10B
BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
can't wait that long.
Still, Kansas cracked the scoreboard first Wednesday night, using the Shockers third pitcher. Leffhander Anthony Capra entered the game in the top of the fifth in a jam. Jayhawk first baseman Ross Kelling stood at home plate with a full count while junior right fielder Brock Simpson was at second after a leadoff double.
With one pitch, Capra struck out Kelling, but he wasn't as lucky with Simpson. Simpson stole third and scored when Capra threw a wild pitch to the fence.
Better prepared after what must have been a stressful entrance, Capra struck out the side the layhawks next time up. He didn't surrendered a single hit.
Wichita State 2. Kansas 1
"I kind of try not to pay atten
Kansas 0 0 0
1 0 0 0
0 — 1 4
1
Wichita State 0 0
0 0 0
0 1 X —
2 6 0
Andres Esquibel, Wally Marcel (4), Hiarail Garcia (7), Paul Smyth (7) and Buck Afenir. Tyson Fugett, Jared Simon (4), Anthony Capra (5), Noah Booth (7) and Tyler Weber. W — Booth (6-1), L — Smyth, P (3-3), S — None, 2B — KU, Simpson, B.
Records: Kansas (19-23), Wichita State (31-9)
tion to that and just try to go out there and do my job," Esquibel said. "They're 10th in the country they've got some good pitchers."
Capra was just one of several pitchers that brought their ace material to the mound on Wednesday. After Esquibel's exit, lefty Wally Marceli threw three more scoreless innings. He surrendered a hit to the first batter he faced.
"It's a tough loss, no doubt about that," Price said. "I couldn't have asked our pitchers to do any better job today, they were absolutely outstanding for us."
Like Marcel, junior right-hander Hiarli Garcia also gave up a hit to the first Shocker he faced.
The Shockers that pounded out 18 runs against the Jayhawks in March sealed the deal with just two on Wednesday when Gillaspie singled past a diving Ryne Price to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
"We came in here just trying to redeem ourselves, trying to play as hard as we can" Esquibel said. "It was tough. It's tough to lose by a run."
Sophomore catcher Buck Afenir singled in the top of the ninth as the Jayhawks looked for the comeback, but pinch runner Nick Faunce was caught stealing at second to end any threat.
Kansan senior sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Junior right fielder Brock Simpson celebrates with teammates after stealing home. The Jayhawks lost 2-1 after WSU scored a run late in the eighth inning.
》 FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
Ryne Price plays necessary role
Infielder leads team in 'run creation' despite criticism for disappointing statistics
BY SHAWN SHROYER
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
SSHROYER@KANSAN.COM
W ICHITA - One look at Wednesday's box score shows that Kansas'
score shows that Kansas game against Wichita State was uneventful for junior second baseman Ryne Price.
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He went 1-for-4 with a single and three strikeouts. In the field, three grounders and a blooper came his way, which he fielded cleanly, and he tagged out an attempted base-stealer.
Unfortunately for Price, his strikeouts and defense have become the subject of scrutiny.
What has hurt Price's image is how he's performed lately. In his
"He'll be fine," coach Ritch Price said. "He's the most competitive guy on my team."
It's true. Ryne leads the layhawks in errors and strikeouts — two of the most infamous evils a baseball player can commit. But for Kansas, keeping Price at second base and in the heart of its order — despite his 17 errors and 50 strikeouts — is a necessary evil.
During a four-error series against Baylor last weekend, Kansas fans began to wonder out loud why he's the only Jayhawk who hasn't taken a game off this season. Nevertheless, he's keeping his head up.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Junior right fielder Brock Simpson catches a fly ball behind senior second baseman Ryne Price for the final out in the inning.
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Price leads the jayhawks in home runs (8), triples (4), total bases (81) and slugging percentage (.579). He is second in runs (35) and on-base percentage (.421) third in doubles.
last six games, before Wednesday, he accumulated six errors and 10 strikeouts.
The otherwise stellar offensive season he's put together has been lost in the mix as a result.
(9) and fourth in batting average (.286). RBI (23) and walks (21).
And he's accumulated those totals with the sixth most at-bats on the team.
In addition. Price provides pop from the left
almost certainly wouldn't produce enough offensively.
For his career, Berner has a .923 fielding percentage, which is just 22 points higher than Price's fielding percentage this season.
So, would Kansas be better off with Price at designated hitter and someone else at second? Actually, no.
"He'll be fine. He's the most competitive guy on my team."
If anything, Price should be hitting higher than his usual sixth spot in the order.
Junior Matt Berner is next on the depth chart at second base, but there's no guarantee he'd be any better in the field than Price and he
Such a miniscule difference in fielding abilities isn't nearly enough to justify, in effect, replacing one of Kansas' normal designated hitters with Berner and his team-low.118
Five of Kansas' eight starting position players bat right-handed and the remaining lefties, freshman third baseman Robby Price and junior right fielder Brock Simpson, don't have the power potential Ryne does.
side of the plate in a predominantly right-handed batting order.
RITCH PRICE
Thanks in part to Price, who leads the Big 12 in errors, Kansas is at the bottom of the conference in fielding percentage.
But what cost has Kansas paid defensively to keep Price in the lineup?
Ryne Price is not only the best option for Kansas at second base. He's the only option.
batting average.
Shroyer is a Mound City junior in journalism.
Coach
But for the most obstinate of critics, there's still the question of whether Price is doing more harm than good.
This season, Price's 17 errors have led to 18 runs for Kansas' opponents.
By comparison, junior shortstop Erik Morrison, who is second on the team with six home runs, is far behind Price in runs created at 23.
However, with the help of sabermetrics, it's clear that Price is the most effective run-producer on the team.
Sabermetrician Bill James devised a statistic known as "runs created," which calculates how many of a team's runs any one player is responsible for.
The equation is simple: [(hits + walks) x total bases/(at-bats + walks)] and according to it, Price is responsible for creating 31 of Kansas' 285 runs this season.
— Edited by Will McCullough
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Open Rounds Saturday, April 21, 2007
championship on Sunday, April 22, 2007
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registration forms available @ www.leocenter.com and Rec Center