Kansas Jayhawks
Conner VanCleave - Baseball - Kansas Jayhawks
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Conner VanCleave

Position 1B
Height 6'6''
Weight 226 lbs.
B/T L/L
Class Freshman
Hometown Holcomb, Kan.
High School Holcomb HS

HONORS & AWARDS

  • 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Baseball Second Team

2021 (R-JUNIOR)

  • Appeared in 36 games with 11 starts
  • Hit .189 (10-for-53) with two doubles, one home run and four RBI
  • Opening day starter as the designate hitter, recording a season-high two hits and two runs scored against South Dakota State (2/19)
  • Logged first double of the season at Lafayette (3/23) and hit second vs. Air Force (4/14)
  • Recorded a season-high two RBI and his lone home run of the season against Air Force (4/13)
  • First Big 12 start of the season at Oklahoma (4/10)
  • 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Baseball Second Team

2020 (SHORTENED SEASON DUE TO CORONAVIRUS)

  • Did not appear in any games

2019 (SOPHOMORE)

  • Started in 27 of the 44 games he appeared in
  • Batted .247 (24-for-97) with two doubles, three home runs, seven walks and 11 RBIs
  • Made his first-career start at first base at USC Upstate (2/15)
  • Hit first-career home run vs. Texas Southern (2/23) where he also set a new personal-best three hits
  • Hit the first triple of his career at St. John’s (3/17)
  • Recorded a career-high five at-bats at Air Force (5/1)

2018 (FRESHMAN)

  • Started five of the 18 games he played in with 13 relief appearances
  • Pitched 25 and 1/3 innings with two losses and 16 strikeouts
  • Made career debut against Murray State (2/17) in the second game of the season, where he recorded his first strikeout
  • Tossed a then-career-high two innings against Northwestern (2/24)
  • Tossed an inning of relief at then-No. 4 Florida State (3/6)
  • Career-high three innings of relief against then-No. 5 Texas Tech (4/6)
  • Notched first-career start at Creighton (4/11)

HOLCOMB HS

  • Played for his father and head coach Todd VanCleave at Holcomb High School
  • Named Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017
  • Compiled an 8-1 mark on the mound featuring a 0.29 ERA in 48 and 2/3 innings pitched
  • Faced 186 batters and struck out 101, including a dominating 15 K’s over a complete seven-inning game in the 2017 state semifinal contest
  • Batted .768 with 43 hits in 56 at bats his senior year including 14 doubles, six triples and five home runs
  • Drove in 53 RBIs and scored 25 runs while maintaining a 1.500 slugging percentage and .831 on-base percentage
  • Three-time 4A-D2 Player of the Year in Kansas
  • A member of the National Honor Society and Students Against Destructive Decisions
  • Maintained a 3.64 GPA throughout his four prep years

PERSONAL

  • Born in Garden City, Kansas
  • Son of Todd and Shelly VanCleave
  • Has one sister, Wren
  • Father, Todd, played baseball at George Mason, while his mother, Shelly, played volleyball at Wichita State
  • Plans to major in sport management