As Matt Cummings begins his first season as the head baseball coach for the Jayhawks, he has a good cast of players.  Returners from last season will help him get started quickly.  Coach Cummings had this to say about his sophomores:

"I'm very fortunate to have eight returning sophomores on this year's roster. All eight saw significant playing time last season. Five of the eight returners will play a crucial role in our pitching rotation. As freshman, they were asked to contribute right away. I'm now reaping the benefits of that early exposure. The lessons they learned, specifically from an in game pitching standpoint, is invaluable. Connor Fitzgerald will play a key role in both our offensive and defensive line-ups. He has the ability to play multiple positions defensively, which ultimately helps our team be more versatile. Kyle Mayer and Justin Forster fit that same mold as well. Mayer was the everyday second baseman last year, and we see him playing that same role this year too. Forster was thrusted into the catching role last year because of injuries to others on the roster. But like Justin always does, he just competes and plays with everything he has. We see Justin contributing from multiple spots again this season, but primarily in the outfield. Our sophomore pitchers will be the anchors of our team this year. Brandon Pistner, Mike Williamson, Robbie Burgess, Mike Wilcox, and Jeff Miller saw plenty of innings last year. With what they learned last year, I expect them to pitch with much more confidence this year."

Coach Cummings also has a group of freshman eager to prove themselves.  He had this to say about the freshman:            

"We brought in a healthy class of freshman this year, many of them are local. Noah Weinstein had an excellent fall in his first college baseball experience behind the plate as our catcher. As our catcher, we rely on Noah to be the leader of our defense. He has progressed nicely and his ceiling is very high. John White is another kid who shows great promise. He will be given the opportunity to prove himself in multiple positions for us. His ability to get on base and use his speed will be a great asset to our offense. Josh Jones will see a lot of innings this year on the mound as well. Jones has thrown in multiple games already this spring, and we expect him to see a lot of action out of the bullpen this season. We also have two players who are entering their first season of college baseball, but are academically in their last semester. Cam Haberberger and Jimmy Schwab bring more versatility to our roster. Haberberger can play any position on the infield, while Schwab will be on either corner while also seeing some time in the DH role."

How will this blend of veteran talent and new talent work out?  Coach Cummings had this to say about his view on the upcoming Jayhawks baseball season:

"We're very optimistic about this season. Even with a new coaching staff in place, we definitely don't see this a rebuilding year. There is a new buzz with our program, it's an exciting time to be a part of this program. Guys are getting their opportunity to prove themselves and also having some fun while playing the game they love. We definitely expect to be competitive this season."