Nebraska built an early 10-3 lead and then withstood a determined Jayhawk rally to win game two last night 11-9. This KU loss, coupled with wins by both Baylor and Oklahoma, eliminated any chance KU had of making the Big-12 tournament.
(Photo courtesy of KUathletics.com)
KU and Nebraska will play game three tonight. First pitch 5PM.
Today's game remains meaningful on many levels
- Senior Day - Prior to first pitch KU will honor its four departing seniors. Ryotaro Hayakawa, Ross Kelling, Dylan Parzyk and Kyle Murphy. This is always a special event at Hoglund so try to arrive at the park a little before five for the ceremony.
- If KU wins today they will finish the year at 29-29, thus ensuring their fifth consecutive year with a record of .500 or better under Ritch Price. Prior to Price's arrival in 2003 the Jayhawks had suffered five consecutive years with a losing record.
- Nebraska is a bubble team still for making the NCAA tournament as an at-large. The Cornhuskers will be fighting today to finish the year with a winning record in the Big-12 to improve their resume. They enter the game with a 13-13 conference mark.
- In addition to the departing seniors, there are several draft eligible Jayhawks who might also be playing their last game at Hoglund. Two players who have attracted a lot of attention are Erik Morrison and John Allman. A few others who I wouldn't be surprised to see taken include Zach Ashwood, Andres Esquibel, Ryne Price and Brock Simpson. I know Jayhawk fans would like nothing more than to see all the juniors return to the team next year but no one could blame any of these players from pursuing their dreams if they receive the compliment of a professional contract. Any junior drafted has the option of either signing a contract or returning to Kansas and making themselves eligible again in the following year's draft.
- Finally, tragically, this will be the last game of the year for KU. The weather is pristine. Hoglund is beautiful. When baseball is gone from campus, life will not be quite as good. And the wait from June to February seems like an eternity. Give yourself another day at the park.