Kansas Baseball 2016 Midseason Report

Now it's time to check in on the baseball team and see how they're doing both as a team and individually.  The stats provided throughout are courtesy of either Big12Sports.com or KUAthletics.com, and are current as of games played through March 27.

The Jayhawks have completed the majority of their non-conference schedule, although there is the occasional non-con game sprinkled throughout the conference schedule.  So far the Jayhawks have struggled to a 7-13 record, and were swept in a three-game series by the only Top 25 team they've faced so far, #5 Oregon State.  Kansas has had three games wiped out by weather.

Here is a look at some of the overall team statistics and where they rank compared with other Big 12 teams.  Remember, only 9 Big 12 teams participate in baseball.

As you can see, the struggles go across the board.  On the bright side, they don't strike out very much!  Unforunately, the power we were hoping for this year just hasn't manifested as of yet.  Even worse, the pitching staff overall hasn't made much, if any, progress from last year despite the Jayhawks having one of the conference's top starting pitchers on the roster.  As a team, KU is dead last in most pitching categories, and in several of them, it isn't even close.

Individually, KU does have a couple of players in the Top 10 in a few categories:

IF Colby Wright is second in the conference in On Base Percentage, getting on at a .518 clip.  Wright is 7th in batting average at .344.  He is also 5th in walks drawn with 17.

SP Ben Krauth leads the league in innings (42), strikeouts (42), shutouts (1), and complete games (2).  Krauth is 7th in Opp BA.  Despite his 2.57 ERA, Krauth is only 1-3 on the year in six starts.

As of March 23, the only Big 12 team in the Top 25 (per Baseball America) is #16 Oklahoma State.

KU opens Big 12 play on Friday, April 1 with a three-game series in Waco against Baylor.  All three games of the weekend series will be televised on Fox Sports+.  As always, all games can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network through KUAthletics.com/Radio or on the official Kansas Jayhawks mobile app, and remember, every home baseball game is available on ESPN3.