Czyz and Milner Sweep Big 12 Baseball Weekly Awards

Feb. 14, 2006

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

University of Kansas senior baseball players Don Czyz and Gus Milner were named Big 12 Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Czyz and Milner helped lead No. 30 Kansas to a 6-2 record to open the season including two victories against No. 8 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., last weekend. It marks the first time KU has swept the Big 12 weekly awards.

Czyz picked up three saves in KU’s first six victories of the season with two at Stanford. He did not allow an earned run while striking out nine batters and allowing five hits in seven innings of work. The Overland Park, Kan., native, set KU’s career saves’ record with his first win preservations in 2006. In the series opener against Stanford, he entered the game in the eighth inning with KU leading 3-2 and struck out four Cardinal batters while allowing one hit. That established the Jayhawks’ all-time saves’ mark with his 14th. A day later, he pitched a perfect ninth inning in the 5-4 Kansas win for his 15th career save.

Milner compiled a .545 batting average (18-for-33), 11 runs, two doubles, a pair of triples, three home runs, 16 RBI, and a 1.000 slugging percentage in KU’s first eight games of the season. Against Stanford, the Olathe, Kan., native, blasted two home runs while batting .538 (7-for-13) with seven RBI in three games against the Cardinal. In Sunday’s game, Milner just missed hitting for the cycle by a double while driving in all three KU runs.

Kansas will participate in the Public Storage Classic hosted by Southern Cal in Los Angeles, Calif. this weekend. KU will face host No. 25 USC at 8 p.m. central on Friday, Feb. 17. The Jayhawks will also play No. 9 San Diego on Saturday and Vanderbilt on Sunday.