Jayhawks Welcome No. 15 Missouri State

Sophomore pitcher Sean Rackoski will make the start against Missouri State on Wednesday.
 Kansas vs. Missouri State
Date: April 15, 2015
Time: 6 p.m.
Ballpark: Hoglund Ballpark
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
TV: ESPN3
Audio: Baseball Hawk Talk
Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network
Live Stats: Kansas Live Stats
Notes: Game Notes
 Impact Players
Kansas AVG AB R H RBI
C. McKay .347 147 27  51 14
M. Tinsley .351 131 21 46 30
Missouri State
T. Matheny .296 125 17 37 25
J. Paulsen .279 111 23 31 23
 Starting Pitchers
Kansas W-L ERA IP K
S. Rackoski 1-1 6.10 41.1 25
Missouri State
A. Cheray 3-3 4.54 37.2 24

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After winning the weekend series against a top-10 team in the nation, the Kansas baseball team shifts its focus to getting revenge against No. 15 Missouri State Wednesday, April 15 at Hoglund Ballpark.
 
The Jayhawks (15-21) and the Bears (24-8) met just two weeks ago, where Missouri State outlasted Kansas in a 15-9 slugfest. The KU bats started out hot scoring eight runs in the first four innings in the first meeting with the Bears, but fell cold and accumulated just one more run in the final five frames. MSU rallied in the fifth inning for four runs and hung a five spot in the fifth on their way to the come-from-behind victory.
 
Sean Rackoski (1-1) will get the start on the hill for KU. Rackoski started last week in a win over New Mexico where he went five innings, allowing six hits and just one run. The righty sports a 6.10 ERA heading into the matchup and ranks third on the team with 25 strikeouts.
 
Head coach Ritch Price has seen improvement in his team over the past few weeks and hopes the trend continues Wednesday night, as the Jayhawks hope to break a seven-game skid against the Bears.
 
“We have scored enough runs to win several times but we have just pitched really poorly against them,” Price said. “They have had a couple losing seasons in a row and they have now bounced back with an experienced club. I thought they were very good offensively last time we played them and we are going to need to pitch significantly better than we did two weeks ago. We scored enough runs to win it and if we continue to swing the bats as well as we have and pitch better, it will give us a chance to win, just like any time we walk on the ball field.”
 
Andy Cheray (3-3) will start for the Bears on the mound. Cheray also started the first contest against the Jayhawks this season, where he lasted just an inning and two-thirds, as Kansas hung five runs on the lefty. Not only did Cheray start against the Jayhawks in the first meeting, but he also made a start against KU in 2014 where he saw a bit more success. Cheray went five innings and left with a no-decision in the 6-5 Missouri State victory.
 
The game against the Bears can be watched live on ESPN3 through WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the Watch ESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox Live to Gold Members and on Apple TV. Steven Davis and former Kansas baseball player Scott Heitshusen will be calling the action for the contest.
 
Alongside the ESPN3 broadcast, the game can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network through KUAthletics.com/Radio or on the official Kansas Jayhawks mobile app with Shane Jackson and recent KU baseball alum Ka’iana Eldredge calling the action.
 
The Jayhawks turn around and play Texas for a three-game weekend series at Hoglund Ballpark, April 17-19. After the series against the Longhorns, Kansas will conclude a 10-game homestand with Wichita State on April 21.
 
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