March 02, 2017

Homestand continues for Jayhawks with Northwestern State

Junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin is riding a three-game hitting streak where he is batting .545 (6-for-11).

Northwestern State

Date March 3-5
Time 3 PM, 2 PM, 1 PM
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Venue Hoglund Ballpark (2,500)
TV Friday
TV Saturday
TV Sunday
Audio Listen
Audio KJHK 90.7 FM (Sat.)
Stats Live Stats
Notes Game Notes
Tickets Tickets

Probable Starters
Rackoski vs. Jones
Rincon vs. Carter Sanner
Turski vs. Tidwell

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas baseball team continues its homestand when the Jayhawks play host to Northwestern State, March 3-5, at Hoglund Ballpark.

Friday’s (March 3) contest against the Demons (3-4) marks the first time the two teams will meet on the diamond where Kansas (2-6) holds an all-time record of 11-7-1 against current Southland Conference schools.

Fans can watch all three games live on ESPN3, or tune into the live audio broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio or on the official “Kansas Jayhawks” mobile app. Saturday’s (March 4) contest will also be broadcast live on the airwaves on KJHK 90.7 FM.

QUICK HITS

Kansas’ all-time record: 1,857-1,790-18 (.508).
Head coach Ritch Price’s record in Division I: 653-637-4 (.506).
Price (437-408-3 [.517]) is just two wins from becoming KU’s all-time winningest coach (Floyd Temple, 438).
KU’s first game in the month of March came in 1959 when the Jayhawks shutout Washburn, 7-0, on March 30.
Kansas holds an all-time record of 478-393-4 (.549) in the month of March with a mark of 138-118 (.539) under Price.
The Jayhawks hold a combined record of 34-28 in games played on March 3 (13-8), March 4 (9-8) and March 5 (12-12), for a .548 winning percentage.
Under Price, Kansas has won a total of 21 series in the month of March with its last victory coming March 13-15, 2015 against Michigan. (At least two wins in a three-game series or three wins in a four-game series).
Friday, March 3, marks the first time KU and Northwestern State meet on the diamond – the Jayhawks have a record of 11-7-1 against current Southland Conference schools.
The last three-game home series opener KU won came in 2014 when Kansas took 2-of-3 games from Dartmouth (March 21-23).
The last three-game series the Jayhawks won at home came against Oklahoma in 2016 (April 30-May 1).

STREAKING
Sophomore outfielder Devin Foyle has reached base safely in eight-straight games and leads the Jayhawks with an even .500 on-base percentage, three doubles and eight walks. His on-base percentage ranks him tied for sixth in the Big 12 Conference, while his eight walks have him in a three-way tie for second.

TURNING IT UP
Junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin batted just .250 (5-for-20) in the first five games of the season. However, since then, McLaughlin has strung together a three-game hitting streak where he has batted .545 (6-for-11) in the last three contests, including a double, triple, two walks and a run scored for a .615 on-base percentage. No other Jayhawk is batting over .300 who has started the last three games, with the closest being sophomore outfielder Devin Foyle, who boasts a .250 clip (2-for-8).

A LITTLE PATIENCES
Junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin continues to show why he is the Jayhawks’ leadoff man, especially after seeing 65 pitches in 12 at bats at Stanford (Feb. 24-26). In the first two games of the weekend, McLaughlin saw just under 20 percent of the total number of Cardinal pitches, and finished the three-game series having seen 16.7 percent of the pitches thrown on the weekend (390). In addition, in 37 plate appearances on the season, McLaughlin has seen 169 pitches, averaging 4.6 per at bat.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
All 10 freshmen on head coach Ritch Price‘s active roster have found their way onto the field in just the first four contests of the season. In fact, all 14 newcomers have made an appearance thus far in the season, accounting for 43.7 percent (35-of-80) of the Jayhawks starts (including DH).

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
If making your first Division I start as a freshman wasn’t enough, rookie second baseman James Cosentino will remember his first collegiate base hit even more. In just his second plate appearance in a Jayhawk uniform, Cosentino laced a fastball deep over the wall in right field for his first-career hit and home run, pacing Kansas to a six-run fifth inning at The Citadel (Feb. 17). That three-run blast propelled the Jayhawks to an opening day win over the Bulldogs, 7-5, and solidifying his spot in the lineup. Cosentino went on to start all three contests of the weekend at second base.

HE’S “BACK”-OSKI
Redshirt-junior righty Sean Rackoski toed the rubber at The Citadel (Feb. 17) for the first time in 642 days with his last start coming on May 17, 2015, against Kansas State. The 6-foot-7-inch power arm missed all of 2016 after he broke his thumb in preseason preparation. In his first outing back, Rackoski gave up two runs in five innings of work to pick up his first win since April 21, 2015, when Kansas defeated Wichita State, 11-6.

SAVE ME
Senior closer Stephen Villines iced The Citadel (Feb. 17) to pick up career save 27 and move into a tie for No. 2 all-time in career saves with Paul Smyth. In his first outing, Villines recorded the final seven outs in 32 pitches, including three strikeouts. Villines needs five more saves to become KU’s all-time saves leader, as Don Czyz (31) currently holds the top spot.

THE QUEST FOR 439
Kansas head coach Ritch Price stands two wins away from becoming KU’s all-time winningest coach. Currently, the title is held by legend Floyd Temple, who amassed 438 wins in his 28-year tenure with the Jayhawks. The earliest Price could achieve this feat is Friday against Northwestern State (March 3).

HE’S GOT TENURE
Kansas skipper Ritch Price is the most tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference as he enters his 15th season at the helm of the Jayhawks. TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle and K-State’s Brad Hill are second on the list, as both are in their 14th season. In addition, Price has coached in more Big 12 contests than any other active skipper in the league:

   1. Ritch Price (KU), 357
   2. Brad Hill (KSU), 332
   3. Tim Tadlock (TTU), 96
   4. Jim Schlossnagle (TCU), 95
   5. Josh Holliday (OSU), 93

WATCH OUT FOR VILLINES
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named closer Stephen Villines to the 2017 Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. In its 13th year, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Villines has racked up the second-most saves in Kansas history (27) and is just four behind KU great Don Czyz (31) – who won the Stopper of the Year Award in 2006.

UP NEXT
Kansas continues its eight-game homestand when the Jayhawks play host to Omaha, Wednesday, March 8, before a three-game weekend series against Houston Baptist (March 10-12).

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