An incredible inning on the baseball diamond, a little KU hoops news and a football debut that might be remembered for a long time.
All of that, and more, will be celebrated in this week’s Monday Morning Wheaties.
You’ve seen the tomahawks on the back of the Florida State helmets, the buckeye tree leaves on the Ohio State helmets and the paw prints on the back of the Clemson helmets.
Each Monday, we take one last look back at the week that was and hand out different amounts of the iconic breakfast cereal to the Jayhawks’ top performers.
So, be sure to come get your Monday Morning Wheaties and feel free to hit up the comments section — subscribers only for now — with any players you feel we might’ve missed.
Picture on the box
• The entire KU baseball offense – During Sunday’s 19-3 win over Pacific, which secured the non-conference series sweep, the Kansas baseball team achieved something that had only been twice before in school history, scoring 16 runs in a single inning. That tied the school record for most runs in a single inning (1993 and 2004) and it came in the most incredible fashion. The 16-run 6th inning saw 20 batters step into the batter’s box and featured nine hits and two home runs. Ben Hartl hit a three-run homer and Kodey Shojinaga hit a grand slam in the sixth. Collier Cranford, John Nett, Luke Leto, Jake English and Chase Jans also drove in runs during the offensive outburst. Nett had a career day at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBIs, four runs scored and a walk. The multi-homer game was the first of his career and his four RBIs and four runs scored were both season highs. Shojinaga also finished with a career-high six RBIs. The Jayhawks moved to 19-14 on the season with the win.
A full bowl
• KU catcher Lyric Moore – The KU softball leader recorded a season-high four hits in five at-bats along with five RBIs and a home run in KU’s 15-12, extra-innings win at Texas Tech on Saturday. The four hits matched Moore’s career high and marked the second time this season that Moore has produced four or more RBIs in a game.
• Junior forward KJ Adams – No, the KU men’s basketball team didn’t play last week, but Adams still found a way to deliver at the team’s annual postseason banquet. In addition to celebrating a bunch of big wins and a few individual honors, KU coach Bill Self gave away the one team award the Jayhawks hand out each season — the Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk Award. It went to Adams, for all the reasons you might think it did when you hear the name Danny Manning. His performance on the floor was part of it, but his passion, drive, skills as a leader and teammate and more also played a huge role in Adams winning this year’s honor.
• Freshman pitcher Dominic Voegele – The true freshman, who was selected in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, added another quality start to his strong season over the weekend, as he collected his fourth win on the year to move his record to 4-2. Voegele recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts during KU’s 12-3 win over Pacific. “I don’t try to do too much out there and make it too complicated,” he said after the win. “I just try to settle in, do my thing and get the guy out. I felt like my fastball was really working well today. I mixed in the curveball and slider a little bit which helped it play, but being able to locate the fastball really did it.” KU coach Dan Fitzgerald agreed, saying, “Dom was really aggressive with his fastball today and put some guys away with the fastball up. He’s got a great arsenal, he’s a great athlete and he’s a great competitor.”
Nighttime snack
• Gracie Mulville & Maria Titova – Mulville, a sophomore, and Titova, a redshirt junior, teamed together to pick up a pair of easy doubles victories in KU’s sweep of Wichita State and Houston last week, topping WSU 6-1 and knocking off Houston, 6-3. The duo also picked up a doubles win during the Jayhawks’ 4-3 team loss to UCF on Senior Day, during which KU tennis honored lone-senior Jocelyn Massey.
• KU wing Johnny Furphy – He’s still got a decision to make about his future — stay at Kansas or jump into the NBA draft — but while he’s weighing his options, Furphy got good news from his home country. The Australian-born Jayhawk recently became one of 22 players named to Australia’s Boomers club roster, which will compete to make up the Aussies’ 2024 Olympic team in Paris. Furphy might be a bit of a longshot to make the final squad, but just being around that type of talent and all of those current and future pros figures to do wonders for his game, national pride notwithstanding. There is no known timeline for Furphy to make a decision about next season, and KU coach Bill Self did not seem in any way like he’s in a hurry to get an answer. “We will recruit, if they declare (for the NBA draft), like they’re not going to be here, and then if you get them back that will be a bonus,” he said of Furphy and big man Hunter Dickinson at the team banquet.
Drink the milk
• KU quarterback Isaiah Marshall – He received extra reps in front of the live crowd largely because KU starter Jalon Daniels continues to be somewhat limited as he returns to full health from last season’s injury. But nonetheless, Marshall made the most of his first impression, wowing the crowd with a good mix of movement, velocity on his throws and poise not often seen in a true freshman. There were no official stats at KU’s Spring Showcase, but he threw a couple of TDs during the 11-on-11 scrimmage portion of the practice and delivered a debut performance that will keep people buzzing about his down-the-road potential.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kutickets.com
