Bright lights, social media posts and live broadcasts capture the University of Kansas Baseball team’s action on the field, but life on the road is much more than playing ballgames.
Tyler Bermundo | [email protected]
CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. — Gearing up for the incoming snow, the KU Baseball team departed Lawrence midday on Feb. 11 to beat the winter weather. Players and staff boarded the KU bus and headed toward Kansas City International Airport. Upon arrival, the team waited two hours in the terminal, then boarded the plane headed to Austin, Texas.
Once they landed, they were greeted by a local bus driver and a catered meal. The team rode for three hours on the bus from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport to Corpus Christi. Once they arrived, the team picked up their hotel keys and entered their rooms filled with snacks.
In addition to the baseball players, KU sends multiple staff members on trips to ensure everything is running smoothy.
“Some of the other things we are doing is making sure the guys have all the nutrition they need. We set up dinner, set up their snacks — all that stuff,” student manager Michael Finnigan said. “Just kind of being there for practice, shagging fly balls, feeding the machines, anything like that.”
The team receives two or three catered meals per day, which are delivered to the players on location, whether its the hotel, clubhouse or even the dugout.
On off days, players utilize the opposing team’s weightlifting facilities and practice fields to maintain their game-ready shape.
The on-the-road experience is new for many KU players, as the program brought in 27 transfers this season, most coming from junior colleges. The Jayhawks travel by plane and ride in a 50-seat charter bus, which is a much different kind of travel than some junior college players are accustomed to.
“There’s nine people in a van,” KU transfer Dalton Smith said. “You stop at a gas station, you get your snacks and you don’t even get a meal.”
The team will wrap up its 13-day road trip in Texas on Sunday.