That’s not a typo. Kansas University’s softball team is playing at home this weekend. Really.
To date, the Jayhawks have played only one-fifth of their 35 games at Arrocha Ballpark.
“Obviously, we’re a little road weary,” KU coach Tracy Bunge said, “but the kids have handled it well. Nobody has been whining. They’ve just gone about their business.”
The Jayhawks have gone about it very well, as a matter of fact. They have won eight of their last nine games, all on the road, and 12 of their last 13.
Baylor, however, possesses enough talent to punch a hole in the Jayhawks’ momentum. The Bears (32-9) are ranked No. 12 and No. 16 in this week’s college softball polls. Kansas (25-9) isn’t ranked but has received votes.
“We obviously have a tough test in Baylor,” Bunge said. “I think this is a great opportunity to find out what we’re capable of.”
Game times are 2 p.m. today and noon Sunday at the KU facility.
What shaped up as a rebuilding season has happily for Bunge turned out to be a reloading season instead. The KU coach lost six starters off last spring’s Big 12 tourney championship team, including league MVP Serena Settlemier, but the Jayhawks haven’t seemed to miss a beat.
“Our young players have been steady. I think that’s the biggest surprise,” Bunge said.
Most notable have been shortstop Stevie Crisosto, first baseman/outfielder Amanda Jobe and pitcher Valerie George.
Crisosto was the Jayhawks’ starting centerfielder last year as a freshman, but she hit only .204 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. This year, switched to shortstop as four-year starter Destiny Frankenstein’s replacement, Crisosto is batting a team-best .364 with four HRs and 14 RBIs.
Jobe, a left-handed hitting freshman out of Shawnee Mission Northwest, is second in batting average (.315) and leads the club with 15 bases on balls.
George, a sophomore right-hander, has blossomed as a quality complement for staff ace Kassie Humphreys in the circle.
“Val has come a long way,” Bunge said of George, who has won her last eight starts.
Humphreys, meanwhile, has a 12-3 record and a 1.50 earned run average. Opponents are hitting only .175 against her. The senior right-hander likely will face Baylor ace Lisa Ferguson, the reigning Big 12 pitcher of the week, today with George going on Sunday.
On defense and in the circle, the Jayhawks appear evenly matched, but the Bears have the edge on offense with a lofty .324 team batting average and two of the league’s top stolen-base threats in twin freshmen speedsters Tiffany and Nicole Wesley.
“Their kids can fly,” Bunge said of the Bears. “We know how aggressive they are on the bases. We know they’ll definitely come at us.”
Kansas will be back at Arrocha on Tuesday for a doubleheader with Arkansas, and again on Wednesday for a single game against Nebraska.