Erin Droste

Sophomore LHP Sean Land, No. 18, warms up before Thursday’s afternoon scrimmage. The Jayhawk baseball team will play their first game in February against Hawaii-Hilo in Hawaii.

After last season’s performance in the Big 12, Kansas pitching may seem less than credible.

But starting this February, a stronger, better-equipped staff is taking over the mound.

Kansas pitching coach Steve Abney said he knew the importance of being prepared for Big 12 opponents. He said he realized the difficulty involved in getting anything by power-hitting teams like Texas and Nebraska.

“You have to have a plan from August all the way through to the end of the season,” Abney said.

After joining the baseball staff two years ago, Abney said he looked forward to putting his own recruits into the rotation this season. He said the guys they recruited now were more suited to throw in the Big 12’s high-pressure games.

“We finally have three dominant starters that can win us three games on the weekends, no matter who we face,” junior left-fielder Matt Baty said.

Not only are the newly recruited pitchers stronger and have slightly more endurance, they are also finally starting to close the gap between the pitching speeds of Kansas and of those in the rest of the conference.

He also noted that even guys not in the starting rotation would be ready as well.

“As a whole, the staff is a lot better this year,” senior catcher Sean Richardson said.

With the season starting in less than a week, decisions about who will throw and what each player’s role will be must be made.

The team’s preseason trip to Hawaii, which will begin Feb. 4, will provide some insight into the players’ improvements and in how they throw in pressure situations.

Abney may not have his rotation fully developed at this point, but he does have expectations and predictions for the upcoming season.

“I think the balance between Land, Zagurski, Quick, Schambach and Czyz is really good,” Abney said. “Zagurski needs to lead, Czyz will lead by example as will Schambach.”

Don Czyz, junior RHP, posted the best ERA in 2004 with a 3.77 in 33 appearances. By the end of last season, Abney said he saw Czyz’s potential as a tough closer and planned to use him in the final innings this year, too.

Mike Zagurski, senior LHP, had a 4.81 ERA in 19 appearances. He has a 4-4 record from last season but has added pitches for 2005.

“I think the best thing I can do is make myself available to the younger guys,” Zagurski said of his leadership role. “As a pitcher the best thing you can do is keep your team in the game.”

Clint Schambach, senior RHP, had a 5.26 ERA in 25 appearances last spring and will most likely start this season.

But sophomore Sean Land is predicted to be the most intimidating piece of the rotation.

“Sean Land has made vast improvements from last season. He’s been our most consistent guy,” said Zagurski.

At the moment, Land leads the pitching staff in raw speed. His fastball tops out at more than 90 mph.

Ryan Knippschild carried a heavy load last year, in terms of innings pitched but his graduation forces more of the load to be carried by transfers and freshmen.

Freshmen LHPs Logan Murphy and Kyle Klem are shaping up to be good foundations for the future of Kansas baseball, Abney said.

Plus, “Murphy’s got a big presence.”

Senior RHP Mike Fitch transferred from Southeast Missouri State with a 5-5 record and a 6.33 ERA in 2004. Junior LHP Travis Goset came in from Palomar College with a 3.98 ERA in 2004. Kodiak Quick, junior RHP, spent his last two seasons at Stanford before transferring to Kansas this fall.

Together, the players will form a revamped pitching line up designed to face the most formidable Big 12 opponents.

“This group has been the most rewarding,” Abney said of the teams he has coached.