OKLAHOMA CITY — Kansas State has been one of the best hitting teams in the nation this season. The Wildcats were expected to have a potent offense, so their production hasn’t been surprising.
What has exceeded expectations is the development of the pitching staff. A young rotation has shown steady improvement throughout the season and, bolstered by a strong bullpen, the Wildcats won their first Big 12 Conference baseball championship.
K-STATE’S FISHER UP FOR AWARD GIVEN TO NATION’S BEST SHORTSTOP: Kansas State sophomore Austin Fisher earned a spot Monday in the Brooks Wallace award watch list, one of 14 players up for the honor give to the nation’s top shortstop. Fisher hit .358 in 53 games with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers and 34 RBIs. He led the Big 12 in conference-only batting average at .412. The top-seeded Wildcats begin play in the Big 12 Tournament at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday against No. 8 Texas Tech in Oklahoma City.
Kansas’ Justin McCay looks to bring talent and firepower to the Jayhawk offense in the upcoming season By: Brennan Keller Perhaps one of the most shocking statistics from last year’s 1-11 season was the fact that the wide receivers accounted for zero combined receiving touchdowns. Yup, you heard it right. Zero touchdowns. With the lack of talent at the receiver position last season, head coach Charlie Weis knew that he needed to hit the recruiting trail hard in pursuit of some players that could bring excitement and talent to the offensive side of the ball. One of those players is wide receiver Justin McCay. McCay, who had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, brings that… Continue reading
KYNARD WINS THIRD BIG 12 OUTDOOR TITLE: Kansas State high jumper Erik Kynard won his third straight outdoor conference title on Saturday in Waco, Texas at the Big 12 Outdoor, when he won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 7 feet, 61/2 inches. No other student-athlete has won three Big 12 Outdoor men’s titles.
He locked in the win when he was the only jumper to clear 7-033/4. He would go on to clear two more bars after that before taking three attempts at 7-081/2 and narrowly missing.
LAWRENCE — The Kansas golf team could not go into the Big 12 Golf Championships with much greater momentum.
The Jayhawks are coming off their first team title since 2010 after claiming the Hawkeye Invitational earlier this month in Iowa City, Iowa.
That breakthrough, however, was nothing first-year coach Jamie Bermel championed as an immediate goal.
KU RELIEVER DRAWS BIG 12 ACCOLADE: After earning two saves in Kansas’ series win against No. 19 Oklahoma State, junior reliever Jordan Piché was named the Big 12 Conference’s newcomer of the week on Monday.
Piché worked 62/3 innings and allowed no runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts while notching three saves. The junior college transfer ranks second in the Big 12 with a 0.59 ERA and has compiled a 4-1 record with 25 strikeouts in 15 appearances.
Kansas will take on Iowa at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Iowa City and 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Bill Self and his young Kansas Jayhawk basketball team have high expectations for the 2013-2014 basketball season. By Brennan Keller As the Kansas Jayhawks ended the 2012-2013 season with a crushing 87-85 loss to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen, many fans (including myself) are already looking forward to what’s in store for next season. Assuming that freshman sensation and fan favorite Ben McLemore declares for the upcoming NBA draft, the Jayhawks will enter next season having lost their entire starting lineup in seniors Kevin Young, Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, and Ben McLemore. That being said, there are several talented players (including a McDonalds All-American) that have the potential to make the… Continue reading
LAWRENCE — The 6th day of February was when fashionable overkill favoring prohibitive underdogs went viral.
Kansas triggered the sentiment. It lost at TCU.
What had been a mere whisper suddenly swelled into an uproar: This is the year a No. 16 seed beats a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament!
Well, the time has come. The NCAA bracket was unveiled Sunday.
And, as fate would have it, Kansas was seeded on the 1-line.
“It’s going to happen, a 16 is going to beat a one. Eventually,’’ KU coach Bill Self said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State and Kansas tied for the regular-season Big 12 title.
That doesn’t mean they feel very good about themselves entering the league tournament.
The Wildcats lost a road game against Oklahoma State on Saturday, while the Jayhawks were routed by Baylor a few hours later in a game that would have given them the outright title.
Consider it proof that the Big 12 Tournament, which starts Wednesday night at Sprint Center, promises to be among the most intriguing and unpredictable in conference history.
Kansas’ NCAA Tournament hopes are quickly disappearing. By Brennan Keller Last season, The Kansas Jayhawks were able to leave Norman, Okla. with a stunning 83-77 victory against a tough Oklahoma Sooner team. With the win, Kansas was able to boost their résumé in hopes of earning an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks went on to make a run in the Sweet Sixteen later that March. A year later, head coach Bonnie Henrickson and her Jayhawks found themselves in a very similar position. After dropping four of their last six conference games, the trip down to the University of Oklahoma was perhaps the most important game of the season for the Jayhawks. For… Continue reading