Former K-State Pitcher Enjoying Life in the Minor Leagues

It could be said that nobody saw it coming. Yes, Kansas State coach Brad Hill was slowly building something within the Wildcat baseball team for sometime, but in 2009 his program made some considerable noise.


Just one year ago in the middle of all of it all was A.J. Morris, who helped to alter the landscape and history of K-State baseball. As part of a marquee team during a turnaround season, the junior helped put both himself and the Wildcat program on the on the map.

It was a season in which the Wildcats received their first-ever postseason NCAA regional berth, while setting numerous school records in the midst of a flagship 43-win season.

"We just learned to buy into believing and going to the field and expecting to win, not hoping to win," Morris said in an interview with The Mercury this week. "If we are going out there for nine innings, we are going to win the ballgame. I think that attitude started to carry over into the K-State program. It's the only way to play baseball. When you play like that, a lot of good things happen, as you can tell this year. Obviously they are doing the same thing."

Taking the mound each Friday evening in 2009 under the lights at Tointon Family Stadium, Morris was the dominating force, and the headline story during the Wildcats' sudden rise in college baseball.

"Every time you step on the field you want to have the expectation to win," Hill said. "A.J. was a big part of that, and when he was on the mound you knew we had that."

Throughout that season, the 6-foot-2 junior was a turnaround story in himself too. Just one year earlier Morris finished with just a 4-4 record and an ERA over 6.00. Yet the Humble, Texas native completed the Wildcats' historic 2009 season with an incredible 14-1 record and an ERA of just 2.09.

"Last year to be a part of something that happened for the first time in school history, I mean, nobody can take that away from that team," said Morris, who is now pitching for the Class A Potomac Nationals.

With the sudden incredible breakout season, Morris caught the attention of not only the teams he faced in non-conference and Big 12 play, but the entire country.

His season resulted in a finalist selection for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's most outstanding player. Stephen Strasburg, a junior from San Diego State and the first overall selection of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft, won the award.

However, just to be in the conversation with Strasburg as a finalist for the prestigious award was something Morris took great pride in.

"It's something special," Morris said. "Stephen is an unbelievable pitcher. It was just an honor to be mentioned in there with those guys. It was a cool experience that I will never forget."

And so, Morris was rewarded for his own breakout year alongside Strasburg. With the impressive season, Morris was selected in the fourth round of the draft by the Washington Nationals — the same organization that picked Strasburg, who has been nothing but phenomenal in his first three big league starts.

"Every child who plays baseball wants (to make it) to the big-league game," Morris said. "To finally get the opportunity to get there and start playing is a blast. I enjoy it, I'm fortunate for the opportunity."

Morris is now in his second year of playing pro baseball with the Nationals organization. After beginning his career playing for the rookie league Gulf Coast Nationals, he has worked his way up to the Class A Advanced Potomac Nationals (Woodbridge, Va.) in the Carolina League.

For Morris it's been a rewarding and challenging rise through the ranks of the minor leagues.

"It just takes the same approach that got you there, attacking hitters, and letting your defense work behind you," Morris said.
"You learn to pitch on five days rest instead of seven, which is a little bit of a change.



"You have to learn to deal with the bumps and bruises like that, and you don't really want to get away from what helped you be successful. You just kind of take that and mold it and try to improve."

In March, Morris attended his first spring training camp in Melbourne, Fla.

"It was a great experience," he said. "You get a lot of feedback from people and head guys and pitching coaches. They all pretty much know what they're talking about, or they wouldn't be in that position. You just kind of take what you can learn and add it to your game and just try to improve and move up."

This season, with the Potomac Nationals, Morris has a 1-2 record with a 3.91 ERA through 10 starts. However, in his most recent start on June 3 against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Morris was forced to leave the game after a line drive struck him in the calf.

He is currently undergoing treatment for the injury and is hopeful to return to the mound soon.

"We are still just waiting for it to heal," he said. "As soon as I can start to run on it, I can pitch. It's just a lot of treatment and I'm trying to get ready."

But above all, Morris is proud of what he left behind at K-State. The now-pro pitcher in the Carolina League took time to visit the Wildcat program he left behind as they played an early March non-conference game in Florida this spring. It was during Nationals spring training and the proximity allowed him to visit with Hill and the team.

He was proud of what he saw that sunny weekend in Winter Haven, Fla. After all, it's a program and slowly rising baseball tradition that he himself helped to build just a year ago.

"It's a good feeling," Morris said. "It's nice to see that you do something for the first time, and it's not a one-hit wonder. It's a new tradition and it's something that each and every player coming into that program is going to be expected to live up to, and they're doing a good job of it so far."

As for himself, Morris is continuing to live the dream he has chased for his entire life. The dream that has landed him a job doing something that he loves.

"Getting to have a job that I dream of — playing baseball," Morris said. "I get to do it everyday. Some people have to wake up and have real jobs, I get to play baseball. I couldn't ask for anything better."

- Photos Courtesy of The Potomac Nationals

Two Wildcats Selected in MLB Draft

The Kansas State baseball team had two players selected in the MLB first-year player draft on Tuesday afternoon.

Both junior shortstop Carter Jurica and senior third baseman Adam Muenster had their names called after helping the Wildcat program another record-setting season in 2010.

"We are tremendously excited and happy for those guys," KSU coach Brad Hill said Tuesday. "You can't say enough for what Carter has meant for our program, and I couldn't be happier for Adam Muenster."

Jurica was selected in the third round as the 105th overall pick to the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Muenster was selected in the 29th round as the 877th pick overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds.

"It was definitely exciting," said Jurica, who watched the draft in his apartment with teammate James Allen. "I was a bit
surprised because I wasn't expecting to go early in the third. I was kind of more looking at the fifth (through) seventh. It kind of caught me off guard."

With the third-round selection on Tuesday, Jurica became the earliest Wildcat position player to be selected in the MLB draft since Jack Woolsey was selected in the second round in 1969, also by the Giants.

The junior from Katy, Texas is coming off his best season since becoming a Wildcat. Jurica hit .363 with 13 home runs this season, which tied him for fourth-most in KSU history. Two of his 13 home runs came during the Wildcats' regional appearance in Fayetteville, Ark.

"I started off the first half a little slow, but I picked it up towards the second half," Jurica said.
Jurica said he has been in contact with the San Francisco organization for much of the 2010 season, and plans to sign with the club soon after discussing specifics over the phone with the team Tuesday night. "It's a pretty tough opportunity to pass on," Jurica said. "As of right now, I plan on signing."

Meanwhile, Muenster had been in contact with the Reds' organization throughout the previous few months before his selection on Tuesday. The senior converted-third baseman said he plans on talking with members from the organization on Wednesday, and reporting to team camp as early as Sunday.

"It's kind of one of those things at the end of the year, when it is all said and done, you sit and think about where you want to go from there," Muenster said. "I definitely wanted to get drafted and I was prepared for both and if I didn't, I was going to be alright with it. But I'm definitely happy that it did happen."

Muenster finished his senior season hitting .381 as the leadoff hitter. The average was second to teammate and Co-Big 12 Player of the Year Nick Martini who hit .416.

In his career at K-State, Muenster played both left field and third base, while also serving as the primary designated hitter in 2009.

The Omaha, Neb., native will leave a lasting mark on the Wildcat program as he ranks first in career steals with 78 and ranks in the top 10 in career singles (second with 183), doubles (eighth with 44), runs scored (eighth with 161) and total bases (10th with 313).

Hill has now had 20 players drafted since joining the KSU program seven years ago.

"It means a lot to our program," Hill said. "When kids see two kids who weren't drafted out of high school, develop into high draft picks, that really (shows) how our program has evolved."

K-State's Ohlde Entering Seventh Year In WNBA

She was unique.

That much, Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson knew in the summer of 1996 when she first saw the skinny 6-foot-1 eighth grader from Clay Center.

It was during her annual K-State summer camp that a skinny girl named Nicole Ohlde ran a basketball up and down the court and swarmed for rebounds, catching Patterson's eye.

That day, it was as if Patterson could already envision Ohlde in a purple and white uniform.

"You knew there was something really special and unique about her," Patterson said during a recent interview. "She was dribbling the ball up the floor after rebounds, and then passing it, and the next thing you knew she was at the rim finishing the shot. You knew there was something really feisty and special about her."

But what she couldn't foresee that summer, was just how much an impact the unassuming girl from Clay Center would have on her program for years to come.

Ohlde didn't either.

"I just remember it was a blast because I love to play basketball," Ohlde recalled of the camp. "Back then I had so much energy I was just running around anyway. I don't really remember necessarily doing anything that stood out, but I'm sure Coach
Patterson saw something."

Ohlde put on her first Wildcat uniform in 2000, and quickly those instinctive reactions Patterson saw in her prized recruit became reality. In just her second collegiate game, Ohlde scored 36 points and pulled down 19 rebounds against Wyoming at the Oregon State Beaver Classic.

It was the beginning of a career that eventually led Ohlde to a pair of All-America selections and an eventual first round draft selection by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx of in 2004. She was the third Wildcat to be drafted into the league in the Patterson era.

Ohlde is still second in KSU history in both scoring and rebounds with 2,241 points and 995 rebounds, respectively.

"The day that Nicole was drafted, it is without question one of the happiest days in my career," Patterson said.

On that day, her teammates, parents and Patterson surrounded Ohlde as they watched her name appear as a first-round pick.

"It was a very exciting day," said Ohlde, who was also a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year. "It was something that I never really could have dreamed of. It was just an amazing feeling to know that hard work had paid off. I was starting a new journey in my life, and it was a very exciting time in my life."

The draft was a step in her life that once again proved Patterson's hunch when she first saw Ohlde, was indeed true.

Quickly, Ohlde carried her college career successes on to Minnesota. Now, seven years later, Ohlde is a member of the Phoenix Mercury after being traded.

While she has been in the league for a while, the highlight of Ohlde's professional career came just last season when she helped the Mercury to their second WNBA title in the team's 13-year history. She helped the team defeat the Indiana Fever in a best-of-five championship series.



"It was definitely a dream come true," Ohlde said. "Just to have the opportunity to be a part of something like that, and the excitement and joy after putting in the hard work, to achieve something like that, it was just ecstatic. My parents were there, a lot of my best friends were involved in that, and coming back this year for the ring ceremony was very exciting."

Now, Ohlde is entering her seventh year in the WNBA, looking to battle off a slight hamstring injury suffered prior to the season starting.

The 6-foot-5 center said she is feeling better as the season progresses, and hopes that her minutes and production will begin to reflect that. Through five games this season with the Mercury, Ohlde is averaging 10.2 minutes, down significantly from her seven-year career average of 24.3.

"I am trying to work through that," she said. "Hopefully with getting in the flow and rhythm of playing, I will pick my minutes back up. I think it is crazy how quickly you get out of game shape and out of the rhythm of things.

"The first game was definitely shaky, and hopefully after a few more games I get some minutes, and hopefully I will feel better about myself and be able to contribute a little more."

The injury came following Ohlde's sixth season of playing basketball in Europe during the WNBA offseason. Last year, she competed on Hungary's women's squad.

During her professional career, Ohlde has played basketball in several countries, including teams in Belgium, Spain, France and last year's season with Hungary.
Ohlde says she has become comfortable with the European basketball league.

"My first year was quite a challenge," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to go back again. Every year after that, it has been great and it's just something that I know I'm going to do. It's something that just kind of comes second nature to me now."

But the grind of playing year-round basketball caught up with her as they began the 2010 season with the Phoenix Mercury this summer.

"I'm definitely not 100 percent," she said last week. "I don't think anybody's 100 percent in this league."
With the hamstring injury and in the last year of her contract, this season will answer many questions about her pro career and life beyond it.

Currently, she plans to complete this WNBA season and go to Europe again in the off-season. During that process she hopes to reach another contract agreement with a WNBA squad and return for an eighth season.

As for her life after basketball, that is something she has yet to completely figure out.

"That's something I have been thinking about a little bit," Ohlde said. "I guess I am going to have to make a decision at some point down the road. I have always thought about coaching and being some type of personal trainer, or doing something with kids.

"I think I have options, I just need to figure out what exactly I want to do."

While she said those plans are something she likes to keep private, Ohlde said she may eventually consult with Coach Patterson about where her next step may take her.

"I haven't really discussed it with a lot of people," Ohlde said. "I'm trying to hold off as long as I can. Maybe down the road I can talk to her (Patterson) or with other people about it. But right now, I have been thinking about it mostly to myself."

Regardless of what happens, the story of Nicole Ohlde is something that still puts a smile on Patterson's face. The 15th-year KSU coach said she continues to use Ohlde as an example of what her program strives to build in its players.

"It is just such a tremendous story," Patterson said. "She was the epitome of a great student-athlete and carries herself with such class and dignity. She is someone who you can point to as an example of the things that are possible if you do choose to build your career here at Kansas State University. There's nothing like a walking, talking example and role model. That's what Nicole is."

Ryan Daniel Ready For A Comeback

It was Ryan Daniel's senior year at Kansas State and nothing was going to take that from him. The right-handed pitcher wanted a repeat of last season's NCAA regional run, and maybe more. Daniel wanted more than anything to help give that to the K-State team.

So he wasn't going to let anything, even the unusual pain he felt in his right shoulder on April 25 take that away from him. It was the first game of a doubleheader against Missouri and suddenly something about his pitching motion wasn't right.

Despite the sudden pain, Daniel pushed through it as much as he could - and kept quiet.
He didn't let anyone, even the coaches and team trainers know that something was wrong.

"My arm just didn't feel like it usually did," Daniel said. "It didn't feel 100 percent, but I tried to throw through it anyways."

To that point in the season, Daniel had emassed a 5-1 record and helped the Wildcats jump out to one of the best starts in school history, even better than last season's unexpected run.

Through the pain, Daniel pushed on.

But by his next start one week later in Norman, Okla., that pain almost cut his senior season short.

Daniel could muster only one inning of work before the pain became too much.

"My shoulder locked up on me and I just couldn't throw anymore," he said.

Immediately, KSU coach Brad Hill and team trainers examined their No. 1 weekend starter.

After evaluating Daniel's shoulder, the injury was diagnosed as a flared rotator cuff, limiting the range of motion in his throwing arm and making it extremely painful to pitch.

It was then that the Fort Collins, Colo. native learned he would be miss 2-4 weeks so to rehabilitate his injured throwing arm.

"I wish I would have been smart enough to say something about it earlier," Daniel said.

After finally getting to the bottom of the pain, Daniel knew he still could contribute to the Wildcats as they entered the second half of Big 12 play, while still locked into a tight race atop the conference standings.

During the next three weeks Daniel spent on the sidelines, he took on a new role with the team. The former Friday night starter quickly transformed into a leader off the field and inside the K-State dugout. During a pivotal series against No. 1-ranked Texas and in-state rival Kansas, he could be seen in the dugout rallying teammates and providing vocal leadership.

Hill described Daniel as one of the biggest cheerleaders in the dugout during both series.

"I just kind of took a part to help out and keep our enthusiasm and spirit up even when I wasn't playing," Daniel said. "I just tried to charge the guys and cheer them on as much as possible. Even though I couldn't help them on the field, I was trying do everything I could off of the field."

And that's exactly what he did.

The Wildcats defeated No.1 Texas on Friday, in what would have been his usual day to start, and K-State snapped the Longhorns' 21-game winning streak.

"I found myself pacing back and forth during those close games," Daniel said. "I was trying to yell behind everyone to get them to yell more. That series was something else."

After spending three weeks in the dugout, resting his right shoulder, Daniel has appeared in two games, a relief appearance against Texas A&M and a start against Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament. He took the loss against the Sooners, his fourth of the season, after lasting just three innings.

He admitted he was still adjusting to the in-game scenarios after his three-week absence, but the two outings provided him with enough work to feel completely rehabilitated.

"I just kind of lost my release point, but I think I found it at the Big 12 (tournament), which is good."

Daniel can now focus on putting his arm back to good use tonight at 7 when the Wildcats (36-20) play their first round game against Washington State (34-20) in the Fayetteville (Ark.) regional of the NCAA Championships.

Daniel said his arm is feeling healthy again, and the opportunity to be apart of the team again and pitch for the Wildcats is something his is grateful for as third-seeded K-State gets set for just its second regional in the history of the program.

"It would mean so much for me," he said this week. "Especially because it might be my last time to ever pitch. It would definitely mean the world to me to be able to go out there and try to get a win for my team and help them to get to the next level."

Photo- K-State Sports Information