Kansas Jayhawks Baseball: Building on Home Opener Momentum at First Pitch Invitational Preview

The Jayhawks are looking to use a 4-0 win against Wichita State to spark greater things this weekend.

Kansas Athletics

The Kansas Jayhawks played their home opener against the Wichita State Shockers on Wednesday, winning in shutout fashion 4-0 in front of 563 fans on a cold and cloudy day. The Jayhawks deployed left-handed pitcher Ethan Bradford on the mound, and he turned in a masterful performance. Bradford tallied 5 1/3 innings pitched, giving up only two hits, one walk, and recording four strikeouts. A combination of Trumper, Hewlett, and Dougan would finish the game and complete the shutout. 

As expected before the game, this was a perfect opportunity for the Kansas offense, and they delivered. Redshirt sophomore Jake English unloaded a three-run home run. Janson Reeder went 3-4 on the day, including a solo shot, to give the Jayhawks a 4-0 victory. It is a quick turnaround for Kansas, who will head to Greensville, South Carolina, and participate in the First Pitch Invitational.

The Kansas Jayhawks' Offense is staged for another promising weekend

The Kansas Jayhawks' offense is continuously getting better in every game they play. The two teams they will face in the First Pitch Invitational could make this offense even more noticeable. The first team the Jayhawks will play is the Western Carolina Catamount. The Catamount's pitching staff currently has a 7.08 earned run average in 108 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .279 while producing 123 hits, 20 doubles, two triples, and 24 home runs. The second team the Jayhawks will play is the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans' pitching staff is very similar to the Catamounts. Michigan State has a team ERA of 7.36 in 104 innings. Opponents are hitting .285 while producing 118 hits, 37 doubles, five triples, and 13 home runs.

Still looking for this baseball that @JacobEnglish01 put into orbit 💫 pic.twitter.com/DlMVGjrtz6

— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) March 9, 2023

The Jayhawks' offense continues to improve their stats, as they are now hitting .269/.356/.478 in 364 at-bats. They have recorded 98 hits, 26 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs. More importantly, this offense has drawn 43 walks and nine HBP. The offense is led by sophomore Chase Jans, who has played and started in ten games for the Jayhawks. In 36 at-bats, Jans has recorded 12 hits, three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs. He is hitting .333/.419/.583 while drawing four walks and two HBP. The weekend series is set up nicely for the Jayhawks' offense.

The Kansas Jayhawks pitching staff to build on recent outings

The Kansas pitching staff has had its ups and downs in the 2023 season. Lately, we have seen some tremendous performances starting with Sam Ireland's complete game shutout against Belmont and Ethan Bradfords' outing against Wichita State Shockers. The pitching staff has lowered their statistics which is fantastic, and I expect those numbers to continue to drop against the opponents this weekend. Currently, the Jayhawks have a team ERA of 3.71 and a 1.16 WHIP in 97 innings. They have allowed 67 hits, 11 doubles, two triples, and only eight home runs. Opponents are hitting an abysmal .198 against them.

Pitching appreciation post:@EthanBradford35, @Thanieltrumper1, @stone_hew, and @kolbydougan17 combined to throw a 5-hit shutout yesterday vs. Wichita State 👀 pic.twitter.com/TpZc2oMtpm

— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) March 9, 2023

The Kansas pitching staff will face two different offenses this weekend. The Western Carolina Catamount as a team is hitting .264/.373/.436, led by junior infielder Pascanel Ferreras. Ferreras is hitting an astounding .435/.534/.630 in 46 at-bats. He has 20 hits, three doubles, two home runs, and 13 RBIs. He will be a tough out for the Kansas pitchers. 

The Michigan State Spartans' offense is electric, hitting .312/.391/.483, and that is not a typo. The Spartans' lineup is crushing the baseball with two hitters over .400 and five hitters over .300. They are led by junior infielder Brock Vradenburg who is hitting .444/.492/.759 in 54 at-bats. He has recorded 24 hits, three doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 16 RBIs.

The first game of three is scheduled for Friday, March 10th, at 5:00 pm CST and will be against Western Carolina. The next two games will be against Michigan State, with the game on Saturday, March 11th starting at 1:00 pm and Sunday, March 12th starting at 11:00 am. 

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