Friday, February 29, 2008
To say the Kansas baseball team is off to a slower start than usual would be an understatement.
Never before under coach Ritch Price, and not since 1999, have the Jayhawks started a season 2-4, where they now sit heading into this weekend’s Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn.
Although Kansas has struggled primarily at the plate, Price is counting on his pitching staff to reverse the team’s fortune. This weekend, that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of junior left-handers Nick Czyz (0-1) and Sam Freeman (1-0) and sophomore lefty Shaeffer Hall (0-0).
“The big thing is we need to continue to pitch well,” Price said. “Nick Czyz did not give us a quality outing in his last performance and neither did Shaeffer Hall. We’re counting on both of those guys taking a step forward and giving us a quality outing.”
Against Hawaii-Hilo last weekend, Czyz and Hall combined to allow nine runs in 7.2 innings, striking out just four, but walking just as many. Freeman, on the other hand, salvaged the final game of the Hawaii-Hilo series, striking out four in six innings, allowing just two runs en route to victory.
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Junior left-hander Andy Marks had a setback on Wednesday in his recovery from a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. “He wasn’t able to finish his bullpen, so he’ll get in and see our trainer and get evaluated,” Price said. “We’ll see where we go from there. “I think it’s one of those things where they tell you, you’re going to go forward and you’re going to go backward. That’s part of the rehab process.”
Czyz will throw today against the No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores (3-1), who will send out sophomore left-hander Mike Minor (1-0). Minor, a 13th round draft pick out of high school, was stellar in his first start of the season. Facing the defending National Champion Oregon State Beavers, he allowed just one run on five hits in six innings, while striking out six and earning the victory.
However, during their victory against the Beavers, the Commodore offense took a devastating blow, losing All-American third baseman, junior Pedro Alvarez for six weeks to a broken hand. Vanderbilt, with five .300 hitters in the lineup, is carrying on in his absence.
Hall will throw tomorrow against Xavier (1-2) and senior right-hander Michael Lucas (0-0), who should prove less formidable than Minor. Lucas struggled in Xavier’s only victory of the Coca-Cola Classic last weekend against Fairfield. In 3.2 innings, he allowed seven runs on nine hits and a walk, netting a lofty 17.18 ERA.
Offensively, senior left fielder Robbie Kelley and sophomore first baseman Zac Richard lead the Musketeers. Each hit a home run last weekend and is batting .500 and .462, respectively.
Freeman will anchor the rotation once again, this time against Iowa (1-2) and junior right-hander Steve Turnbull (0-0) will pitch on Sunday. Turnbull did Lucas one better last weekend, fetching a 18.00 ERA after surrendering six earned runs in three innings against Notre Dame on six hits and two walks.
The Hawkeye offense is led by senior center fielder Caleb Curry. Through three games, Curry is batting .692 with five RBIs and has yet to be caught in five steal attempts.
Contrasting how hot Curry has been is how cold the Kansas lineup has been through six games, particularly the upperclassmen.
Only junior center fielder Nick Faunce, .462, and junior catcher Buck Afenir, .400, are hitting above .275 for Kansas. Last year’s leading hitter, senior left fielder John Allman, is hitting just .211. Senior right fielder Ryne Price, who led the Jayhawks in home runs last year, is hitting .150 with just one extra-base hit.
“The guys that are struggling out of the gate are the same guys who are the proven hitters on our team, who have been successful before and are going to hit,” Price said.
As a team, Kansas has struck out 56 times while compiling just 47 hits. Wednesday against Arkansas, Kansas struck out 16 times and had only four hits.
Price’s only explanation is that his players aren’t yet up to game speed. Price said his players, after hitting in cages all preseason and facing slower pitchers in Hawaii, were now trying to catch up to faster Division I pitchers.
If they don’t catch up soon, they may find themselves flirting with the 2-9 start the 1999 Jayhawks got off to.
However, Nashville has a way of bringing out the best in the Jayhawks. Plus, they have a reputation to protect.
“We’ve won that tournament the last two times we’ve been there,” Price said,” so we’re not ducking them.”
—Edited by Russell Davies
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