus Texas Tech, 3-0. Despite the Cyclones conference failures, the team possesses impressive victories over Purdue, Drake, Mississippi State, Sacramento State and Santa Clara. Recently, Iowa State has put a scare into its opponents, losing 1-0 to ranked opponents Missouri and Texas.
Iowa State’s offense is led by its promising freshman Alex Johnson. Johnson leads the team with a .312 batting average and has scored 58 runs. She is tied for the team lead in doubles (12) and home runs (5). Providing support for Johnson is freshman Courtney Wray and senior Katie Reichling. Wray’s .251 batting average is second best on the team, and her two triples are tied for the team lead. Reichling bats .250 and is tops on the team with 26 RBI.
In the circle for Iowa State will be a senior-freshman combo. ISU’s ace, senior Alyssa Ransom (10-17), leads the team with a 2.81 ERA and holds opponents to a .274 batting average. Freshman Charissa Carlin (9-11) is second on the team with a 3.56 ERA and has thrown three complete games in 20 starts.
The Last Time KU and ISU Met
Kansas and Iowa State met on March 2, in Tulsa, Okla. for the Great Western Downtown Plaza Classic. On that day, sophomore Valerie George pitched six innings and allowed four runs to gather her first career victory as KU held on to defeat the Cyclones 7-4. Freshman Sarah Vertelka picked up her first career save, and sophomore Stevie Crisosto led the team with three hits. Pottorf and Jobe each hit a home run as Kansas carved out 12 hits–tied for the most in a game this season.
Wichita State Leftovers
Wichita State’s mid-week upsets of Kansas were the first time the Jayhawks were swept by a non-conference foe this season. Despite the disappointing performance, sophomores Val Chapple, Dougie McCaulley and Elle Pottorf are beginning to re-discover their hitting stroke. The sophomore trio has the led the Jayhawk offense in recent weeks. Freshman Amanda Jobe’s home run was her fifth of the season, and her second in three games. Kassie Humphreys appeared in both games, giving her 133 career appearances, one shy of tying Kara Pierce for fourth on the all-time among Kansas pitchers.
