FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
With the season nearly half over, kuathletics.com checks in with the several current Jayhawks who are playing on summer collegiate teams. Many of these players compete with the best underclassmen in college baseball during their time away from KU.
# Buck Afenir (Jr., catcher) is enjoying a productive season for the San Diego Waves of the Western Baseball Association. As of July 8, the Escondido, Calif. native was hitting .315 with 11 doubles, three homers and 23 RBIs. However, Afenir’s most surprising number of the summer is the five stolen bases he has successfully attempted. He has never been called on to steal a base at KU.
# Brett Bochy (Fr., right-handed pitcher) is teammates with Afenir on the San Diego Waves. The 6-foot-1 righty is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three appearances this season for the Waves. He has struck out six and walked three.
# Max Ellenbecker (So., left-handed pitcher) has made three appearances out of the bullpen and had a 4.70 ERA for the Topeka Golden Giants of the MINK League. Ellenbecker has pitched 7 2/3 innings this spring and has allowed four earned runs and has four strikeouts.
# Greg Herbst (Fr., infielder) is making some noise for the Watertown Wizards of the New York Baseball League. The 6-foot-5 infielder is batting .339 with a homer and 12 RBIs for the team, along with a .393 on-base percentage and a .464 slugging percentage. Herbst hit his first home run of the summer Wednesday as the only run in the Wizards’ 8-1 loss to Little Falls.
# Casey Lytle (Fr., outfielder) is also tearing it up for the San Luis Obispo Rattlers of the California Collegiate League. Lytle is fourth on the team with a .311 batting average, and has seven doubles, a triple and 12 RBIs in 28 starts for the Rattlers.
# Thomas Marcin (So., right-handed pitcher) continues to try to iron out his wildness for the San Diego Waves of the Western Baseball Association. Marcin has pitched 10 innings this summer and has an ERA of 9.00 with eight strikeouts and nine walks for the Waves.
# Robby Price (So., infielder) is in his third year in the Northwoods League with the Duluth Huskies. Price is batting .248 with three doubles, 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 38 games in the wood-bat league. Price has also stolen four bases this summer.
# Blake Slagle (So., outfielder) has shown some power for the Laramie Colts of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League. Slagle is batting .345 with a double, triple and a home run in 10 games for the Colts this season. His slugging percentage is .552, while his on-base percentage is also over .400.
# Paul Smyth (Jr., right-handed pitcher) has made three appearances for the Maxim Yankees, an independent team in California. The 5-foot-11 righty has a save and has not allowed a base hit in four innings of work. He has walked two and struck out two.
# Zach Thoma (Fr., infielder) is playing in the New York Collegiate Baseball League for the Little Falls Miners, and has a .250 batting average with three doubles and eight RBIs. Thoma’s team defeated fellow Jayhawk Greg Herbst’s team on Wednesday evening, with the freshman going 1-for-4 with a run scored.
# T.J. Walz (Fr., right-handed pitcher) has pitched well this summer, but hasn’t gathered the wins as of yet for the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League. Walz is 1-3, but has a sparkling 2.39 ERA and has 49 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-1 freshman has allowed opponents a .234 batting average and has not allowed a home run.
A handful of other Jayhawks are participating in summer ball this year, but stats were not available from their teams. They include: Shaeffer Hall (Falmouth Commodores), Brian Heere (Kitsap Bluejackets), Preston Land (Mac-N-Seitz Athletics), Phil Parrish (Moses Lake Pirates) and Jimmy Waters (Park City Rangers).
