There’s no doubt Kansas has depth this season. The question is: Do the Jayhawks have balance?

On the mound, five of the six Jayhawks in line to start a bulk of the games are left-handed. In Kansas’ everyday lineup, six of the nine hitters bat from the right side.

The hope for coach Ritch Price is that a mainly southpaw staff will give Kansas an edge in a number of ways, and a right-hand-heavy lineup will give the Jayhawks a home field advantage.

The few left-handed hitters Price plans to use – freshman catcher Jimmy Waters, senior right fielder Ryne Price, sophomore second baseman Robby Price and senior first baseman Justin Ellrich – will suffice as far as Price is concerned.

“I’m a big fan of left-handed hitters,” Price said. “We don’t have as many as we’ve had in the past, but I think with Waters, Ryne, Robby and Ellrich, there’s four pretty good left-handed hitters in that mix.”

Ryne and Robby figure to be in the lineup at all times, but Waters and Ellrich will share time at designated hitter and may sit out some games in favor of a right-handed teammate. Price said having so many right-handed hitters could be advantageous at Hoglund Ballpark because the wind often blows out to left field, where right-handed hitters pull most pitches.

“It’s actually more conducive at our place to be a right-handed hitter than a left-handed hitter most of the time,” Price said.

That being the case, even more importance will be placed on the left arms of Price’s starting pitchers. Opponents will already be inclined to stack their lineups with right-handed hitters against an all-lefty rotation, especially if the wind is at their backs.

However, Price feels his left-handers differ enough in style to throw hitters off from game to game. In particular, Price said junior Sam Freeman had the best fastball on the team, which ranged from 88-93 mph, as well as one of the best changeups on the team. Junior Andy Marks, Price continued, was more of a breaking ball, changeup pitcher. The only other pitcher Price mentioned was junior Nick Czyz, who he said was working on becoming a better control pitcher.

If the southpaws can pitch effectively, Price said they could offer additional benefits.

“Part of our plan is to try to contain the left-handed hitters in our conference and control the running game,” Price said.

Of course, if it’s up to Jayhawk hitters, they’ll give their starting pitchers plenty of wiggle room, no matter which arm they throw with.

Senior shortstop Erik Morrison, a right-handed hitter and proud of it, said the goal for the Kansas offense was to score six runs a game. But with the depth he sees up and down the order, Morrison said six was more of a minimum than a maximum.

“We’re not going to be settling for six runs a game,” Morrison said. “You want to get up into double-digits. You want to put teams away. You want to step on their throat and put them down. In this conference, everyone’s so deep that anyone can come back.”

—Edited by Russell Davies

About Hawaii-Hilo

The Vulcans began their season last weekend against Hawaii-Manoa and lost the series, 1-2. After three games, three players are off to good starts, offensively. Second baseman Michael Higa is batting .700 with the team’s only home run, four runs and two RBI. Third baseman Shane Kessel is second on the team in batting with a .400 average and .500 on-base percentage. Center fielder Dayne Ogawa is batting .308 and leads the team in doubles with two. Of Hawaii-Hilo’s projected starting pitchers, only right-hander Clayton Uyechi has an ERA under 3.00 after allowing a lone unearned run in six innings last weekend. As a staff, the Vulcans have walked 14 batters in 27.2 innings while having struck out just 11.

He said it…

“The biggest thing I want to see is the sun.” – Sophomore left-hander Wally Marciel, a Kailua, Hawaii, native, on what he was most looking forward to as he returns home.

— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird

The Bench

Even with solid production from its lineup and strong outings from its rotation, Kansas will rely just as much on its bench and bullpen. Defensively, Kansas will use senior Matt Berner as its top utility man, senior Justin Ellrich could see some time at first base, senior Joe Southers could get some action behind the plate and senior Casey Larson and freshman Brian Heere will play some in the outfield. Ellrich and Southers could also be rotated into the designated hitter role, while Larson may also be used as a pinch runner. Senior Eric Snowden will be Kansas’ primary pinch hitter. In the bullpen, senior righty Hiarali Garcia, junior lefty Daniel Manos, sophomore right-handers Thomas Marcin and Brett Bollman and freshman righty T.J. Walz will be relied upon to bridge the gap to closer Paul Smyth.

— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird

Milestone Watch

Milestone Watch

Career Home Runs

1. Travis Metcalf (2002-2004) – 29

6. Erik Morrison (2005-present) – 24

6. Ryne Price (2005-present) – 24

Hit By Pitch

1. Ritchie Price (2003-2006) – 53

2. John Allman (2005-present) – 40

3. Ryne Price (2005-present) – 38

— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird