Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price will have all arms available for this weekend’s three-game homestand against No. 29 Missouri.

Still, the coach knows the left arm of Sean Land might be most significant if the Jayhawks are to get themselves into the thick of the Big 12 Conference race.

“It’s going to be important that he gets himself on track,” Price said, “and gets us deep into the game.”

A native of Greenwood, Mo., Land will attempt to set the tone for the Jayhawks, getting the start in today’s 6 p.m. opener at Hoglund Ballpark.

After posting a 2.80 earned-run average in his first six outings, the junior has hit something of a wall in conference play. Land managed just 31â3 combined innings in his last two starts against Baylor and Nebraska, allowing 11 hits and 10 earned runs.

The first game particularly could be important for Kansas if it hopes to win its first league series. That’s because All-American pitcher Max Scherzer – who is being considered as the possible No. 1 choice overall for the Kansas City Royals in the 2006 draft – will take the mound for Missouri in Saturday’s Game Two. In 25 innings this season, the junior has recorded 31 strikeouts.

The Jayhawks will counter with Ricky Fairchild on Saturday and Kodiak Quick on Sunday – a pair with whom Price feels confident.

“Fairchild’s been outstanding, and Kodiak Quick’s as good as anybody in the Big 12,” Price said. “If we can get into the seventh inning with those guys, we have a chance to win every series we play.”

Kansas (18-10, 2-4) has played 10 consecutive games against ranked teams.

Missouri, at 15-9 and leading the Big 12 at 5-1, is just outside the national top-25, receiving enough votes to be ranked 29th.

“I told our players that we’ve played the toughest road schedule in America,” Price said, “and if we can win the next two series at home, we’ll be .500 in our league and have everything the rest of the season to play for.”