If you see a man with a tan walking around Lawrence this week, pat him on the back. There’s a good chance the fellow with the bronze tint plays baseball for Kansas University.

While most KU students were gearing up for their first day of classes last week, the Jayhawks were returning from a seven-game series in Hawaii.

Kansas went 5-2 in the season-opening series against Hawaii-Hilo, despite being limited to four outdoor practices prior to the trip because of winter weather.

“I think that just reminded us how important that trip was,” second-year coach Ritch Price said. “The purpose of that trip was for us to get outside, to be assured that we could play so that we could make progress knowing that when we came home we could possibly be back indoors.”

Now an ice storm and snow have forced his squad indoors again while it prepares for its two-game series Saturday and Sunday at Texas Southern.

“We may literally not get outside until we get to Houston,” Price said. “But I really think that we made such good progress last week that we can afford to be back indoors for three or four days before we play again.”

The Kansas hitters showed plenty of pop in Hawaii, with five players already posting double-digit hit totals and the team sporting a .367 batting average. The Jayhawks scored 14 or more runs three times.

Junior Sean Richardson, a transfer from Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., led the Jayhawks with a .579 average (11-for-19), 13 RBIs and a grand slam.

Richardson wasn’t the only Jayhawk with a hot bat. Senior right fielder Matt Tribble hit .481 (13-for-27), sophomore second baseman Matt Baty .419 (13-for-31) and senior first baseman Ryan Baty .393 (11-for-28).

Among his pitchers, Price praised junior Clint Schambach for surrendering no runs in three solid outings as a closer.

The Jayhawks were solid defensively. They had 10 errors on the trip — only two were by infielders — but most came in one inning.

“I think you can always look back and say you would’ve done things a little bit different,” Matt Baty said of the lone shaky inning, “but we led the Big 12 last year in fielding percentage, and we’re looking to do the same this year.”