KU Baseball to Make Foreign Tour in Dominican Republic
Sept. 17, 2012
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Kansas baseball team will travel to the Dominican Republic this December for a seven-day tour of the Caribbean Island. The Jayhawks will play three games against the Kansas City Royals’ Dominican team and two other contests against local amateur clubs from Dec. 15-22.
“I want to personally thank Royals GM Dayton Moore for his help in allowing us to play against his Dominican team and train at the Royals’ facilities,” Kansas head coach Ritch Price said. “Dayton has been fabulous in helping us make this a first-class trip, which should be a great experience for our players.”
During their time in the Dominican Republic, the Jayhawks will train at the Royals’ academy in Boca Chica, play five games and participate in several community service projects, including construction of a batting cage at a public field. The team will also visit local orphanages during the trip.
In addition, the team will provide free baseball skills clinics and donate baseball equipment to local youth baseball organizations. On Dec. 19, the team will travel to Guayabo, to help provide food, health kits and help with several construction projects in that sugar cane-producing village.
“By emphasizing both athletic development and service, Coach Price and his staff are creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes,” Kansas Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development & Leadership Training Tim Schlosser said. “Kansas Athletics understands that the sporting career of most student-athletes is relatively short, but we believe the leadership skills they develop as athletes here at KU will stay with them for a lifetime. This tour truly embraces that philosophy.”
More details, including a complete itinerary of the trip, will be provided at a later date.
Per NCAA rules, KU will hold 27 practices in September and October, then will work out 10 extra days in November to prepare for the trip.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
