New faces to fill old places

By By Shawn Shroyer

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The Kansas baseball team has the opportunity to reach consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time since 1993-1994. However, next year’s team will be without at least nine players from the senior-laden 2006 team that reached the Corvallis Regional.

To match last season’s success, Kansas will depend on some new faces at key positions and familiar faces in new roles.

Batting Order:

Junior Brock Simpson has the most experience as a leadoff hitter after filling that role for 24 games last season. Simpson hit .293 in 2006 with eight doubles, six triples, five home runs, 33 RBI, 38 runs and five stolen bases. With another year of experience and consistent playing time next season, Simpson should improve all of those numbers. On defense, Simpson will likely take Gus Milner’s spot in right field.

Kansas baseball fans are used to Ritchie Price batting second and playing shortstop. The third and final Price brother, Robby, could find himself replacing Ritchie at both spots. Robby was a Louisville Slugger Preseason First Team All-American this spring and led Free State High School to its first state championship. Even as a freshman, Robby should be a regular contributor for the Jayhawks.

Junior John Allman hit .333 in 2006 with six home runs, 16 doubles, 48 runs, 52 RBI and seven stolen bases. Allman started in left field all but six games last season and should remain there next season.

Junior Erik Morrison also had a solid 2006 campaign. He hit .290 with a team-leading 14 homers, 15 doubles, 47 runs, 52 RBI and seven stolen bases. He only missed three games at third base last season and will man the hot corner again in 2007.

As far as home runs go, Preston Land had the best year ever by a Kansas freshman with nine round trippers in 2006. He also hit .314 with 27 runs and 33 RBI. Land started 40 games at first base last year and should surpass that number in 2007.

Despite an injury-plagued 2006 season, Ryne Price hit nine home runs in 86 at-bats. If his injury problems are behind him, Ryne should be a regular at second base in 2007.

Sophomore Justin Ellrich saw limited action last season, but showed some potential to be Kansas’ designated hitter. In 48 at-bats, Ellrich had one home run, three doubles, four RBI and seven runs.

The catcher position appears to be up for grabs for 2007. Sophomore Buck Afenir and senior Dylan Parzyk combined to hit .228 last season, but Afenir did hit .375 with a home run and six RBI during the Big 12 tournament. Afenir and Parzyk’s competition in 2007 will be incoming transfers Joe Servais from Garden City CC and Joe Southers from Phoenix College. Servais hit .356 as a sophomore for the Broncbusters with 14 extra base hits, 36 RBI, 54 runs and 13 stolen bases. Southers hit .393 as a sophomore for the Bears with 11 extra base hits, 24 RBI and 16 runs.

Center field will be one of the biggest holes to fill in 2007. Matt Baty played solid defense there, was always a base-stealing threat and was a career .320 hitter. Senior Kyle Murphy has the most potential to do the same next season. Murphy displayed a stellar glove last season and might have even more speed than Baty, but his hitting – a .153 average – was a weakness in 2006.

Pitching Staff:

Kansas will have a plethora of young pitchers to choose from to replace Land, Fairchild and Quick in its weekend rotation. However, sophomore Nick Czyz appears to be the only clear-cut favorite to fill a weekend spot. Czyz’s early season struggles in 2006 hurt his overall numbers (4-3 record, 5.11 ERA and 30 walks in 49.1 innings), but the lefty made hitters look silly at times with 45 strikeouts and grew up in a hurry, earning the win in the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska.

Senior Brendan McNamara is another candidate to start on weekends. As a middle reliever and midweek starter in 2006, he went 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 51.1 innings.

To fill the third weekend spot, coach Ritch Price may look to land a transfer from a Division I school, as he did last season with Fairchild. Garden City CC transfer Aaron Breit looked like the most likely candidate for the spot, but after being drafted in the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft by San Diego, Breit signed with the Padres the day before this year’s draft.

Sophomore Andy Marks has a good chance at being a long reliever on weekends and a midweek starter for the Jayhawks. The left-handed Marks had a 2-1 record in 2006 with a 5.35 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.

After Marks, Kansas could find regular set-up men in transfers Andres Esquibel and Hiarali Garcia. Esquibel went 8-4 as a sophomore for Palomar College with a 2.63 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 92.1 innings. Garcia went 6-3 as a sophomore for Eastern Oklahoma State College with a 2.58 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 83.7 innings. If Kansas doesn’t add to its roster before next season, Esquibel and Garcia may battle for spots in the weekend rotation.

Filling in for Kansas legend Don Czyz to close games will be sophomore Paul Smyth. Despite a 6.13 ERA last season, he compiled a 5-1 record and one save. Smyth also had 37 strikeouts to 15 walks in 54.1 innings.

“Any time you win the Big 12 conference, you’re on the map,” Baty said. “It was hard to get there, but the hardest part is going to be for the younger guys to sustain that. It can be easy just to fall right back off that map.”

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