How much can you ask of a baseball player?
Kansas University coach Ritch Price is no doubt pushing the limits with senior Kevin Wheeler. In addition to being the team’s top power hitter, Wheeler also has been called upon to be one of the top pitchers on a lefty-heavy staff.
The sacrifices have earned Wheeler well-deserved praise from his first-year coach.
“Kevin,” Price says, “is the MVP of our team right now.”
Wheeler seems to be taking all the responsibility in stride and admits he’s actually enjoying it.
“I love doing both,” Wheeler said. “I want to be out there as much as I can doing whatever I can, but it is tough maintaining my arm and at the same time having to focus on getting some good swings at the plate.”
It doesn’t seem to be too tough. As he prepares for his start against No. 11 Nebraska — first pitch is 7 tonight at Hoglund Ballpark — Wheeler boasts some pretty respectable numbers. He has a 4-1 record and a 4.13 ERA on the mound, and a .376 batting average with eight home runs and 27 RBIs at the plate.
And, as if it couldn’t get more demanding, Wheeler is a switch-hitter, considered to be twice as tough to master.
“I have to work on two different swings,” Wheeler said. “Right now, I’m swinging left-handed a little bit better, but hopefully right-handed will come around a little bit.”
Wheeler admits he always looks forward to the KU-Nebraska series. A native of Omaha, Neb., Wheeler is good buddies with a couple of the Nebraska players. He has kept track of the Cornhuskers’ success, which included College World Series appearances the last two years.
Nebraska is off to a 21-6 start this season, having won 10 in a row heading into tonight’s game.
“Every year, this has been the most important series for me,” Wheeler said. “Every time we play those guys, it’s fun. They’re definitely my biggest rival.”
Ledbetter, a sophomore first baseman/designated hitter for Nebraska, is off to a solid start to his Division One career. In 20 games, Ledbetter is hitting .327 with six homers and 22 RBIs. He has four homers during the Huskers’ current 10-game winning streak.
Ledbetter originally went to Garden City Community College for a season before transferring to Nebraska.
