Five Jayhawks Earn All-Conference Honorable Mention

May 20, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Six Kansas baseball players – seniors John Allman, Erik Morrison, Ryne Price, juniors Buck Afenir and Paul Smyth and sophomore Robby Price – earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Tuesday the league office announced.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

Afenir, a junior from <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Escondido, Calif., hit .253 with a career high nine homers and 42 RBIs. Afenir homered in six of KU’s nine conference series this season and – prior to the final game of the season – threw out over 30 percent of would-be base stealers. The Kansas catcher earns All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for the second year in a row.

Allman, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., led the team in hitting for the second straight season with a .365 batting average and also collected career highs in doubles (17), homers (six) and slugging percentage (.553). He also had a .484 on-base percentage and was the only Jayhawk with a plus-1.000 ops. He earns Honorable Mention All-Big 12 for the second year in a row.

Morrison, a senior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., wrapped up his Kansas career with a 4-for-4 effort against K-State on May 18, including his 31st career home run. The senior shortstop finished the year with a flurry, batting .308 with seven homers, 16 doubles and 39 RBIs. This included a .410 average over KU’s final 10 games. Morrison receives honorable mention for the second straight year.

Ryne Price, a senior from Lawrence, Kan., set career highs in nearly every offensive category during his senior year, including home runs which helped him break the Jayhawk career home run record. Price batted .305 overall with 11 round-trippers, 60 RBIs and a .549 slugging percentage. He finished his KU career with 35 homers, the most by anyone to wear a Jayhawk uniform. Price collects honorable mention from the Big 12 for the second straight year.

Smyth, a junior from Atascadero, Calif., recorded 10 saves and five victories out of the Kansas bullpen. He made a league-high 34 appearances and had a decision in half of KU’s victories. He posted a respectable 3.73 ERA in 60 1/3 innings and had a strikeouts to walks ratio of 51-12. Smyth earns honorable mention from the conference for the second year in a row.

Robby Price, a sophomore from Lawrence, Kan., hit .296 overall, but .347 in Big 12 games. After a rough start, Price ended up hitting .321 over the Jayhawks’ final 30 contests. He led the country in sacrifices throughout the year with 24 and was the only KU player to collect five hits in a game during the 2008 season. Price earns his second straight conference honorable mention accolade.

Texas A&M’s Jose Duran was named the Big 12 Player of the Year while Missouri’s Aaron Crow was the league’s Pitcher of the Year. Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress was named the Coach of the Year.

Kansas finished the season at 30-27 overall and 9-18 in the conference, just missing the Big 12 tournament for the second-straight season.

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Buck Afenir

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John Allman

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Erik Morrison

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Ryne Price

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Robby Price

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Paul Smyth

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