Kansas Athletics
Jayhawks Sweep 2-game Midweek Series against Falcons
The Kansas Jayhawks were clicking on all cylinders as they would sweep the midweek series against the Air Force Falcons. The Kansas offense exploded for 31 runs in two games, and the pitching staff only allowed six. An Air Force sweep should build confidence as they head into another challenging Big 12 series against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Game 1
The Kansas coaching staff gave a few starters a break and allowed some other players to gain experience. The offense erupted as they would get 41 at-bats, 19 hits, 19 runs, and only five strikeouts. In the preview of this series, we focused on the Jayhawks' drawing walks, and they must have read the article because they walked 12 times. Some very impressive numbers were put up individually, starting with Michael Brooks. Brooks was 4-for-5 with four RBIs, three runs, and one walk. Outfielder Tyler Gerety posted a career-high game going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, five runs, and two walks. Finally, Sam Hunt also broke out, going 3-for-4 driving in three RBIs, three runs, and two walks. Head coach Dan Fitzgerald was pleased with the offense saying, “It was fun to see the guys perform. I thought we were especially good with two outs and two strikes, and I could not be happier for Gerety and Hunt. Those guys have been grinding away and probably haven’t gotten the at-bats that they would like, but they just stuck to it. They are great team guys, and they are workers. It’s really fun to see when that actually pays off like that.”
Gavin Brasosky got the start for the Jayhawks completing four innings, giving up five hits, two runs, and two strikeouts on 54 pitches. He would hand the baseball to Ethan Bradford. Bradford would complete three innings of work, giving up four hits, one run, and one strikeout on 45 pitches. Stone Evers and Toby Haarer would finish the game by completing two innings combined and only surrendering one unearned run. A vital outing from the pitching staff after being taxed all weekend against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Game 2
The Jayhawks' offense was impressive in game two, scoring 12 runs in 27 at-bats. They would have 12 hits, 12 RBIs, and draw six walks spreading Air Force in eight innings. The majority of the offensive firepower came from third basemen Michael Brooks. Brooks went 4-for-4, driving in five RBIs, hitting two home runs, and scoring four. In the series, Brooks went 8-for-9 with nine RBIs, seven runs scored, two home runs, and one walk. Brooks talked about his hitting saying, “It felt great. Working with Coach Hancock and Coach Fitz it’s been a long process, but I’ve just been sticking to it and grinding out at-bats. I knew that it was going to pay off at some point.” Cole Elivs would extend his hitting streak to 14 games when he connected for his eight home run this season.
Starting pitcher Hunter Cashero rebounded after his weekend outing against Kansas State. He tossed six innings, giving up only three hits, two runs, and one strikeout on 74 pitches. Cashero walked zero Falcon hitters, a significant stat for this Jayhawk pitching staff. The Kansas coaching staff would allow Kolby Dougan and Thaniel Trumper to finish the game, tossing two innings, no runs, two walks, and one strikeout. Head coach Dan Fitzgerlad was pleased with the approach in the series saying, “We’ve worked really hard at it. The approach has been the same since August. This stuff takes time to really get locked in and get to a spot where you can execute it efficiently on a daily basis. The guys have just stuck to it.”
The Jayhawks will now prepare for the No. 24 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys to come to Lawrence. These two teams will square off in a three-game series starting Friday, April 21st, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:00 PM CST.