Kansas baseball’s ‘one-two punch’ of Reese Dutton, Dominic Voegele is vital in postseason

LAWRENCE — Dominic Voegele admitted last week he felt a little intimidated, when he arrived for the start of his Kansas baseball career.

Voegele, a freshman pitcher, was joining a roster with a number of veteran players. He was making the step up from high school to college, and with a Big 12 Conference program no less. It was surreal for him, to go from someone who’d watch these guys on YouTube or television to someone who was now sharing the field with them.

But much like Voegele did back in high school, in time he found his footing. He became one of the best freshmen, and pitchers in general, in the Big 12. He did so, in part, because of the guidance of teammates who helped keep him calm like senior pitchers Sam Ireland and Reese Dutton.

It’s with Dutton, a newcomer in his own right who transferred in from USC Upstate, that Voegele has helped form one of the best starting pitcher duos in the Big 12. That reality, among other reasons, is why the Jayhawks (29-21, 15-15 in Big 12) have a chance to make a run in the Big 12 tournament. Kansas’ stay this week in Arlington, Texas as the No. 7 seed could be an extended one, both because of the talent those two possess and the confidence they give their teammates.

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“I feel like it gives them a ton of confidence, like the hitters and the defense,” Voegele said prior to the team’s final series of the regular season this past weekend at Texas. “I feel like their spirits are all up because they know it’s either going to be a really close game or if we’re hitting it’s, like, just going to be a blowout, pretty much.”

Dutton, who described the freshman year Voegele’s had as remarkable, explained last week he himself has had to navigate what Voegele did. That wasn’t just in the time Dutton spent at USC Upstate, but back when he was at Heartland Community College. Dutton, who has roomed with Voegele on road trips, noted it’s not always about vocalizing advice as much as it is being an example of someone who trusts their own ability and doesn’t panic on game days.

So far this season, Dutton is 7-4 with a 3.59 ERA through 14 starts. With 80.1 innings pitched, he has collected 76 strikeouts while allowing 32 walks. A game that still stands out to him was when he helped Kansas to a 3-1 win in March against TCU, when he allowed just one run in seven innings and left with a victory and eight strikeouts.

So far this season Voegele, who Dutton said learned quick, is 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA through 14 starts. With 76.0 innings pitched, he has collected 74 strikeouts while allowing 29 walks. He also has a fond memory of his own start against TCU in March, which also saw him leave with a victory, as he went five innings and allowed two runs while striking out five.

Dan Fitzgerald, the Jayhawks’ head coach, said last week Dutton has been exactly who they thought he’d be — a proven winner. Although Fitzgerald wasn’t sure Voegele would have a mid-90-miles-per-hour fastball so soon, he knew Voegele — a 2023 MLB draft pick in the 20th round who chose KU instead — would be good. What Fitzgerald didn’t know about Voegele, until Fitzgerald coached him, was how mature and composed Voegele would be.

“It was at Baylor — I went out there, and (Voegele)’s like, ‘Let me get this guy, I’m fine,’” said Fitzgerald, recalling a game from April that Voegele helped win. “But as matter of fact as you could possibly — just no emotion. And (Michael Brooks) said, ‘(Fitzgerald), just let him get him.’ (Collier Cranford)’s like, ‘(Fitzgerald), just let him get him.’ I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m just coming out to check. I didn’t point to the bullpen yet. Relax.’”

Whether Kansas will see more moments like that in the Big 12 tournament will be determined in time. First up is a game Tuesday morning against Kansas State. That’s a team the Jayhawks lost a series against this season, but could have come out on top against.

According to Dutton, he and Voegele don’t talk much about the confidence they have in themselves. They don’t talk much about the confidence they feel they help give their teammates. But there are ways they build each other up, even if it’s as simple as pointing out an opposing hitter might not handled fastballs inside all that well.

Fitzgerald outlined the two are different people. Dutton is emotional and potentially the loudest guy in the dugout on a day he isn’t pitching, while Voegele is the definition of calm and it’s unclear if he can yell. But both are equally competitive and tough, from Fitzgerald’s perspective, and should they succeed they can keep Kansas in contention for the NCAA tournament.

“It’s an incredible one-two punch,” Fitzgerald said, “for sure.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas baseball’s ‘one-two punch’ of Reese Dutton, Dominic Voegele is vital in postseason