Kansas Athletics
Jayhawks Swept in Big 12 Opening Series by Horned Frogs
The Kansas Jayhawks headed to Fort Worth, Texas, opening Big 12 play against the TCU Horned Frogs. Kansas did not fare well against the No. 24 ranked team in the country as the Jayhawks would drop all three games and now have a record of 8-14.
Game 1
The Jayhawks would send their ace, Colin Baumgartner, to the mound against a stout TCU lineup. Unfortunately, the Horned Frogs would get to Baumgartner, who pitched five innings, giving up eight hits, four runs, and four strikeouts while throwing 98 pitches. Baumgartner handed the baseball to the lefty Ethan Bradford. Bradford pitched three innings giving up seven hits, four runs, and two walks while striking out four. He would throw 69 pitches. The Big 12 is a tough conference, and pitching will determine success. The two Kansas pitchers limited the free passes but allowed 15 base hits resulting in seven RBIs. Head coach Dan Fitzgerald said, "Another great outing from Baumgartner. Certainly disappointed with the outcome but not at all disappointed with the effort and intent from our guys. We need to get better in all phases, but we are certainly moving in a great direction. We will get after it tomorrow."
Coach Fitzgerald changed the batter order, which I was pleased to see. Freshmen Jackson Klein led off game one going 1-for-2 with three walks and a run. Klein has been impressive at the plate, and getting on base is what you want from your leadoff hitter. Luke Leto continues on his hot streak as he connected for another home run, his fourth of the season. Janson Reeder connected for a three-run home run resulting in his fifth. Reeder leads the team in home runs and has recorded five multi-RBI games this season. Another positive note is Chase Jans continues his hit streak to 16 games.
Game 2
The Kansas Jayhawks have played tremendous defense this year. Well enough that they are currently in the top 10 in all of D1 baseball with a .982 fielding percentage. Game two did not bode well for the defense, as Kansas would make four errors. Starting pitcher Sam Ireland would only complete 1 1/3 of an inning, giving up only one hit, seven runs, three earned, two walks, and one strikeout. Ireland would forfeit the baseball over to Gavin Brasosky, who would complete 3 2/3 innings giving up three hits, three runs, two walks, and two strikeouts. After these two, it became a bullpen game that would send five more Jayhawks to the mound giving up eight more runs on five hits. They would combine for seven walks and only two strikeouts. In order to win against good baseball teams, pitching is a vital asset to have.
The Jayhawks managed to score five runs against the Horned Frogs pitching staff. Freshmen Kody Shojinaga continues to impress fans as he was 2-for-4. Chase Jans pinch-hit in the eighth inning driving in two, which would extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Jans' bat has been on fire during this streak, hitting .359. Unfortunately, Mike Koszewski's on-base streak would end at 17 games.
Game 3
The No. 24 ranked team in the country showed the Kansas Jayhawks why they are that in game 3. The Horned Frogs showed up with purpose scoring 14 runs and ending the game in a spread. Starting pitcher Hunter Cranton completed 2 1/3 innings giving up seven hits, eight runs, and three walks while striking out three. The bullpen would then allow five hits, six runs, four walks, and four strikeouts.
Jackson Klein was given the opportunity to lead off again, and he would go 1-for-3. The only other hit would come from Michael Brooks. If this doesn't get any gloomier, Chase Jans hitting streak ends at 17 games. Kansas faced a talented pitcher in Cam Brown. Brown currently leads the Horned Frogs in ERA with a 2.08. He is 2-0 on the season, completing 30.1 innings pitched, giving up 19 hits and seven earned runs. He leads the team with 34 strikeouts, and opponents are only hitting .134. Ideally, the Jayhawks ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday.
Kansas will return to Lawrence, Kansas, and prepare for their second home game of the season as they will take on Creighton in a mid-week one-game matchup. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, March 29th with the first pitch anticipated for 6:00 pm CST.