Major league draft may take up to five Jayhawks

By Staff     Jun 6, 2005

Coach Ritch Price will lose two seniors for certain, and possibly two juniors and a high school recruit.

Price wants progress

By Ryan Wood     May 27, 2005

Texas third baseman David Maroul (8) tags out Kansas University catcher Sean Richardson. Randy Boone threw a shutout, and the Longhorns ended the Jayhawks' season with a 9-0 victory in the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday at SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

? Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price is ready for the next step.

Two Big 12 Conference tournaments in three years is progress enough, but zero postseason victories and a bottom-half finish isn’t where the third-year coach wants to tread.

“The interesting thing about this conference is, in order to be in the first five you have to be in the Top 25,” Price said after KU’s 9-0 loss to Texas on Thursday. “For me, the whole thing is a process. You have to be competitive to have a chance to get over the hump. I think we’ve made great strides in every phase of the game.”

KU certainly was a different team than in the conference-season opener against Nebraska in April. Defense was a costly burden for much of the season but was a strength by the end. KU made no errors in the Big 12 Tournament, and saw a couple of dazzling plays by third baseman Erik Morrison, who struggled early this season at the hot corner, a new position for him.

Price emphasizes one facet that needs to stay consistent — starting pitching. Kodiak Quick will be back for his senior season if he’s not lured by a professional offer. Sean Land and Tyson Corley both started Big 12 games and will return. Price also looks forward to a couple of arms he recruited, including Blue Valley West’s Nick Czyz, the brother of current Jayhawk reliever Don Czyz.

“The next step for us is to get over the hump, finish in the first five and become a Top 25 program,” Price said. “I like our freshman class a lot, and I like our junior class that’s returning if we don’t get hurt in the draft next week.

“And we think we’ve signed two big-time arms. You have to be able to pitch to play in this conference.”

Strikeout king: Mike Zagurski’s outing wasn’t pretty, but it did contribute to a KU record.

Zagurski’s third-inning punch-out of Chance Wheeless gave him the school record for single-season strikeouts. Roger Slagle had the previous mark of 111, set in 1976.

Zagurski needed two strikeouts for 112, and that was exactly what he got before Texas knocked him out of the game.

Uncle Pete: One last name in the Texas lineup may have been intimidation enough.

Batting ninth for the Longhorns on Thursday was Thomas Incaviglia. The sophomore is the nephew of Pete Incaviglia, a former Oklahoma State outfielder regarded as one of the greatest college baseball players of all time.

Pete played at OSU from 1983 to 1985, and in 1985 he hit 48 home runs and drove in 143 runs in just 75 games. He finished his three-year career with 100 home runs, an NCAA record.

Thomas doesn’t have power. In two seasons, he’s yet to hit a homer.

What now?: Now that KU’s season is over, most of the players will spread out all over the country playing in various summer leagues. Meanwhile, a couple of upperclassmen — catcher Sean Richardson and outfielder A.J. Van Slyke, perhaps — could be selected in the major league baseball amateur draft June 7-8.

KU eliminated from Big 12 Tournament

By Kevin Romary     May 26, 2005

Kansas University’s baseball team lost to Texas, 9-0, Thursday in an elimination game in the Big 12 Tournament. The Longhorns scored four runs off KU starter Mike Zagurski in the first inning, and added single runs in the second and sixth innings and three more in the fourth.

Baylor, Big 12 don’t scare Jayhawks

By Ryan Wood     May 25, 2005

Well, why not Kansas University?

KU baseball has not fared well in the nine-year reign of the Big 12 Conference, but who cares? This year’s Jayhawks feel they’re different from the previous eight versions — none of which won a postseason game.

Lately, KU’s players have been relaxed and confident. In baseball, that stands for a lot.

The Jayhawks will see where the new attitude can take them at 1 p.m. today during the first day of the Big 12 tournament at SBC Bricktown Ballpark. KU will play Baylor, the only league team to sweep the Jayhawks this season.

But again, who cares?

“One through eight are the good teams in the conference,” outfielder Matt Baty said. “It doesn’t matter who we play.”

Kansas can’t help but feel included. At 36-26 overall, the Jayhawks won seven of their last 11 conference games and leaped from last place to seventh.

After Baylor completed a three-game sweep April 17, KU dropped to 3-9 in league play and its Big 12 tourney hopes were a pipe dream. Now, an NCAA regional berth is possible if the Jayhawks can string together victories this week.

“I told my guys, a year ago, Missouri was a six seed and played for the title,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “Once you get there, anything can happen.”

Kansas is in the tournament for the second time in Price’s three years. In ’03, Kansas went 0-2, falling to Nebraska and Missouri, then missed the tournament last season.

“It’s a great event,” Price said. “They averaged over 7,000 (fans) a game when were there two years ago. It’s a great way to finish out the season, and it’s great to play in something really special.”

But, at the same time, Kansas is shooting for enough success this week so it’s NOT the finish to the season. KU will bring its big guns into the first two games of the double-elimination tournament, throwing Kodiak Quick (10-5, 3.53 earned-run average) against the Bears today, with left-hander Mike Zagurski (8-4, 4.46) going Thursday. Zagurski has been especially solid during KU’s turnaround, winning his last four conference starts.

Offensively, KU has been steady from the get-go — but none more so than first baseman Jared Schweitzer, who’s hitting a team-best .372 this season, and outfielder A.J. Van Slyke, who’s leading KU in home runs (12) and RBIs (57).

With a combination of hitting and pitching, the Jayhawks have racked up 36 victories heading into today’s clash, the most from a KU team since 1994 — also the last time KU played in the NCAA regionals.

With the regionals door cracked open, KU is hoping to bust it down and prolong the season.

Hey, why not KU?

“In the last five weeks, we’ve been as good as anybody in this league,” Price said. “Now we have an opportunity to show how far we’ve grown and how much better we are.”

Baty to face Baylor injured

By Mike Rigg     May 24, 2005

The Jayhawks will open Big 12 Tournament play on Wednesday with one of their best outfielders playing hurt.

Jayhawks hit wall in finale

By Andy Samuelson     May 23, 2005

Jared Soares
Kansas University outfielder Matt Baty can't catch a fly ball against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys beat the Jayhawks, 9-3, in the regular-season finale Sunday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark. KU will face Baylor in the Big 12 Conference tournament Wednesday.

Good thing Kansas University’s baseball team clinched its berth into next week’s Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday.

Sunday’s 9-3 loss to Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale at Hoglund Ballpark wasn’t much of a graduation gift for the Jayhawks’ 11 seniors. But KU (36-26 overall, 11-15 Big 12) will be competing in its second conference tournament during coach Ritch Price’s three-year tenure.

“At least we took care of business (Saturday),” Price said. “We certainly had enough opportunities to score (Sunday), but we couldn’t come up with any clutch hits.”

Indeed, the Jayhawks matched the Cowboys’ hits at 14 apiece, but Kansas didn’t bring its base-runners across the plate, stranding 14.

With the victory, the defending Big 12 champion Cowboys secured a sixth-place finish in the conference. Meanwhile, Kansas finished seventh and will play Baylor – the only league foe it didn’t defeat at least once this season – at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the double-elimination conference tournament in Oklahoma City.

“If I’m somebody in the Big 12 right now, I don’t want to play us,” KU center fielder Matt Baty said of the Jayhawks, who have won seven of their last 11 conference games. “We’re hot, and we’ve been playing really good ball.”

No one was hotter Sunday than OSU’s Adam Carr. The Cowboy’s first baseman slugged three home runs, and accounted for all but one of Okie State’s nine RBIs.

Kansas senior starter Scott Sharp ran into trouble in the first, when he loaded the bases with no outs. OSU scored twice on three hits, but Kansas answered with a run in the second when freshman third baseman Erik Morrison was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

KU’s comeback didn’t last long, however, because the Cowboys cranked out three more runs in the third.

Down 6-2 in the fifth it looked as if the Jayhawks might mount a comeback. Instead KU left the bases loaded, a trend that would include seven Jayhawks left on base in three innings – including the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh.

Despite the lopsided setback the Jayhawks said they are satisfied with their late season run that saw them climb from the conference’s seller to a seventh-place finish.

“Our goal a month ago was to make the Big 12 tournament,” said KU shortstop Ritchie Price. “We did that.

“I think a month ago against Texas Tech we started really playing well and started to really hit the ball. We developed a swagger that we were as good as any of these teams, and we started to finally play like that.”

Clash, crash, clinch

By Chuck Woodling     May 22, 2005

Jared Soares
Oklahoma State base-runner Cody Merrell collides with Kansas University catcher Sean Richardson, right. Merrell was out on the play, which caused both benches to empty during KU's 7-5 victory Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark. The victory assured KU a spot in the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Hey, hey, who doesn’t love May? Kansas University’s baseball team sure does.

Left for dead in the Big 12 Conference in late April, the Jayhawks clinched a rare berth in the league tournament by taking two games from Oklahoma State on Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.

Kodiak Quick pitched a one-hitter for six innings, and KU scored in every frame for a two-touchdown 17-3 triumph in the completion of the game that was suspended Friday night when the lights went out.

Then, catcher Sean Richardson doubled, homered and drove in three runs as the Jayhawks captured the evening contest, 7-5.

“This is one of the best days we’ve had since I’ve been here,” KU coach Ritch Price said.

Jared Soares
The Kansas University dugout erupts after a home run by catcher Sean Richardson. The Jayhawk baseball team beat Oklahoma State twice Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark, clinching a berth in the Big 12 Conference tournament.

“I’m really proud of our players. We’ve grown by leaps and bounds.”

On April 29, the Jayhawks were blanked by Kansas State, 7-0. Their conference record dipped to 4-11. They appeared headed for sole possession of the league basement.

“Three weeks ago,” said Mike Zagurski, the senior pitcher who won Saturday’s second game, “we were pretty much dead. Now, we’re right back in it.”

Since that Kansas State whitewash, the Jayhawks have won seven of 10 conference games and can finish no worse than seventh in the conference standings. If they knock off Oklahoma State again in today’s regular-season finale, they’ll finish sixth.

Only eight of the league’s 10 teams that have baseball programs will qualify for next week’s conference tourney in Oklahoma City.

“It feels great,” Zagurski said. “We didn’t want to have to have some other teams lose for us to get in. We wanted to take care of it ourselves.”

Take care of it, they did. Kansas rocked seven Oklahoma State hurlers of 32 hits in the two game — 20 in the opener and 12 in the finale.

Richardson was the ringleader. The senior catcher drove in four runs in the afternoon contest with three doubles. Then he stroked a two-run double in the first inning of the nightcap, and slammed a solo homer into the trees behind the left-field fence in the third.

Richardson’s homer occurred minutes after a benches-emptying incident that closed the top of the third. OSU runner Cody Merrell had tried to score from second on a single to left by Steve Ptak, but A.J. Van Slyke’s throw beat Merrell to the plate by five yards.

A dead duck, Merrell rammed into Richardson in a futile attempt to jar the ball loose, and that’s an NCAA no-no.

“He made an aggressive play,” Richardson said after the game. “I don’t fault him for being aggressive, but you can’t do that in college.”

At the time, however, Richardson was steamed, and both benches emptied.

“I was a little fired up, but I regained my composure,” the KU backstop said, “and coach Price yanked me back to the dugout.”

Merrell was ejected, and so was KU’s Michael Fitch, a reserve pitcher who was one of the many players who erupted from both dugouts.

Basically overlooked by the Jayhawks’ robust hitting and solid pitching was the fact KU wasn’t charged with a single error all day. KU’s only miscue in the two games was by starting pitcher Sean Land on Friday night.

When they were mired in the league cellar, the Jayhawks also were last in league fielding statistics, mainly because of a slew of gaffes by infielders. Now, the infield, which has two freshmen in third baseman Erik Morrison and second baseman Ryne Price (a former catcher at Free State High), has solidified.

“Early on, we were not very good,” Zagurski said, “but now I’ll take that infield over anybody in the country.”

Notes: KU improved to 36-25 overall and 11-14 in league play while OSU dipped to 32-23 and 11-15. … Zagurski (8-4) struggled early, but retired the last nine Cowboys he faced to win his fourth straight league game. … Zagurski also fanned six to boost his season whiff total to 110. The school record is 111. … KU hadn’t taken a series from OSU since 1993 … On the day, Richardson was 5-for-10 with seven RBIs, Schweitzer was 4-for-6 with four RBIs and Van Slyke 5-for-9 with an RBI. …KU’s only other appearance in the Big 12 Tournament was in 2003.

Power outage ends game early for Jayhawks

By Mike Rigg     May 20, 2005

The Jayhawks were leading the Cowboys, 6-3, when the game was postponed because of a power outage Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

Jayhawks want to secure Big 12 spot

By Kevin Romary     May 19, 2005

Kansas University’s baseball team will take on Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Friday at Hoglund Ballpark in the start of a three-game series. The Jayhawks are currently eighth in the league.

Missouri dominates KU

By Kevin Romary     May 13, 2005

The Missouri Tigers took out Kansas University’s baseball team, 8-0, in the series opener Friday at Taylor Stadium.

Junior posing difficulties to opposing pitchers

By Kevin Romary     May 10, 2005

Jared Schweitzer is not necessarily an imposing figure, yet Big 12 pitchers just can’t seem to find a way to get the Jayhawk junior out.

KU baseball team in the hunt for Big 12 Tournament

By Kevin Romary     May 9, 2005

Kansas’s 2-of-3 performance against Texas will keep the team’s hopes alive for a good seed in the tournament.

Jayhawks unable to sweep Longhorns

By D.J. Whetter     May 8, 2005

Although Kansas University’s baseball team won the series against Texas this weekend, the Jayhawks were unable to sweep the series. The Longhorns took out the Jayhawks, 16-5, in game three Sunday.

KU baseball tops Texas

By D.J. Whetter     May 6, 2005

The Jayhawks took out one of the best baseball teams in the country Friday after beating the Longhorns, 5-2, at Hoglund Ballpark.

Czyz’s a recipe for success

By Kevin Romary     May 5, 2005

In his last three appearances, junior Don Czyz has earned three consecutive saves — two against Kansas State and one against Wichita State. He’s pitched four and two-thirds innings over that stretch while surrendering just one earned run and striking out four players on the year.

Weekend games give KU baseball fresh hope

By Staff     May 2, 2005

The victories over K-State give the Jayhawks a chance to get into the Big 12 Tournament.

Jayhawks rout Wildcats

By D.J. Whetter     May 1, 2005

Kansas University’s baseball team took out the Kansas State Wildcats, 6-4, Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks needed the win for any chance of making it into the Big 12 tournament.

K-State shuts out KU

By Mike Rigg     Apr 29, 2005

The Wildcats routed Kansas, 7-0, Friday in Manhattan.

Baylor sweeps series against KU

By Dj Whetter Reporting     Apr 17, 2005

Baylor swept Kansas University’s baseball team, 3-2, Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark. The Bears defeated the Jayhawks 8-4 on Friday and 13-2 on Saturday.

Baylor too much for KU

By Dj Whetter Reporting     Apr 15, 2005

The Baylor Bears took out the Jayhawks, 8-4, Friday at Hoglund Ballpark. The loss drops KU to 24-16 on the season and 3-7 in Big 12 play.

Wichita win extra sweet for some Jayhawks

By Dj Whetter     Apr 7, 2005

The Jayhawks rout of rival Wichita State on Wednesday night was more than just sweet for some Jayhawks. For junior Matt Baty, who’s from Wichita, the game meant a lot more.

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