Kansas outfielder Chase Jans had to ‘learn how to fail’ before his breakout season
Chase Jans had started to doubt himself.
The Overland Park native joined the Kansas Jayhawks baseball team in 2022 with high expectations. After all, he had quite the pedigree — Jans was ranked the No. 1 outfielder in Kansas and the No. 4 overall player in Kansas by Perfect Game.
Instead, Jans’ freshman season was the lowest point of his athletic career. The outfielder batted .194 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 33 games.
“Should I be here?” Jans would ask himself throughout the season.
Jans struggled to keep up with college players that were bigger, faster and, at the time, better than him. College baseball was the first time Jans found himself challenged on the field.
Throughout high school, Jans had relied on what he calls his “God-given talents,” but that wasn’t enough against college players. His struggles turned into a valuable lesson.
“I learned how to fail,” Jans told The Star. “I hadn’t really experienced how to fail before.”
After a tough 2021 season for the Jayhawks (20-35), multiple key KU players entered the transfer portal. For Jans, the thought didn’t even cross his mind.
“I came to Kansas because of my family,” he said. “They are the type of family that doesn’t miss a game. They make a lot of road games, too.”
In June, KU hired Dan Fitzgerald to lead the program as head baseball coach. Before the 2022 season, Fitzgerald sat down with Jans to discuss his play.
Jans credits Fitzgerald with helping him improve his thought process and temperament. In his freshman season, Jans struggled to remain composed during the long baseball season.
“Obviously, with baseball, it’s a game you’re going to fail most of the time,” Jans said. “(Fitzgerald) basically told me, ‘You can’t get too high on it, but you definitely can’t get too low.’”
Heading into the season, Jans focused on working on his mental health. A big focus was on his breathing — before every swing, he takes a step back, looks at his bat and takes a deep breath.
It helps calm his nerves.
“I think unless you’ve played it and you’ve played the long seasons, you don’t really get it at all,” Jans said. “You can hear somebody talk about (how mental baseball is), but it might not really register for them.”
Working on his mentality has paid big dividends for Jans. The outfielder is batting .320 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 49 RBIs in 55 games.
Jans’ improved mental approach hasn’t been lost on Fitzgerald.
“I think part of why Chase has had the success he’s had this year is he is happy,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s really managed the ups and downs of the season — he’s been able to compete at a really high level regardless of what happens.”
As Kansas (24-30, 8-16 Big 12) begins the 2023 Big 12 Baseball Championship with a matchup against Texas at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jans has learned a lot about himself over the last two years.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it is going to get better,” Jans said. “You just have to work at it.”
The kid from Overland Park is forever grateful he gets to don the crimson and blue.
“I think it’s awesome because a lot of people from my high school or the local high schools out in the district are KU kids or K-State kids,” Jans said. “It’s fun to play in front of them. … It’s fun to see them around.
“I’ve always wanted to stay close so I would know people, so I could see people I knew and see familiar places. It’s just been a really cool thing because everywhere you go, you know somebody there.”
