29 January 2024
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – KU head baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald has high expectations for his second season with the program, and one duo of new ‘Hawks is ready help.
“My entire staff, all of us come out of the junior college ranks, so I think there’s a certain connection we have with those coaches and those players,” Fitzgerald said.
KU has five junior college transfers bringing experience to the 2024 team, including Ben Hartl and Reese Dutton, a pitcher and catcher duo from Heartland Community College.
“Heartland wins a national championship last year, and Ben was the heart and soul of that team,” Fitzgerald said. “Reese Dutton was the national junior college player of the year his sophomore year.”
Hartl caught Dutton at Heartland, and he’s excited to do it again, if the lineup permits.
“Kansas was my first place I was going somewhere new,” Hartl said. “I didn’t have any friends, so having him going into this season of my life, together with him, has been perfect.”
The two are roommates as they reunite in Lawrence.
“We just make each other better,” Dutton said. “I love it. I love him. He had very good things to say about this place, and that led me to take interest in talking to the coaches, visiting here and it just felt like home.”
The coaching staff wasn’t at KU for the 2024 high school recruiting cycle, so it’s taking advantage of bringing experienced players to the roster.
“We’re getting guys from these programs that have had success, that have won at a high level, so their expectation when they walk on the field is to win,” Fitzgerald said. “Guys like Ben and Reese, those are the type of guys we need and, fortunately, those are the type of guys we’re getting.”
Things are moving faster in Fitzgerald’s second year. The culture he established in Year One stood out to transfers, such as Ben and Reese.
“I think this place is where God was leading me to go,” Hartl said.
They’re making practice competitive, and the team’s ready for the most important part of baseball.
“We have a great group, and I’m just excited to start the season and win a lot of ball games,” Dutton said.
This story aired in Sunday’s edition of K-Nation, click here for more K-Nation content.