Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Kansas Jayhawks vs. St. Mary Spires (Leavenworth)
3 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark
Players to Watch – Kansas
SP – freshman Tanner Poppe
Though he’s made three appearances for the Jayhawks, this afternoon’s contest marks Poppe’s first start in crimson and blue. The native of Girard, Kan. has been lauded for his live arm, but needs to work on his control to be successful, especially as Kansas moves into conference play.
SS – junior Brandon Macias
The junior college transfer has been stout in the middle of Kansas’ infield, displaying good range and a quick glove. But Macias has started slow at the plate, currently hitting at a .152 clip. Over the weekend against Iowa though, Macias turned in a number of good at-bats, notching two smash hits and lining into a few tough-luck outs.
When coach Ritch Price was scheduling make-up games and brought St. Mary’s College (0-2) to come play at Hoglund Ballpark, he wasn’t doing so to provide Kansas (7-3) with a non-conference test.
Junior infielder Brandon Macias rifles the ball to first base after a diving stop.
Price brought in the Division II Spires to play what he called a “developmental game” – which he says will provide opportunities for young pitchers to see time that they missed because of games lost to bad weather early in the season.
One such youngster is freshman Tanner Poppe, who will get the start for Kansas. Price said one of the main goals for the game against the Spires is to evaluate which pitchers will make the best mid-week starters.
“We’ve got to get him on the mound and find out if he can make progress in the next three weeks before we go to Baylor,” Price said.
Poppe will need to show improvement if he intends to be relied upon both as a spot starter, and out of the bullpen.
In his last noteworthy appearance, 1 1/3 innings in relief against Arkansas on March 2, Poppe was plagued by a lack of command. He gave up four runs, two of them unearned, on two hits and four walks to suffer the loss. Poppe did strike out two, but also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
The issues with control have prompted Poppe to spend extra time working with pitching coach Ryan Graves on his fundamentals on the mound.
“Coach Graves and I have been working getting me on time,” Poppe said. “Just getting my balance right and getting my arm on time.”
Even during his struggles against Arkansas, the six-foot-five Poppe boasted a powerful arm, one that has impressed coach Price since the offseason workouts.
“The ball just sounds different coming out of his hand,” Price said.
Physical tools in tow, Poppe said he’s excited to get the chance to start, and that this afternoon’s contest is the perfect venue to do just that.
“It feels good that they’re giving me another shot,” Poppe said. “They just want to see that I can do better: locate better, and attack hitters.”
Freshman pitcher excels in outing
Tanner Poppe lasts five innings and strikes out four.
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