OKLAHOMA CITY ? Nineteen innings of baseball, and Kansas University mustered one unearned run this week at the Big 12 Conference tournament.
A statistic like that rarely leads to success — especially in the college game, which is offensively gifted thanks to the jolt of men swinging aluminum bats.
Seventh-seeded KU is two-and-done at the double-elimination tourney after falling, 9-0, to third-seeded Texas on Thursday at SBC Bricktown Ballpark. The Jayhawks’ season ends with a 36-28 record.
So, how punchless was KU’s offense? In 62 tournament at-bats — 33 in Wednesday’s 10-inning loss to Baylor and 29 more Thursday — Kansas had eight hits and compiled a .129 team batting average. Of the lonely eight, all were singles except Sean Richardson’s double in the second inning against UT.
To be fair, Kansas hit several right on the screws, only to be snagged by a Longhorn infielder. Texas coach Augie Garrido even made an unsolicited comment on how unlucky KU was during his postgame press conference.
Doesn’t matter. Even if KU had all the hits falling, keeping up with Texas would’ve been a tough task. Texas was ahead 8-0 in the fourth inning, knocking out KU starter Mike Zagurski.
“They jumped on Mike early,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “When you’re buried 4-0, 5-0 like that, there’s no pressure in their dugout to hit.”
It seemed to mount on KU’s side, though. Since scoring in the first inning Wednesday against Baylor, the Jayhawks went 18 straight frames without crossing the plate and only got to third base twice. Kansas hit many more fly balls than ground balls Thursday, and it wasn’t effective in the crisp morning wind.
Texas, meanwhile, crushed Zagurski with 11 hits and eight runs in the senior’s 3 2/3 innings of work.
“They seemed to have me figured out pretty well,” Zagurski said. “I think I made some OK pitches early, but it ended up being a single here, a double there. They just kind of kept on me and beat me around pretty good.”
Kansas had an early chance to rally when Richardson’s double, an error and a walk loaded the bases with one out in the second inning. But freshman Erik Morrison smashed a ground ball that UT third baseman David Maroul snagged. The ball was hit so hard, turning the 5-4-3 inning-ending double play was a cinch.
After that, the Jayhawks didn’t have a serious scoring threat and never had more than one base-runner. Texas starter Randy Boone pitched a shutout, striking out seven and allowing just three hits.
“The last time we played them, we didn’t see nearly as many changeups as he threw today,” Price said. “He did a really nice job of getting us out on our front foot and getting us to swing through the baseball.”
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Ranked 97th in the latest college baseball RPI, Kansas needed a serious run — maybe even a tournament title — to have a shot at the NCAA Regionals. Two-and-done, though, means the Jayhawks are done until next spring.
“We gave our best effort,” Zagurski said. “It’s tough to run into a team like Baylor, and then when you get to the loser’s bracket, you see the number-three team in the country. It’s going to be difficult to win.”
Baylor swept the Jayhawks earlier this year at Hoglund Ballpark, but that was in mid-April and things have changed for KU since then.
Number nine ranked Jayhawks could climb as high as sixth place if the team takes out Texas and if other teams in front of them fall. The top eight teams in the conference advance to the Big 12 tournament.
A.J. Van Slyke is hitting extremely well for the Jayhawks right now.
