Price names 2019 baseball captains
LAWRENCE, Kan.- Kansas head coach Ritch Price announced Friday that seniors Ryan Cyr and Rudy Karre, and junior James Cosentino will represent the 2019 squad as captains.
“All three players have been model student-athletes in our program since the day they walked on our campus,” Price said. “They exhibit all the qualities we look for in a captain.”
A local baseball product from Blue Valley High School, Cyr transferred from Mississippi State prior to his 2018 season with the Jayhawks.
“He made a huge impact out of the bullpen last year for us,” Price stated. “He has that rare ability to pitch two innings on Friday night, and then you give him Saturday off, and he will bounce back again on Sunday.”
Cyr appeared in 26 games for the Jayhawks in 2018, pitching 56 innings out of the bullpen. His primary role came as KU’s set up man where he averaged 2.1 strikeouts per appearance.
“We are not sure if we are going to keep him in that same role in 2019,” Price said. “We may put him in the closer role or possibly in the weekend rotation. He is talented enough to be able to fill anyone of those roles.”
Plagued with injuries, Karre enters his senior year as a three-year starter for Kansas.
“He plays with great energy and is a really good teammate,” Price Said. “We need his best year. We haven’t even seen him play up to his potential yet as a result to the number of injuries he has sustained.”
Karre earned 2017 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Honors and is a two-time Athletic Director’s and Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll student-athlete. In three years, Karre holds a .248 batting average in 126 games played. Of his 106 hits, 29 have gone for extra bases including 20 doubles, three triples and six home runs.
A 2017 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and a All Big-12 Second Team Honoree, Cosentino stands out as one of the Jayhawks’ most reliable infielders.
“He has a chance to be a really high draft pick in the spring,” Price said. He is one of the best players in the country in his position.”
Cosentino started all 114 games he played in during his first two years with Kansas. He holds a .270 batting average in those contest with 20 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs.
The trio of captains look to guide a young team this fall in preparation for the 2019 season. The team will begin the fall with their first official practice on Friday, September 28, with the seventh-annual Floyd Temple Alumni Game slated for the following day.
“I’m excited to see with their leadership if we can have a great year in 2019,” Price said. “We have a younger team with a lot of newcomers and we are going to need strong leadership in order to be successful.”
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