After splitting matches with Texas A&M and Texas Tech, the 21st-ranked Kansas University volleyball team next will face No. 22 Texas.
The third straight match against a team from the Lone Star State will start at 7 tonight at Horejsi Center.
“Is that how it’s working out?” KU coach Ray Bechard said of his 10-1 squad opening its Big 12 Conference slate with a trio of Texas teams. “Three in a row, huh? All I know is it’s not fun to go down there, so I hope they don’t have much fun up here.”
While Texas (10-0, 3-0 Big 12) owns a 15-4 mark in its all-time series with KU, the Longhorns have lost their last three meetings with the Jayhawks.
But senior Jill Dorsey said much like KU’s first two tussles with Texas opponents, the stats can be thrown out.
“Texas schools are powerhouses,” she said. “The only real difference between the teams are their individual player strengths because you know each and every match is going to be tough.”
Kansas University will play host to Oklahoma in a three-game baseball series this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark amid growing speculation that Bobby Randall’s days as KU coach are numbered.
Randall, 53, appears headed for his sixth losing season in seven as the Jayhawks’ head coach. KU is currently 21-24 in all games, including a last-place 4-16 record in the Big 12 Conference.
Speculation already has begun about Randall’s successor.
The Fresno (Calif.) Bee reported Thursday that Ron Scott, head coach at Fresno City College, has close ties to Kansas athletic director Al Bohl and might be considered if Randall is replaced.
“I’ve had some contact with Kansas,” Scott told the Fresno newspaper. “I’m very flattered a Big 12 school like that would consider me.”
Brad Hill, a former KU aide now in his eighth season as head coach at Central Missouri State, also has been mentioned.
The KU-OU series will begin at 7 p.m. today with games also set for 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Sooners are seventh in league standings (11-10) and are 29-20 overall.
KU’s probable starters during the weekend series are Jeff Davis (5-4, 3.87 earned run average), Dan Olson (4-3, 4.00) and Jake Wright (3-5, 4.81). All three pitchers are seniors. Davis is a Lawrence High product; Wright hails from Baldwin.
Sophomore left fielder Ryan Baty leads the Jayhawks in batting average (.341), hits (63) and runs (48). Junior first baseman Kevin Wheeler leads the club with eight home runs the most by a KU player since Josh Dimmick clubbed nine round-trippers in 1998.
Also hitting over .300 are right fielder Matt Tribble (.340), Wheeler (.315) and third baseman Ryan Klocksien (.301).
After this weekend, the Jayhawks will have one more three-game series remaining on May 18-20 against Kansas State. The first game will be at Hoglund Ballpark and the last two in Manhattan.
