By the end of last June, Kyle Murphy had almost had enough with baseball.

He had hit just .153 in 58 games as Kansas’ part-time center fielder and the thought of devoting his entire summer to baseball was no longer appealing. After 10 games with the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk League, Murphy packed his bags and headed back home to Beloit, Wis.

“I was playing fine, but I was just really burnt out after last year,” Murphy said. “I had so much stress built up, it was almost like catching a second wind, like I was just able to relax and put things behind me.”

Rather than putting up with the rigors of summer league baseball, Murphy spent the offseason working on his swing with his friend and former minor leaguer Kevin Burns and playing occasionally with a local team.

During his time away, Murphy regained confidence in his swing and learned to take a more relaxed approach to baseball. His catharsis has carried over into his senior season as he’s transformed from an offensive liability to one of the most consistent hitters in Kansas’ lineup. Always a weapon roaming center field, Murphy has molded himself into a promising pro prospect on pure desire.

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When Murphy returned to Lawrence in the fall, he found a renewed passion for baseball and had a successful season. From the onset, he decided to enjoy the little things about baseball rather than worry about statistics.

“Going into the season, I knew I needed to just throw all that out the window and be able to go in every day and have fun, enjoy putting my uniform on when I got to the field, enjoy going out and shagging fly balls and enjoy myself,” Murphy said.

Baseball didn’t instantly become all fun and games for Murphy. He worked religiously to improve himself as a hitter and an outfielder.

For help in those areas, he turned to former Jayhawk center fielder Matt Baty. Baty was a four-year starter for Kansas and, from him, Murphy learned how to better analyze the game.

“I learned a lot about the game and the game inside the game,” Murphy said. “He was a big guy on making the pitcher work when he was on the bases and there’s a lot of aspects where he wasn’t the most talented guy, but he got the most out of his abilities. The one thing I learned is that regardless of ability, you can be the best you can be by just being smart and intelligent about playing the game.”

It could be said that Baty gave Murphy a crash course lesson on playing outfield when the two collided trying to catch a line drive to left-center against Lipscomb last season.

Murphy speared Baty on the play, busting up his own face and lacerating Baty’s spleen, which kept Baty out for several weeks.

“We always joke around that I destroyed his good looks because he’s got a big ol’ scar from his nose down and how he beat me up because I spent so much time in the hospital,” Baty said.

Good friends at the time of the collision, Baty said the two became best friends following the incident. Baty was one of Murphy’s biggest supporters during his struggles at the plate and, although Baty works in Dallas for the Big 12 Conference, the two still talk over the phone at least once a week.

Come January, it was clear that even with Baty’s help, Murphy still had to produce on offense to be in the starting lineup.

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At the Kansas baseball media day, coach Ritch Price said Murphy would get every opportunity to be the team’s starting center fielder because his glove was so valuable. If Murphy managed to hit .250, Price said he’d be the happiest coach in the country.

“We wanted him to be our center fielder,” Price said. “He’s so special with the glove in his hand. In my 29 years of coaching, he’s the best defensive outfielder I’ve ever coached.”

Considering the season Murphy has put together, Price must be absolutely giddy.

After an 0-for-3 day in the season opener, Murphy went on a tear, batting .389 in his next 10 games from the ninth spot in the order. But even when Price struggled to find a reliable leadoff hitter, he was hesitant to throw Murphy into the role.

“I was afraid if I moved him to the top of the lineup, he’d see more breaking balls, he’d see more change ups, he’d get pitched a lot tougher than he would in the nine hole and then he might start to struggle,” Price said.

Price eventually did move Murphy to the top of the order and it appeared his fears had come to fruition as Murphy went 0-for-10 in his first three games as Kansas’ leadoff hitter.

Then Murphy broke out, going 1-for-2 with three runs against Tabor, followed by a 3-for-5 performance against nationally ranked Arkansas with a home run, five RBI and two runs. Since, he’s produced like the leadoff hitter Price envisioned when he recruited Murphy at Indian Hills Community College.

Murphy has upped his batting average 162 points from last season to .315, good for the second best average on the team. He leads the Jayhawks with 56 hits and 12 stolen bases and is tied for the lead with 39 runs scored and 82 total bases.

But without his new outlook on baseball, that first hitless afternoon could have gotten the best of Murphy, stunting his senior season.

“Now when I go 0-for-4, I look at that and compare it to last season and realize it’s not a big deal,” Murphy said. “I went 0-for-4 several times over last year.”

Even when Murphy does go hitless at the plate, he remains an asset on the field.

With his speed and ability to read hits off the bat, center field is where fly balls have gone to die for Kansas’ opponents. At the same time, his cannon for an arm has amassed a team-best six outfield assists this season, forcing base runners to think twice about testing him.

“He is special,” Tucker said. “You can’t necessarily coach what he brings to the table. He’s naturally athletic, he’s gifted with a great arm and he’s got the work ethic to go along with it. He’s got the whole package.”

Murphy’s prowess as an outfielder even impressed his peers.

“The guy can just straight go out and get the ball,” Baty said. “He has the best hands I’ve seen out in the outfield. He gets to balls you just dream of getting to.”

Baty did radio commentary for Kansas’ series at Texas Tech two weekends ago and said Murphy was the best center fielder he’d ever played with.

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Now equipped with the offensive production to complement his defense, all of Murphy’s hard work may end up paying off in the form of a professional contract.

Murphy said playing professional baseball was his ultimate goal, but the thought was inconceiveable at times. Then again, he’s already gone further in baseball than he ever thought possible.

“Being in a major program like this was something that I wasn’t really sure was possible,” Murphy said. “I came to junior college where we were buying our T-shirts and cleats. Coming to a program like this, I was really blown away with how we were treated and the things we were given to perform each day.”

The consensus among Murphy’s coaches is that this June, Murphy will be packing his bags again. But this time it will be to begin his professional baseball career.

“He’s put up some good numbers offensively and defensively, I think he could jump right in at that level,” Tucker said. “If somebody gives him a good opportunity, he’s really going to make them happy.”

However, Murphy is enjoying his last few weeks as a college baseball player. He’ll worry about the summer when the time comes.

“There’s a good chance I’ll be able to do that,” Murphy said, “but that’s something that’s in the future and right now I need to stay focused on the present of winning some games and making the Big 12 Tournament.”

Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@kansan.com.

— Edited by Katie Sullivan