Monday, April 9, 2007
Don’t hit the panic button just yet Kansas baseball fans.
The Jayhawks’ 18-20 overall record and 4-8 Big 12 Conference record is certainly no reflection of their 43-25, 13-14 record from a year ago. It’s simply reality that when a team loses seven players to the professional ranks and eight seniors, it’s going to experience setbacks.
Without a core of seniors, Kansas’ juniors, sophomores and freshmen have been forced into the roles filled by last season’s senior class. This transition has been especially tough on coach Ritch Price’s offense.
Saturday’s 6-5 loss to No. 7 Texas was Kansas’ eighth one-run loss of the season, dropping the Jayhawks to 2-8 in one-run games this season. Last season, Kansas was 10-3 in one-run games.
“We were so solid one through nine a year ago in our batting order and we’ve been really inconsistent,” coach Price said. “It seems like we have two or three guys in our lineup who are struggling at any one time and usually if you’re solid one through nine somebody can pick you up.”
Case in point, on Saturday junior left fielder John Allman, junior second baseman Ryne Price and senior catcher Dylan Parzyk went a combined 0-for-12.
But all is not lost when, through losing, a team finds character and these young Jayhawks have matured.
Sophomore first baseman Preston Land was named preseason all-Big 12 by Baseball America, but after his batting average dropped near the Mendoza line, he soon found himself toward the bottom of the batting order.
He could have let the slide down the order get the best of him. Instead he’s regaining confidence with every at bat, hitting .273 his last six games, and he’s remained an asset on defense with a .992 fielding percentage.
And after being benched last weekend for not hustling, junior right fielder Brock Simpson has responded by going 6-for-15 since, giving the all-out effort that coach Price demands from his players.
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He had no obligation to field questions from the media, but he did so without dodging any questions, answering each one candidly.
Following Saturday’s loss, sophomore left-hander Andy Marks showed exceptional character.
Marks wasn’t charged with the loss Saturday, but he did allow Texas to tie the game after his offense gave him a lead to work with. He had no obligation to field questions from the media, but he did so without dodging any questions, answering each one candidly.
Although last year’s seniors have moved on, Marks said they hadn’t forgotten their old teammates.
“Whenever they come around, they see us and they’re always really supportive,” Marks said.
With the spirit of last year’s Big 12 Championship team still evident on this year’s team, there’s still hope that the Jayhawks will turn their season around.
Coach Price said Kansas needed five conference series victories to make postseason play and the Jayhawks have five remaining, so it’s officially do-or-die time for his squad. But regardless of Kansas’ record at the end of the season, make no mistake that Price still has the program headed in the right direction.
Shroyer is a Mound City junior in journalism.
— Edited by Ryan Schneider
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