Tuesday, March 4, 2008
In the fourth inning of Kansas’ game at the Music City Classic on Sunday, Nick Faunce hit a fly ball down the right field line as Iowa’s right fielder dived for the ball and missed it. Faunce, thinking the ball was foul, paused coming out of the batter’s box.
The umpire closest to the ball called it fair and Faunce, junior center fielder, had to settle for a double, rather than the sure triple he would have had if he’d sprinted from the start. The Jayhawks tied for first in the three-day Music City Classic tournament.
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2008 Music City Classic All-Tournament Team
Three Jayhawks were named to the All-Tournament team. They were:
— Preston Land, first base
— Casey Larson, outfield
— Shaffer Hall, pitcher
Last season in the rubber match against Missouri, the Jayhawks’ starting right fielder, Brock Simpson, couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to run out a first-inning, infield popup.
Infuriated by Simpson’s lack of hustle, Kansas coach Ritch Price told Simpson he could stay on the bench for the rest of the game and sent then-sophomore Faunce in to replace Simpson.
But, unlike that situation, Faunce wasn’t relegated to the pine. During his four years at Kansas, Faunce has earned the benefit of the doubt from his coach. Price knows the mistakes Faunce makes aren’t a result of indifference.
“He continues to make some mental mistakes. The thing about it, he gives you everything he’s got every day,” Price said. “He’s an engineering major and he’s a really good student. We hope he’ll learn from those kind of mistakes and see if he can eliminate them.”
In Faunce’s defense, he still wasn’t sure the ball was foul after the game because he wasn’t sure the umpire had made the right call.
“The umpire gave me some leniency,” Faunce said.
The truth is, even though Faunce had a Simpsonian slipup Sunday, he’s doing what Simpson failed to do for Kansas last season.
In 2007, Price gave Simpson every opportunity to be Kansas’ full-time leadoff hitter, but Simpson seemed content at just being a regular starter. Starting all but two games for Kansas, he posted a .256 batting average, .382 slugging percentage and .346 on-base percentage.
In Simpson’s absence, Faunce has stepped up as a dependable outfielder and leadoff hitter for the Jayhawks and is already becoming a sparkplug for the team by getting on base and getting the rally started.
“I’m really happy for him,” Price said. “He’s one of the hardest workers on my team. He’s deserved an opportunity to play and he’s making the most of it. He’s waited four years, you know.”
After taking a redshirt his first year at Kansas and appearing mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch runner his last two seasons, Faunce has flourished thus far as a full-time starter.
Through seven games at the start of the season, Faunce’s 11 hits, .440 average and .548 on-base percentage are the best on the team. And it’s probably no coincidence the Kansas offense has looked impressive when he’s at his best.
In the last two games of the Music City Classic, Faunce went a combined 5-for-9 with a walk, five runs and two RBI. The Jayhawks followed suit, scoring a total of 21 runs in those games.
But Faunce doesn’t make a big deal out of it.
“I just feel like I’m trying to be a role player for this team,” Faunce said. “My goal every time I get to the plate is trying to start off an inning for us.”
That’s just what Faunce did on Sunday. Of his career-high four hits, three came when he was leading off an inning. His fourth, a bunt single, showed his versatility.
But, again, they were nothing special to Faunce.
“You can never really expect to get four hits, so I was just trying to put better swings together, limit my strikeouts, stay inside the ball and hit some balls to the right,” Faunce said. “I didn’t get great swings on them, but I put them in play and good things happen when I do that.”
— Edited by Mandy Earles
Senior Ryne Price to play right field
Although Price’s position has changed, his philosophy hasn’t.
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