Jayhawk League reports

Jayhawk League top prospect list and reports provided by Roy Allen

Official League Website: http://www.jayhawkbaseballleague.pointstreaksites.com
2015 Summer Collegiate Top Propsect Index
Jayhawk Baseball League Top Prospect List (20)


It was a very competitive and successful year for the Jayhawk League in 2015. Three of the top four finishers at the National Baseball Congress World Series were from the league while four teams qualified for the 12-team championship week.

In their first season in the league, the Haysville Aviators (35-16) did quite well for themselves, winning the South Division with a 25-13 record while sweeping the first ever Jayhawk League Championship series against El Dorado, before going on to finish second at the NBC World Series.

The El Dorado Broncos claimed the North Division title, also with a 25-13 league mark, thanks to an eight-game win streak towards the end of the league schedule. The Broncos went on to finish fourth at the NBC World Series.

The two divisional runner-ups had seasons worth mentioning as well. The Liberal Bee Jays (36-19) were three games behind El Dorado in the North standings but after a tragic accident involving their bat boy at the NBC World Series, the Bee Jays went on to finish third. The Wellington Heat was two games out of the top spot in the South behind Haysville but went on to win the first week of the NBC World Series, advancing to championship week where they finished ninth.

The parity in the league this year is shown by the top 10 prospects list that sees six of eight teams represented. Wellington leads the group with three in the top 10 while Liberal boasts two of the top five, including top prospect Joel Kuhnel.


Year Established: 1975
States Represented: Kansas, Oklahoma
No. of Teams: 8 (6 in 2014)
Regular Season Champion (best overall record): North: El Dorado Broncos (25-11); South: Haysville Aviators (23-13)
Postseason Champion: Haysville Aviators (4-2, 10-4 vs. El Dorado)
No. 1 Prospect, 2014: Blake Rogers, rhp, Liberal Bee Jays, (Oklahoma)
First 2014 Player Selected, 2015 Draft: Chance Adams, rhp, Wellington Heat (Dallas Baptist/Yankees, 5th round)

Player of the Year: Austin Krajnak, 1b, Wellington Heat, (Texas A&M Corpus Christi)
Pitcher of the Year: Andrew Moralez, rhp, El Dorado Broncos, (Kentucky Wesleyan)

BATTING LEADERS

Batting Average: Clayton Dalrymple, of, El Dorado Broncos (.406)
Slugging Percentage: Austin Krajnak, 1b, Wellington Heat (.820)
On-Base Percentage: Clayton Dalrymple, of, El Dorado Broncos (.511)
Home Runs: Austin Krajnak, 1b, Wellington Heat (12)
RBI:Austin Krajnak, 1b, Wellington Heat (46)
Stolen Bases: Travis Young, of, Derby Twins (18)

PITCHING LEADERS

Wins:Andrew Moralez, rhp, El Dorado Broncos (5)
ERA:Jake Marchesseault, rhp, Haysville Aviators; Vince Lujan, rhp, Wellington Heat (2.74)
Saves:Trevor Jones, rhp, Haysville Aviators; Derek Feige, rhp, El Dorado Broncos (7)
Strikeouts:Max Green, lhp, Dodge City A’s; Justin Vincent, rhp, Derby Twins (41)

BEST TOOLS

Best Athlete: Michael Burns, of, Hays Larks
Best Hitter: Clayton Dalrymple, of, El Dorado Broncos
Best Power: Austin Krajnak, 1b, Wellington Heat
Fastest Base Runner: Reggie Wilson, of, Hays Larks
Best Defensive Player: Kevin Connolly, of, Dodge City A’s
Best Velocity: Joel Kuhnel, rhp, Liberal BeeJays
Best Breaking Ball: Jordan Watson, lhp, Bethany Bulls
Best Command: Sam Beattie, lhp, Haysville Aviators


TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Joel Kuhnel, RHP, Liberal Bee Jays (Texas-Arlington/JR in 2016)
Coming off of an 83 2/3 inning campaign as a starter for Texas-Arlington as a sophomore in 2015, Liberal knew they would have to keep an eye on Kuhnel’s innings this summer. To do that, they put the 6-foot-5, 260-pound workhorse at the back end of their bullpen and he responded by throwing 15 innings and posting a spotless 0.00 ERA while striking out 20 and walking just two. Kuhnel’s heavy fastball sat at 92-94 touching as high as 96 in a converted save at the NBC World Series. His off-speed pitches are developing with an 86-87 mph slider working its way into an out-pitch. If his development continues during his draft-eligible junior season Kuhnel should expect to hear his name on one of the first two days of next June’s draft.