Kansas hosts Green Bay for three-game series
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas is set to host its first three-game series of the season when Green Bay comes to Lawrence March 22-23. The Jayhawks and Phoenix are scheduled to play a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on March 22 and conclude the series with a single game on March 23 with first pitch at 2 p.m.
Kansas holds a commanding 7-0 series lead that dates back to 1990, and a 6-0 series advantage in games played in Lawrence, Kansas.
In the last meeting between the two schools, KU beat Green 14-2 on March 12, 2017, and current Jayhawk Madison Sykes hit a three-run home run in the contest.
Fans can listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio with Jackson Schneider calling the action.
QUICK HITS
• Kansas recently competed at Wichita State on March 20, falling to the Shockers, 11-10, in extra innings. Morgyn Wynne hit her first career grand slam in the contest.
• KU scored 10-or-more runs and lost for the first time since March 2, 1996, when the Jayhawks fell to then-No. 16 Minnesota, 11-12 in nine innings.
• The Jayhawks earned their first two-game winning streak of the season, beating Nebraska 1-0 (3/17) and Omaha 8-0 (3/18).
• The shutout victories also mark the first time in back-to-back games since March 17-21, 2018 that KU has held opponents scoreless. On March 17 Kansas held Saint Louis scoreless (4-0) and followed the feat with another zero run affair against UMKC (3-0) on March 18. KU concluded the streak on March 21 against Incarnate Word (5-0).
• Freshman Lexy Mills pitched her first career no-hit performance against Omaha, finishing with 10 strikeouts and four walks while holding the Mavericks hitless. Mills recorded back-to-back double-digit strikeouts, tallying 11 strikeouts against UMKC (3/10) and 10 strikeouts against Omaha (3/18).
• Against Omaha, Kansas recorded its first walk-off victory of 2019, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat the Mavs, 8-0.
• Kansas finished the Rock Chalk Challenge 2-2 and recently finished the Jayhawk Invitational 1-3, claiming its first home victory of the season against Maine on March 8. The 6-4 victory over Maine is the first home victory for head coach Jennifer McFalls.
• In the Rock Chalk Challenge, KU earned two-shutout victories over Nebraska, beating the Huskers 2-0 (3/16) and 1-0 (3/17).
• Brynn Minor earned two victories in the RCC and matched her four-win season total from 2018.
• Minor pitched her first career game of seven innings or more with zero walks against Nebraska (3/17). The senior from Wichita, Kansas finished with a season-high seven strikeouts.
• Morgyn Wynne tallied her first RBI since Feb. 9 against Arizona State in the 1-0 victory over Nebraska. Wynne also earned her first start as catcher.
• In the March 16 contest against Nebraska, Kansas won the game 2-0 and had zero RBI, scoring both runs on two Nebraska errors. The zero-RBI victory is the first since March 1, 2014 when the Jayhawks beat Murray State in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, 3-2.
• Freshman Lexy Mills notched a career game against UMKC on March 10, pitching a career-high eight innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. Mills also tallied her first two-hitter.
• Senior pitcher Brynn Minor recorded her first career shutout at Kansas, pitching a complete game two-hitter against Charleston Southern on March 3. Minor added two additional shutouts this season against Nebraska twice on March 16 (2-0) and March 17 (1-0).
• Kansas holds a 7-0 advantage over Green Bay, which includes a 6-0 record in Lawrence.
Stiff Competition
• In the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, Kansas is scheduled to play six teams (No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 10 Texas, No. 14 Texas Tech, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 21 Oklahoma State in 2019. four other KU opponents (Stanford, Baylor, Mississippi State and Missouri) are receiving votes in the poll.
WYNNE THEM OVER
• Freshman Morgyn Wynne started her freshman career off with a bang, leading Kansas in batting average (.571), hits (8) and slugging percentage (.929) at the Kajikawa Classic.
• Wynne has recently been thrust into a unfamiliar role for the Jayhawks, and has taken over catching duties following the injury to Shelby Gayre. Wynne started the previous three games behind the plate. The freshman from Pittsburg, California finished the three games with six RBI, two home runs (one grand slam) and five hits in nine plate appearances.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
• Kansas was originally slated to play five games at the Tennessee Classic, but due to inclement weather the Jayhawks were only able to play three games.
• The Jayhawks then played another altered schedule due to weather at the NC State Invitational and Duke Invitational. Originally scheduled to play Campbell on March 1, the Camels and Jayhawks met on March 3. KU was able to compete in all five games in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina.
• In their first home tournament of the year – The Jayhawk Invitational – Kansas played four games instead of the originally scheduled five. Kansas finished 1-3 in the invitational.
• Originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, the single game midweek clash against Omaha was moved to Monday, March 18. KU earned the 8-0 walk-off victory.
• Due to potentially inclement weather on Saturday, March 23, the upcoming three-game series against Green Bay has been adjusted. The Jayhawks and Phoenix are slated to play two games on Friday starting at 4 p.m. and a single game on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m.
VS. GREEN BAY
• The Green Bay Phoenix enter the three-game series with the Jayhawks, 5-9. The Phoenix started their season Feb. 8-10 at the Total Control Sports Invitational, but did not play again until March 8 after their next scheduled tournament – Cougar Classic – was canceled.
• Kansas leads the overall series 7-0 and have a 6-0 record in Lawrence. In those seven contests, KU has outscored Green Bay 61-4, which includes a 14-2 victory in the last game on March 12, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas.
• Green Bay is led by Bailey Schultz, who is the team leader in batting average (.435), at bats (46), runs (7), hits (20) and walks (5). Kayla Schwebke leads the Phoenix pitching staff with a 3.00 earned run average and a 4-2 record. Schwebke has pitched a team-high 49 innings with 27 strikeouts.
ROCK CHALK CHALLENGE RECAP
• Kansas finished the Rock Chalk Challenge 2-2 with two victories over Nebraska. The Jayhawks fell to Tulsa twice, and suffered a 5-11 loss to open the RCC on Friday, March 15. In the loss, Brynn Minor tallied her first career home run at Kansas, hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning. Minor earned the loss in the circle, but rebounded against Nebraska on Saturday, March 16.
• On the second day of the Rock Chalk Challenge, Kansas earned its second shutout of the season, beating Nebraska, 2-0. Minor earned her second shutout of the season and Kansas scored both runs on a two-error play by the Huskers. The zero-RBI win was the first for Kansas since its 3-2 victory over Murray State March 1, 2014 in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the second game of the day, KU fell to Tulsa, 4-0, and Tarin Travieso earned her first start of the season. Travieso tallied a season-high 4.0 innings pitched, while allowing two earned runs with one strikeout.
• Kansas again found success against Nebraska in the RCC finale, beating the Huskers 1-0 on Sunday, March 17. The Jayhawks earned their lone RBI of the game in the sixth inning when Morgyn Wynne – who earned her first start as catcher – hit a RBI double to right field, which plated Emily Bermel. Minor earned her second-shutout victory of the challenge.
OMAHA | NO-HITTER
• Kansas earned its first walk-off victory and no-hit performance of the season against Omaha on March 18, beating the Mavericks 8-0 in six innings. Freshman Lexy Mills finished with 10 strikeouts and four walks, while holding the Mavs hitless.
• The Jayhawks needed four-runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game, and produced their sixth four-run inning of the season. Sophomore Brittany Jackson laced a double to the outfield, plating the final two runs of the game.
• The Jayhawks tallied their first no-hitter since March 20, 2016 against St. Louis, 9-0. Andie Formby pitched six innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
RECAPPING WICHITA STATE
• In its previous contest on March 20 in Wichita, Kansas, the Jayhawks fell to the Shockers 11-10 in a nine-inning game. After WSU tallied five runs in the second inning, Morgyn Wynne hit her first career grand slam to pull KU within one run. Two innings later the Jayhawks earned five runs – the most in a single inning this season – and held a commanding 10-5 lead.
• The Shockers netted three runs in the sixth inning and added two more in the seventh. KU netted an insurance run in the top of the seventh, which proved critical to force extra innings.
• Neither team netted a run in the eighth, and Kansas was held scoreless in the top of the ninth. Wichita State earned the game-winning run on a single to left field, which plated a runner from third.
UP NEXT
• Following the three-game series with Green Bay, Kansas hosts Baylor March 29-31 for its Big 12 conference series opener at Arrocha Ballpark.
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