October 19, 2016

Fifth annual Floyd Temple Alumni Game set for Saturday

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Held annually in conjunction with Homecoming and K-Club weekend to honor legendary KU baseball coach Floyd Temple, the fifth annual Floyd Temple Alumni Game is slated for a 4 p.m., first pitch Saturday, October 22 at Hoglund Ballpark.

“One of the great things about our game is tradition,” head coach Ritch Price said. “When I got here we started an alumni event for former players on the weekends. Two or three times we had huge gatherings – over 150 people came to honor Coach Temple, and we started naming the game after him once he passed away. For me, it is a great day. It is a chance to get back on the field and see players that meant so much to us and the program. When our players get a chance to walk across the field and shake their hands, I tell them, ‘Those guys are Jayhawks.’ It is a special day and you want to develop a relationship and bond with those guys because some day, the players in my dugout are going to become alums – it is a day I always look forward to.”

Temple, the winningest head coach in program history, passed away in 2012. As the skipper of Kansas baseball for 28 seasons (1954-81), Temple amassed 438 victories to supplement a .524 winning percentage. After coaching, Temple served as an assistant athletic director from 1981-92.

Last year, over 30 Jayhawks returned to honor Temple’s memory and the alumni squad used its talents to win the abbreviated three-inning game, 3-1. Former KU utility man from 2014-15 Blair Beck earned the win on the bump after tossing two innings and allowing one run. Former pitcher from 2012-15 Colin Toalson came on in the third to shut the door with a perfect frame for the save.

The alumni also relied on a huge home run from catcher/first baseman (2010-13) Alex DeLeon in the second inning off associate head coach Ryan Graves, who picked up the loss, to get on the board. A two-run top of the third sealed the deal and left breathing room for Toalson to shut the door.

The day kicks off with the annual Homecoming football game at 11 a.m., against Oklahoma State. Following the game, baseball alumni are invited to take batting practice on the field at Hoglund Ballpark at 3 p.m., with an abbreviated three-inning game at 4 p.m. There will be a reception held in the Trombold Lounge from 3-5 p.m., during the game.

The varsity squad will follow-up the alumni game with an intrasquad scrimmage, as part of its regularly scheduled fall slate.

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