8A / NEWS / WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KANSAS - 11, ST. MARY - 5
BASEBALL REWIND
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Sophomore pinch-hitter Taylor Hart steals home off of a passed ball Tuesday at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansas defeated Saint Marv 11-5.
"There's nothing more pleasing as a coach when you get the opportunity to play your backup guys," coach Ritch Price said. "I think it's important in their development."
Seventeen position players took the field for defense or got in the game for at least one at-bat. For some it was likely the last time this season they will have that shot, but it was still a chance to showcase how they've improved. And nothing can substitute for live, in-game experience.
The mid-week make-up game against the St. Mary Spires, an NAIA program, provided a chance for the underclassmen and backup players to take the field in a game without conference chips on the table before a tough Thursday matchup with No. 4 Texas.
Jayhawks get glimpse of potential future stars
Well, last night the youth showed. In a good way.
"It's good for them to get the experience and get the at-bats," said sophomore catcher Alex DeLeon. "In a game like this you should be ready to go in and a lot of them were. Some of them had some good
Freshman pitcher Tyler Smith pitched for the first time since facing Baylor on April 3. The Spires scored two earned runs off Smith, who coach Price said "has talent and a good arm."
No doubt, it's a small sample and nothing to get too high or too low about. For young players in backup roles, the real opportunity to begin building their college resume comes in the summer. In June and July, in the humidity and mostly out of sight, players get the chance to play almost every night and work on holes in their game with the focus on Smith and Brown.
The Kansas baseball team is young. It's been said since practices started, back when snow covered the then-pristine turf at Hoglund Ballpark in late January.
BY ALEC TILSON atilson@kansan.com
"He came in as a high profile player and he has really good upside," Price said. "He's just going through some of those freshmen adjustments kids have to make in order to be a good player down the road."
"The summer will be important
at bats."
Brown struck out twice, but it's unsurprising that coaches project him as an everyday player.
Perhaps the game showed a peek of what Kansas baseball might look like in the years to come. Freshman outfielder Jordan Brown, a Blue Springs High School product, got significant playing time for the first time since struggling in early season'non-conference games.
As for the freshmen who consistently get playing time, namely second baseman Kaiana Eldredge and relief pitcher Frank Duncan, they
got the night off. Well, Duncan almost had the night off. He filled in as bat boy, or was urged to anyway.
for both guys," Price said. "They'll get to play 50 games and I think they'll learn through the adversity they've faced this season."
"The senior pitchers probably put him there," senior right fielder Casey Lytle said. "They saw he did well over the weekend so they thought they'd reward him by putting him on the bucket and picking up the bats today."
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
Sophomore outfielder Taylor Hart and freshman catcher Thomas Hougland both pinch hit late in the game for their second at-bat of the season. Hart drew a walk and Hougland struck out looking.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Sophomore third baseman Jordan Drelling fires the ball to first base for an out Tuesday against Saint Mary. The next game for the Jayhawks is this Thursday against Texas.
Kansas
Batting POS AB R H RBI
Brandon Macias SS 3 0 1 1
Jordan Brown CF 4 0 0 0
Casey Lytle RF 2 3 1 2
Jimmy Waters LF 4 1 2 0
Zac Elgie 1B 3 1 1 0
Jake Marasco 3B 2 2 2 1
Alex DeLeon C 3 2 2 5
Thomas Hougland PH 1 0 0 0
Chris Manship DH 2 0 0 0
Totals 31 11 11 9
Batting POS AB R H RB
Josh Barnes CF/P 3 2 1 0
Devin Hupp 3B/CF 4 1 1 2
Cody McCary DH/3B 5 1 2 1
Nick Pierce PH/C 1 0 0 0
Rodney Spillman 2B 2 0 0 0
Kevin Joyce SS/P 5 1 3 1
Stephen Maurin LF 4 0 2 1
Winston Hines LF 4 0 1 0
Lucas Murphy 1B 4 0 1 0
Totals 38 5 11 5
Saint Mary
The third
Key inning
The Jayhawks were able to extend a 3-2 lead to 6-2 after three hits scored three runs in the third inning. Senior outfielder Jimmy Waters scored from second off of a Jake Marasco single, followed by a Casey Lytle home run.
Game to Remember
DeLeon had the first multi-homerun game for Kansas since May 8th of 2010. DeLeon finished the day going two-for-three with five RBIs and two runs scored.
DeLeon
Sophomore catcher Alex DeLeon
Game to Forget
Freshman pitcher Tyler Smith
The talented Kansas freshman allowed two runs off of two hits in the seventh inning. Smith was unable to get out of the inning, and coach Ritch Price attributed Smith's struggles to his lack of command
Smith
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