There, I said it. Had to make up for yesterday's Tip of the Cap to Kansas Baseball, part of our series bidding farewell to what's left of our old Big 8 rivals.
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| "If only I could remember how to work this thing..." |
But this year KU Baseball really does suck.
Maybe they should blame whoever does their scheduling. They started the season 10-14 . . . with only 3 of those first 28 games being played at home. And when they finally did get home it was just in time for the Big 12 season.
By comparison, Mizzou played their first 6 games on the road (at Auburn and San Fran), followed by 18 straight home games.
And you thought Mizzou has struggled with the bats this season (.269 BA currently)? The Jayhawks have toiled through the entire season and have a team .248 average to show for it. Their team 4.30 ERA has kept them from completely bottoming out.
In the Big 12, the Kansas offense is last in batting average, slugging %, runs, doubles, stolen bases, ; and they are second to last in OB%, hits, triples, RBI. They are first in one thing: strikeouts (their batters, not their pitchers).
Kansas pitching is 2nd to last in ERA, wins, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, walks issued, strike outs. K-is the worst on most of those, except strikeouts. The Tigers' pitching has the least strikeouts int he Big 12.
♦ MU vs. KU Stats
| MU | KU | |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Average | .269 | .248 |
| ERA | 4.23 | 4.30 |
| RPI | .532 | .485 |
| RPI rank | 86th | 182nd |
| Strength of Schedule | 77th | 76th |
♦ From Phog.net baseball forum, following KU's 1-2 series loss to KSU:
"Game just finished. KU had no offense all game except the in the 8th where they had two on one out and hit into a double play and in the ninth had runners at first and third and nobody out and didn't score then either. Way too many strikeouts tonight (12). KSU had runners everywhere all night long. The game wasn't nearly as close as the final score sadly, and KU burns their ace in a game they really needed to win."
"I hate to wish for people to get fired, but Price really needs to be canned."
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| Lawrence, KS Weather weather.com THU 86 / Sunny FRI 88 / Sunny SAT 86 ? Part Cloudy |
This week’s Missouri series just became a whole lot more important for Kansas University’s baseball team.♦ Kansas set for three-game series with Missouri (Through the Phog)
Needing a win Sunday to clinch a spot in the Big 12 tournament, KU struggled on the mound and saw its bats disappear late in a 9-3 loss to Kansas State at Tointon Family Stadium.
. . .
The Jayhawks dropped the weekend series, 2-1, to put themselves in eighth place heading into the final weekend — one-half game in front of Kansas State and one half-game behind Texas Tech.
KU will host sixth-place Missouri for three games this week, while KSU will travel to face Texas Tech.
“It just means we’ve got to go out, and we’ve got to try to sweep (Missouri),” KU freshman outfielder Dakota Smith said. “I think it’s possible. I think we’re capable of doing it. Hopefully, we’ll get it done.”
. . .
Barring a future change in conference status, it will be the final head-to-head meeting for KU and MU as league foes in any sport.
“We’ve got to win these three,” Stanfield said. “We want to send the Tigers off with something to remember.”
Kansas does need to win some games as they hold a half-game lead over Kansas State for eighth place in the Big 12. Only the top eight teams make the conference tournament.
. . .
Missouri does have a weak pitching staff, so if Kansas can swing the bat well, then anything is possible.
♦ KU baseball falls in extras. Again. (KUSports.com, 5/6)
It’s not that Kansas University’s baseball players are tired of playing extra-inning games. They’re just tired of losing them.
Sunday, in the final game of the Jayhawk Classic at Hoglund Ballpark, KU fell from ahead, 6-3 in 11 innings, against Missouri State. KU (19-29) fell to 1-3 in extras this season.
“We’ve played more than what’s been normal in the past, without question,” KU coach Ritch Price said of extra-inning affairs. “Part of the reason for that is we’ve been competitive in all the games we’ve been in, despite our 19-29 record. And the other thing is, we’re not as good offensively as we have been. When we go to those extra-inning games, they go to their closer, who usually has the best arm on their team, and we have trouble scoring.”
“Extra-inning games are part of baseball,” KU catcher James Stanfield said. “But it’d be nice to come out on top of more of those games. That’s probably what we’re tired of the most, not finishing games out.”
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