Price Earns His 300th Career Division I Win as Jayhawks Blast Baker

March 16, 2005

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head Coach Ritch Price collected his 300th career win at the Division I level on Wednesday as the University of Kansas baseball team pounded Baker 16-6 at Hoglund Ballpark.

The win improves the Jayhawks’ overall record to 17-8 this season and gives Price a 300-293-1 record in 11 seasons at Division I level, which includes stints at Kansas and Cal Poly. In KU’s 17-2 victory over North Dakota State on Sunday, Price also passed a milestone as he earned his 700th career coaching victory at all levels. Wednesday’s win gives Price a 701-516-1 record in 27 years at the Division I, junior college and high school levels.

“I’m really excited to get to 300 wins at the Division I level and to earn my 700th career win on Sunday,” said Price. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with some great young men. My biggest goal is to become the winningest coach in Kansas baseball history. Floyd Temple has 437 career wins, so I have a ways to go.”

Baker got on the board first in the game, scoring a run in the top of the second inning after collecting three hits off Kansas starter Logan Murphy.

Murphy was lifted for senior pitcher Clint Schambach after pitching the second frame. Murphy allowed four hits and one earned run in his first start of the season.

Kansas battled back to plate two runs of its own in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single by senior catcher Sean Richardson and an sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman third baseman Erik Morrison.

Baker scored three runs in the top of the third to retake the lead at 4-2. After recording the first out of the inning, Schambach gave up four consecutive hits allowing the Wildcats to score three times. Senior reliever Andrew Rebar came out of the KU bullpen to get the Jayhawks out of the inning and send the game to the home half of the third.

Rebar (2-0) pitched 3 2/3 innings in the contest and allowed only two hits while striking out seven batters to earn his second win of the season.

Junior outfielder A.J. Van Slyke led off the bottom of the third with his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, which cut the Baker lead to 4-3. Junior outfielder Gus Milner followed Van Slyke with a triple to right centerfield and scored in the next at bat on a Richardson sacrifice fly. Senior designated hitter Jake Kauzlarich plated the final run of the inning by flying out to right field allowing junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer to score from third base and give the Jayhawks their first lead of the game at 5-4.

Kansas again posted a three spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. The Jayhawks were able to take advantage of several defensive lapses by Baker, as the Wildcats committed three errors in the inning in addition to walking two batters and hitting another.

After Baker pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to cut the KU lead to 8-5, the Jayhawks responded to score six runs in the home half of the inning and take compete control of the game. After Richardson was retired on a pop up to begin the frame, the next six KU batters reached base and all came around to score. Again the Wildcats were shaky in the field committing three errors to give them a total of six for the game.

Van Slyke plated KU’s final two runs of the game with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh. The Ladue, Mo., native finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate with four RBI to increase his team-lead in that category to 26.

Kansas baseball is back of action this weekend as it hosts Western Illinois in a three-game series at Hoglund Ballpark.