Jayhawks Place Six on All-Big 12 Honorable Mention

May 23, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –

Six University of Kansas players have been named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the league office. Catcher Buck Afenir, left fielder John Allman, center fielder Kyle Murphy, third baseman Robby Price, second baseman Ryne Price and relief pitcher Paul Smyth were all honored by the conference this week.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

Afenir, a sophomore from Escondido, Calif., hit .286 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 49 games for KU. The second-year catcher doubled 12 times and had a .519 slugging percentage.

Allman, a junior from St. Louis, Mo., led the team with a .333 batting average, four home runs and tied for the team lead with 44 RBIs. He was one of three Jayhawks with 100+ total bases for the season and finished with a .505 slugging percentage and a .449 on-base percentage.

Murphy, a senior from Beloit, Wis., finished second on the team with a .332 average, and led the team with 71 hits. The senior center fielder raised his season average by 178 points from his junior year and finished with 15 doubles, four triples and four home runs. He led the team with 50 runs scored.

Robby Price, a freshman from Lawrence, Kan., hit .286 in his first collegiate season with 60 hits and 43 runs scored. Price had a team-high 16-game hitting streak during the month of March. It was the longest hitting streak by a freshman in KU history.

Ryne Price, a junior from Lawrence, Kan., led the team with 10 home runs and hit .270 with 31 RBIs and a .535 slugging percentage. Price tied for the team lead with four triples and stole eight bases.

Smyth, a sophomore from Atascadero, Calif., was KU’s top relief pitcher, finishing with seven saves in a team-high 32 appearances. Smyth had a 1.60 ERA and a 3-4 record with 14 walks and 40 strikeouts.

Texas outfielder Kyle Russell was named the Big 12’s Player of the Year, while Longhorn pitcher Adrian Alaniz was dubbed the league’s top pitcher. Texas head coach Augie Garrido and Missouri’s Tim Jamieson were named co-Coaches of the Year.

KU finished the season at 28-30, and 9-17 in Big 12 play.

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Buck Afenir

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John Allman

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Kyle Murphy

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Robby Price

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Ryne Price

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Paul Smyth