Four Jayhawks Earn All-Big 12 Honors

Four Kansas baseball players earned All-Big 12 Conference honors, the league office  announced Tuesday. Senior outfielder Jimmy Waters was named to the second team, while freshman second baseman Ka’iana Eldredge was selected to the freshman all-conference squad. Senior outfielder Casey Lytle and pitcher T.J. Walz garnered honorable mention.

Continued on kuathletics.com

Live Blog: Kansas at Kansas State

Sunflower Showdown

Walk-on to Record Books

In Friday night's 14-4 victory over Alabama A&M senior pitcher T.J. Walz became the first Jayhawk, and only 10th Big 12 pitcher, to record 300 career strikeouts.  He also tied former KU great Jim Phillips (1980-83) for first place in total wins with 26. 

Consider the fact that Walz entered the KU baseball program as a walk-on, and his coaches give good reason for his feats being so impressive.

"I have been fortunate enough in my career to coach a lot of outstanding pitchers," said KU head coach Ritch Price.  "Certainly, since I have been at Kansas, T.J. has been one of the top guys that we have had."

“He has done everything we have asked him to do and he is one of the best workers he have had here," Jayhawk pitching coach Ryan Graves said. “He deserves all the accolades he is going to get."

Read the complete story on kuathletics.com.

Kansas Student-Athlete Spotlight: Jimmy Waters

Kansas left fielder Jimmy Waters is the subject of today's Student-Athlete Spotlight on Big12Sports.com.

Highs and Lows

Whenever we play Wichita State, it’s an important game to play well and win. This game means a lot to the players. We have guys on the team like Jordan Jakubov and Jake Marasco, who grew up minutes from the WSU campus, that want nothing less than a win against the Shockers. This game is also big for bragging rights. A lot of us have played summer baseball with the Wichita State players over the years and a lot of talk each year leads up to these games.

So to say the least, last week’s sweep over in-state rival Wichita State was special for us, especially after a very disappointing weekend at Texas Tech.  Last season, WSU handed us a beating at their place, and I think it’s safe to say we returned the favor this season.

The two games against the Shockers may have been two of our best overall games all season. Our pitching was great and kept the WSU hitters off-balance in both games. Our defense was terrific, including big-time plays like Casey Lytle’s diving catch to save possibly three runs and Brandon Macias making a Jeter like play on a groundball hit deep in the 6 hole to end the game. The bats were red hot and really worked the WSU pitching staff including a season-high in hits for the team on Wednesday. Everyone on the team contributed in some way in those two wins and it was a very good midweek series for us.

Jimmy Waters at Wichita State.

If you have never heard that baseball is a humbling game… well here is an example. After dismantling WSU, we were confident heading into Oklahoma for a huge Big 12 Conference matchup. Oklahoma had our number last season and this was a chance to return the favor on their home field. We started off the first game by taking a 1-0 lead after I hit a home run in the first inning. Things seemed like we were going to keep rolling like we had done against WSU, but that was not the case.

We played poorly all game and made many mistakes and, to Oklahoma’s credit, they exposed those mistakes and took advantage of them.  The second game was very similar to game one which made the finale very important. After battling back-and-forth on Sunday we found ourselves down by 3 runs in the ninth. Chris Manship led off the inning with his first career home run. Two batters later, Macias hit a two-run homer to tie the game. This was very similar to the Sunday game against Texas Tech when freshman Tucker Tharp hit a three-run home run in the ninth to take the lead. We headed into the bottom of the ninth hoping to get to extra innings, but in the end the baseball gods could not reward us for our effort and we lost off a walk-off grand slam.

Baseball is a funny game. Right when you think you have turned the corner and things are going good, you get humbled in heart-breaking fashion. The only thing you can do is let that burn inside and use it has a motivator to keep working hard and getting better.

Jayhawks in the Pros



Former Jayhawk Shaeffer Hall
is 2-2 with a 2.87 ERA for the
Trenton Thunder this season.
Photo courtesy of the
Trenton Thunder



Major Leagues

Tom Gorzelanny

Former Kansas pitcher Tom Gorzelanny is in his seventh major league season and his first with the Washington Nationals. The 6-foot-2 lefty, who played at KU in 2002, is 2-2 with the Nationals this season after picking up a win on Saturday evening. Gorzelanny has posted a 2.87 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings this season. In his seven big league seasons, Gorzelanny has posted a 38-39 record and made 101 starts. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft.

Class AAA

Mike Zagurski

Left-handed pitcher Mike Zagurski, who pitched at KU from 2004-05, was called up to the Philadelphia Phillies roster in mid-April and made two appearances with the team. In those two games, Zagurski allowed two hits while striking out two batters in 1 1/3 innings. Zagurski is still on the Phillies 40-man roster but is now pitching for their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. This year in the minors, Zagurski has a 1-0 record with a 1.08 ERA and four saves in 8 1/3 innings. He was originally selected by the Phillies in the 12^th round of the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft.

Continue Reading Jayhawks in the Pros

Future Jayhawks Q&A: Nate Arnold

In November, Kansas head baseball coach Ritch Price announced his 2011-2012 signing class with the Jayhawks.

Throughout the season we will conducts Q&A’s with the future Jayhawks, who have signed the National Letter of Intent with KU during the November signing period.

Our Seventh Q&A is with Nate Arnold from Pittsburg, Kansas.

Arnold, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound catcher/right-handed pitcher from St. Mary's-Colgan High School in Pittsburg, Kan., is the fourth-ranked high school player out of the state of Kansas according to Perfect Game USA. Arnold hit .490 last season with 11 doubles, eight home runs and 47 RBIs. On the mound, he posted a 5-0 record with 34 strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA. He is a two-time all-league and all-state selection and was honorable mention all-state as a freshman.

Following the recruiting process, why did you decide to sign with the Jayhawks?

I really liked the coaches, the atmosphere, and my future teammates. KU has always been the place I’ve wanted to go, ever since hearing about it from my family members who have attended this school.

Did you make a visit to Lawrence, and what was your most memorable moment or place you remember from your trip?

I’ve made many visits to Lawrence, whether to see a sports event or just to be in the environment and I would say spending time off the field with the players was some of the most exciting times of my life.

What would you like to major in at Kansas?

I would like to major in Sports Management.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life?

The greatest influence on my life would obviously be my parents but if I had to choose someone outside of my family it would be Mike Macfarlane who has been my traveling team coach for the past four or five years.

What is one thing Jayhawk fans would be surprised to know about you?

I pitched in the State Championship game when I was only a freshman, and my School has won seven state titles in a row.

What is your most memorable sports moment you have been involved in?

Winning the homerun derby at the World Series, when I was a year younger than all my opponents.

Favorite Major League Baseball team and player?

The Royals.

What do you bring personally to the Jayhawk program?

A past history of success and the determination to carry that on to field next year.

Do you have any superstitions when playing the game?

No, I believe that you can decide your own fate and no belief can make you do something you don’t want to do.

Besides sports what are your hobbies?

I enjoy spending time with my friends, going to sports events, and giving little kids baseball lessons.

What do you look to get out of your Jayhawk experience?

I’m looking for a degree, a Big 12 championship, and a chance to go to the college world series.

What teams are playing for this spring and summer?

I’m playing for St. Mary’s Colgan High School and the Mac-n-Seitz organization during the summer

If you were not playing baseball what would you be doing?

 I would be spending time with friends and family, and working out.

If you had to be something other than a baseball player what would it be?

I would want to be a coach.

What is your favorite thing about Kansas Baseball?

My favorite things about Kansas baseball are: The players, the coaching staff, and the atmosphere in general.

Don Czyz to be inducted into Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame

All-American Don Czyz will be inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame during K Club and Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2011.

Full Article on kuathletics.com

"Vicious" Victor Ortiz at Hoglund Ballpark

Garden City native and current WBC welterweight world champion Victor Ortiz brought his title belt to Hoglund Ballpark Tuesday night when the Jayhawks hosted in-state foe Wichita State. KU went on to win the game, 7-4. The two teams will meet again this evening in Wichita, with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m. at Eck Stadium.

Born and raised in Garden City, Ortiz is a life-long Jayhawk fan that began boxing at the age of seven. It is currently rumored that Floyd Mayweather is looking to get in the ring with either Ortiz or Miguel Cotto within the next year for his tune-up bout.

Ortiz definitely enjoyed his night at the ballpark in Lawrence on Tuesday, as he indicated on his Twitter page:




You can follow Ortiz on Twitter at:  VICIOUSortiz (twitter.com/viciousortiz)