It may only be mid-February, but spring might as well have arrived because baseball is back.
First pitch for the second season of Kansas baseball under Dan Fitzgerald is set for 3 p.m. Friday, as the Jayhawks take on Illinois-Chicago.
It’s the first installment in a three-game neutral-site series set in Corpus Christi, Texas — the same place KU began its season each of the last two years — which will take place through Sunday afternoon, with all games streamed on FloBaseball.
The Jayhawks will hope to set the tone for a successful campaign after going 25-27 in Fitzgerald’s first year and adding marquee pitchers and depth in the field via the transfer portal and the JUCO ranks.
The weekend will provide the first opportunity to take the mound in crimson and blue for the likes of Reese Dutton, who transferred from USC Upstate and is already receiving preseason award attention, and Grant Adler, a Wichita native who most recently played college ball for Wichita State.
Listed as probable starters for KU this weekend are Dutton (Friday), freshman Dominic Voegele (Saturday) and Central Arizona College transfer Patrick Steitz (Saturday).
It also means a return to the diamond for reigning Big 12 Conference co-freshman of the year Kodey Shojinaga and league tournament hero Janson Reeder, among others, as KU retains most of its starters in the field. Keep an eye on catcher Jake English as a potential breakout candidate, given that Fitzgerald has praised his offensive improvement as he already had strong defensive bona fides and hit 10 home runs last year.
“The guys have worked at a really high level and have been great teammates from day one,” Fitzgerald said in a press release. “Our schedule is challenging, and we jump right into it with a very talented and well-coached UIC team. We are in a good spot and ready for the weekend.”
UIC, which is coming off a 28-25 campaign in its first year in the Missouri Valley Conference, will provide a good barometer for the improvement of the Jayhawks as a whole — the Flames were only 22 spots lower than KU in last year’s season-ending NCAA RPI rankings.
They lost by far their top player from last season in infielder Charlie Szykowny, who was a ninth-round pick in the MLB Draft, as well as 12th-round pick Cole Conn, a catcher. But they still return an experienced outfield of AJ Henkle, Rayth Petersen and Carson Roberts, as well as the middle infield of Ryan Nagelbach and Zane Zielinski.
As a freshman, catcher Jackson Bessette went 26-for-72 (.362) at the plate in scattered action and could move into a greater role with Conn’s departure.
UIC was not particularly effective on the mound last year as it amassed a teamwide ERA of 7.02. Brandon Bak (5.75) and Zack Gould (5.77) return this season after pitching some of the highest inning totals of any of the Flames at 72 and 64, respectively. Much like KU, UIC attempted to add pitching depth in the offseason with the likes of Tommy Egan (Houston) and Dylan White (University of Chicago), plus various acquisitions from two-year colleges.
The Flames’ probable starters as listed by KU are Sauk Valley College transfer Dillon Schueler (Friday), Bak (Saturday) and sophomore Kendall Lyons (Sunday).
“Kansas presents all sorts of challenges, very talented, very well-coached team that’s going to compete, really, for a Big 12 championship, I really believe that,” UIC coach Sean McDermott said in a video posted on the Flames’ YouTube channel. “All sorts of opportunities for us to deal with some stresses and have some battles, and I think our guys are excited to go play against somebody else.”
KU leads the all-time series against UIC 9-1.
UI Chicago infielder Zane Zielinski (3) plays in an NCAA baseball game against Lipscomb on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo/Colin E Braley
AP Photo/John Amis