Preview: Kansas vs LSU – Fri 7 | Sat 2 | Sun 1 (All: SECN+)

 Kansas Jayhawks (0-0) at #2  LSU Fighting Tigers (0-0) at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, LA. 





Welcome back Tiger Baseball fans! The boys of summer are back in The Box on Friday night for the 2015 season opener, and I’m also back to give you the scoop on LSU’s upcoming weekend opponent. Each preview will include a side-by-side stat comparison of the two teams, along with an in-depth look at the opposing team’s coach and program, starting rotation, bullpen, lineup, and defense. Generally speaking, previews are posted the morning of game 1 of that series and occasionally the night prior. All statistics provided in this week’s preview are from 2014 but will be current for each subsequent week. Thanks for reading, and I hope yall enjoy. Here’s to #7 


Weekend Media Coverage:
Friday 7:00pm – TV: None, Radio: 98.1 FM, Online: ESPN3.com
Saturday 2:00pm – TV: None, Radio: 100.7 FM, Online: ESPN3.com
Sunday 1:00pm – TV: None, Radio: 98.1 FM, Online: ESPN3.com



Kansas Jayhawks
2014 Overall: 35-26 (12-8 home, 11-14 away, 12-4 neutral)
2014 Conference: 15-9, 3rd in Big 12
Last Postseason Appearance: 2014 Louisville Regional (1-2, eliminated by Kentucky)
Regional Appearances: ‘93, ‘94, ‘06, ‘09, ‘14
CWS Appearances: 1993 (went 0-2)


2014 Record vs. RPI: (LSU numbers in parentheses)
Final Team RPI: 44 (11)
vs Top 25: 7-8 (7-10)
vs Top 50: 11-11 (15-13)
vs Top 100: 18-17 (25-14)


Team Overview:
The Hawks are lead by Head Coach Ritch Price in his 13th season in Lawrence. During his tenure, Kansas has never finished higher than 3rd in the Big 12 standings, only finishing higher than .500 twice in that time. Despite the lack of conference success, the Hawks come off back-to-back winning seasons and another regional appearance, their 3rd in Price’s tenure and 5th all-time.

Stat of the week: Kansas finished with a 6-3 record in 2014 vs. college world series participants.

The 2015 Jayhawks will depend heavily on their veteran lineup. Kansas lost the entire weekend rotation to the MLB draft, but return some key bullpen pieces and picked up a couple key transfers to fill in gaps. The Hawks also graduated two MLB draftees from the outfield for a total 6 players drafted between the 5th and 32nd rounds. Kansas will have to take major strides for this team to get back into a tournament at-large position. They were selected to finish 7th in the league by Big 12 coaches. LSU trails the all-time series with Kansas 4-5 in meetings that date back to 1990. Unranked Kansas last came to The Box in 2010 for a series with #2 LSU, same rankings as this week, and the Jayhawks beat the previously undefeated (12-0) and reigning national champion Tigers 2 out of 3 in the weekend series.

Ritch Price on coming into Alex Box Stadium:

quote:

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"Their fans are unbelievable, they are right on top of you. They just bury your left fielder, your right fielder and your starting pitcher warming up in the bullpen. The passion of the fans is something that gives you goosebumps when you walk in there. If you are competitive, there isn't a better place in America to play than Alex Box Stadium.”
Full quote and many more.

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Team Stat Comparison from 2014 (LSU in parentheses)
Runs/game scored: 5.7 (6.3)
Runs/game allowed: 4.2 (2.9)

Team ERA: 3.59 (2.60)
Opponent ERA: 4.87 (5.40)

Team BA: .283 (.287)
Opponent BA: .265 (.218)

Team Fielding %: .970 (.976)
Opponent Fielding %: .969 (.969)


Quick LSU Pitching Overview:
Tiger fans will have a much different look this year than what we have grown accustomed to with the loss of a true ace. Sophomore southpaw Jared Poché will begin the year in the “Friday night” role. He is the only one of 5 LSU starters that has recorded an out as a college pitcher. With the late spring injury to Jake Latz, a small adjustment to the projected LSU rotation will occur. Freshmen rightys Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey will round out the rotation for the opening weekend. As the freshman find their roles, the Tiger rotation will mold going forward from what this weekend presents. If any of the 4 freshman struggle in the coming weeks, veteran Kyle Bouman is ready to be called upon again as a weekend starter.

Friday's Pitching Matchup:
KU - Sr. RHP Drew Morovick (10-4, 5.00 ERA, 77.1 IP, 86 H, 43 ER, 26 BB, 44 K, .287 OBA, 1.45 WHIP)
LSU - So. LHP Jared Poché (9-3, 2.45 ERA, 91.2 IP, 72 H, 25 ER, 26 BB, 52 K, .222 OBA, 1.07 WHIP)

Saturday's Pitching Matchup:
KU - Jr. LHP Ben Krauth (JUCO Transfer: 9-3, 0.52 ERA, 103.2 IP, 6 ER)
LSU - Fr. RHP Alex Lange (1st collegiate start)

Sunday's Pitching Matchup:
KU - So. RHP Sean Rackoski (0-0, 10.84 ERA, 1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, .556 OBA, 3.00 WHIP)
LSU - Fr. RHP Jake Godfrey (1st collegiate start)

Kansas will start out with veteran Drew Morovick as their ace this season. Morovick, a 6’5 250lb senior, lead the team with 10 wins in 2014 coming from 9 starts and 16 relief appearances. He works 89-91 mph on his fastball with sliding curveball in the mid-70s. Saturday will feature 6’0 junior college transfer Ben Krauth from Diablo Valley College in California. Krauth was the Big 8 MVP leading the league in ERA in 2014 and strikeouts in 2013, tossing nearly 200 innings over his two season there. He won’t blow you away, but Krauth is a workhorse on the mound. As for Sunday, many thought that Kansas would go with Fr. LHP Ben Weiman or So. RHP Jon Hander; however, Coach Price has decided to send out Sean Rackoski. The huge 6’7 righty only tallied 5 outs in his freshman season. He has a high arm slot throwing downhill, but his fastball only peaks at about 91mph and the slider has room for improvement. Getting the nod as a weekend starter, Rackoski might finally be developing into that projectable big frame in the eye of Pitching Coach Graves. Price on Rackoski: “I actually think he has the most electric stuff on our team. If he pitches like he has been in our intrasquad games, we have a really good chance to win Sunday.”

Returning Bullpen Arms:
So. RHP Stephen Villines (29 app, 2-2, 8 saves, 1.50 ERA, 48.0 IP, 33 H, 8 ER, 9 BB, 23 K, .200 OBA, 0.86 WHIP)
So. RHP Jon Hander (11 app, 2-1, 3.18 ERA, 39.2 IP, 31 H, 14 ER, 18 BB, 18 K, .221 OBA, 1.24 WHIP)
Sr. RHP Dakota Smith (17 app, 1-2, 4.01 ERA, 24.2 IP, 27 H, 11 ER, 14 BB, 23 K, .284 OBA, 1.66 WHIP)
Jr. RHP Hayden Edwards (6 app, 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, .194 OBA, 0.69 WHIP)
Sr. RHP Colin Toalson (6 app, 0-0, 6.76 ERA, 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, .250 OBA, 1.50 WHIP)

Relief Pitching Overview:
The Kansas bullpen will have nice mixture of young talent and veteran arms. Sidearmer Stephen Villines lead the team in appearances and ERA as a true freshman in 2014, recording 8 saves and leading the team in ERA. Villines will act as the team’s closer with the loss of Jordan Piché to the MLB draft. Had he qualified with enough innings pitched, falling 13ip short, Villines would have finished ranked 5th in the country with a 0.85 WHIP just behind Aaron Nola. Ryan Ralston, 6’4 225lb, is expected to be the stopper in key situations and could share time as closer. Ralston runs his fastball in the low 90s up to 94 mph and possess an upper 70s slider. One of either Hander or Weiman should be the first out in a long relief situation and the other a midweek starter.


2014 Kansas Offense: (LSU numbers in parentheses)
Team BA: .283 (.287)
Team OBP: .371 (.367)
Team SLG: .383 (.415)

The Hawks return 3 of their top 4 hitters from last year. Michael Tinsley lead the way with limited action as a freshman appearing in 32 games, but put together a nice .361 average at the dish. Dakota Smith and Colby Wright each hit over .320 and will be relied on to carry the load once again. The outfielders, the 3 listed below plus Joven Afrenier and Connor McKay, are the heart and soul of this team. Blair Beck crushed the ball during the fall practice with hits in more than half of his at bats. Rounding out the DH/OF spot is returning power hitter Connor McKay, who knocked out 9 balls last year and earned 2nd team All-Big 12 honors. McKay is looking to improve his contact numbers this year having logged as many strikeouts as hits a year ago; however the rest of the team can be considered plate disciplined. Steve Goldstein was a Freshman All-American at Stony Brook in 2012 when the Seawolves defeated LSU in a Super Regional to advance to the CWS. He sat out last year due to transfer rules but is eligible to jump right in this season and create a lot of depth in the KU outfield.

On the bases, Ritch Price is very conservative. The Hawks ranked 246th in the country in stolen bases per game last year with 41 swipes on the season in only 49 attempts. The best returning base stealer is Tommy Mirabelli, who is dueling for playing time at 3rd base with impact freshman McLaughlin. Goldstein also swiped 14 bags in 2012 for his prior team.

Kansas Projected Lineup:
C – L/R– Michael Tinsley (.361 avg, 2 2B, 2 3B, 13 RBI, 5 R, 7 BB, 7 K, 2-3 SB)
1B – L/R– Jacob Boyland (.233 avg, 3 2B, 8 RBI, 6 R, 9 BB, 4 K, 0-0 SB)
2B – R/R– Colby Wright (.314 avg, 11 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 35 R, 23 BB, 19 K, 1-2 SB)
SS – L/R– Justin Protacio (.280 avg, 6 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 53 R, 44 BB, 37 K, 4-8 SB)
3B – R/R– Matt McLaughlin (1st collegiate appearance)
OF – L/L– Steve Goldstein (did not play in 2014 due to NCAA transfer rules, took a redshirt)
OF – R/R– Dakota Smith (.337 avg, 11 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 33 R, 13 BB, 20 K, 3-3 SB)
OF – R/R– Blair Beck (.250 avg, 6 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 14 R, 7 BB, 7 K, 0-0 SB)
DH – R/R– Connor McKay (.259 avg, 10 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 28 R, 19 BB, 56 K, 4-8 SB)

Bench:
OF – L/R– Joven Afenier (.275 avg, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 8 R, 2 BB, 11 K, 2-2 SB)
3B – L/R– Tommy Mirabelli (.167 avg, 2 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI, 21 R, 16 BB, 19 K, 6-7 SB)
C – R/R– John Remick (0 for 3 in 2014)
OF – R/R– Joe Moroney (took a redshirt in 2014 due to injury)
INF – R/R– Marcus Wheeler (took a redshirt in 2014 due to injury)


Defense:
Kansas fielded at a .970 clip in 2014, which ranked 89th in the country. Returning shortstop Justin Protacio committed 17 of the team’s 70 errors. From the home team’s perspective, LSU looks to improve on the bases this year after being ranked 209th in stolen bases per game in 2014. First year LSU hitting coach Andy Cannizaro was quoted as saying “We want that mindset to be ‘I’m running until somebody stops me.’” That new philosophy may come into effect at its inception. Kansas starting catcher Michael Tinsley did not catch one base stealer in his freshman season, which spanned just 14 stolen base attempts in 32 games played.


Helpful Links:
Kansas 2014 Season Stats
Kansas Roster
Kansas Schedule (via Warren Nolan)
Adam4848’s LSU Preview
LSUsports Series Writeup
Live Stats via LSUsports.net
SECN+ via WatchESPN for Online Viewing (login required)



 

2015 NCAA Baseball Rule Changes

Here is a quick rundown of changes to the rule book for the 2015 NCAA baseball season. There are several rule changes outlined below, but these first 3 are now major points of emphasis.

RULE 8 Section 2.d -- Hit By Pitch
The biggest rule change that will draw the most discussion will be the new Hit by Pitch rule.  This is a major point of emphasis in umpire meetings this offseason and will continue to be of interest throughout the season. The new rule indicates that the "batter must make an effort or attempt to avoid the pitch regardless of the location of the pitch or the strike zone." This is a change from previous seasons, which awarded the batter first base as long as he did not intentionally position himself to be struck by the pitch. Beginning in 2015, "if a batter makes no attempt to avoid a pitch, he shall NOT be awarded a base."

RULE 7 SECTION 1 -- The Batter's Box
Umpires should use a visual hand motion to indicate that a batter should be in the box. "Common sense" will determine when a strike will be called for an offense.

APPENDIX F -- Time Between Innings
The 90 second clock between innings will be enforced at a much higher rate. Umpire camps/clinics have made this another point of emphasis, and it ties into the batter's box rule to speed up the college game.


Other rule changes are as follows:

RULE 2 Section 26 A.R. 5 & 6 -- Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Players and assistants are not to discuss any call with officials. Any such action results in immediate ejection and an additional 1 game suspension. New for 2015 is the addition of an unsportsmanlike call for conduct toward an opponent or umpire. Players and coaches are suspended for 1 game, while pitchers will receive a 4 game suspension.
Clarification: head coaches ONLY may discuss the call with the officials; however, once the umpiring crew gets together to confer on a call and during any review, the both head coaches must return until the dugout and may not argue any ruling of that play thereafter.

APPENDIX E -- Getting The Call Right
Umpires may seek assistance on any fair ball in the outfield and all foul balls. This applies to any defensive player, but fair balls must be in the outfield only. Catch/no catch changes have predetermined outcomes... No Catch --> Catch = Batter/runner is out and all runners back to original base occupied at the time of the pitch. Catch --> No Catch = Batter is safe at first, and all runners get 1 base from that occupied at the time of the pitch. This call is also reviewable for contests in which replay is in effect.

RULE 5 SECTION 15a.5 -- National Anthem Standoff
The "National Anthem Standoff" has become infamous the last couple of years, and the NCAA rules committee has taken immediate action. They state that this action is "not funny and creates a mockery of the game." Upon a standoff happening, the Head Coach receives an immediate warning, followed by the ejection of the Head Coach and all offending players.

RULE 2 SECTION 1 -- Abandonment
Any runner who leaves the base path heading to the dugout or his defensive position believing the play is over can be called out on the basis of abandonment. This rule does not apply to a batter-runner between the plate and 1st base.

RULE 9 SECTION 1a -- Pitcher's Windup Position
The wording "the pitcher's entire free foot shall not be in front of the pivot foot" has been removed from the rule book to give more latitude to pitchers' stances.

RULE 5 SECTION 7d -- 7 Inning Games
Stand-alone 7 inning games are prohibited and not official contests. Rescheduled 7 inning games that were part of a double-header may be played and count officially on a stand alone day.

RULE 4 SECTION 7 -- Team Uniforms
Beginning in 2015, only players, coaches, and bat boys are allowed to wear the team uniform. Personnel, trainers, and managers are not allowed to be in the team uniform.

RULE 1 SECTION 2b -- Foul Poles
Beginning in 2016, all foul poles must be fluorescent yellow.