At times this season, Kansas University softball coach Tracy Bunge has started as many as six freshmen. That’s no excuse, though, for the Jayhawks’ dismal .218 team batting average — worst in the Big 12 Conference.

“We haven’t swung the bats like I thought we would,” Bunge said before the Jayhawks left for Oklahoma City and the Big 12 Conference tournament. “I didn’t expect a team batting average of .350, but I didn’t expect it to be where it’s at.”

Kansas, the No. 9 seed, will meet No. 8 seed Texas Tech at 5 p.m. today at Hall of Fame Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on KLWN radio (AM 1320). Both KU and Tech finished with 4-14 league records, but Tech won the tie-breaker. The two schools split their two meetings earlier this season in Lubbock, Texas.

“Their pitching has been erratic,” Bunge said of the Red Raiders, “but they’re very dangerous. Their record doesn’t look very good, but they’ve lost a ton of one-run games.”

The Tech-Kansas winner will turn right around and play league champion Texas at 7:30 p.m. The loser’s season is over.

“Anybody in this league can beat anybody else,” Bunge said. “That’s been proven. This is a tough league. We’ve all been beating each other up.”

Outside the league, the Jayhawks’ record is 22-7.

Bunge hasn’t decided whether to use senior Kirsten Milhoan or junior Kara Pierce on the mound against the Red Raiders, and won’t until sometime today.

Pierce (16-12, 1.99 ERA) went the route as Kansas toppled Baylor, 4-1, last Saturday at Jayhawk Field. It was Pierce’s first appearance since suffering a shoulder strain a week earlier against Texas.

“Kara had some soreness after the weekend,” Bunge said, “and Milhoan is healthy. That’s the good news.”

Milhoan (10-9, 2.83 ERA) tossed a three-hit shutout against Nebraska Friday, but surrendered eight hits in Sunday’s 4-0 loss to Baylor.

“To beat Tech, we’re going to have to score some runs,” Bunge said.

Kansas ranks next-to-last in the Big 12 in runs scored even though the Jayhawks have hit a school-record 37 home runs this spring, including a league-leading 11 by freshman second baseman Jessica Moppin.

Moppin, an Olathe South product who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas last season, leads the Jayhawks with a .271 batting average. Junior center fielder Mel Wallach is runner-up to Moppin in both average (.261) and homers (8).

No other KU player is hitting better than .237.

If the Jayhawks strike out four times today they’ll surpass the record of 290 set by the 1998 team that played 62 games. Today’s game with Tech will be the Jayhawks’ 58th.

The Jayhawks also don’t draw many walks. Moppin and Wallach, for example, have only three bases on balls apiece.

Freshman shortstop Destiny Frankenstein is hitting only .218, but she leads the team in walks with 26 and on-base percentage at .355.