Ritch Price didn’t recruit Ryan Baty, but Kansas University’s second-year baseball coach believes he received a unique inheritance in the senior first baseman.

“He represents everything KU stands for,” Price said. “He’s talking about going to law school, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he became governor some day.”

Baty and volleyball player Sarah Rome were named recipients of the prestigious KU Senior Scholar-Athlete awards during ceremonies Monday night at the Holidome.

“I was stunned,” said Baty, a Wichita Northwest High product. “When I came on campus my freshman year, I wasn’t that caught up in academics, but they have become more important to me. I eventually caught on.”

Baty, who earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during the fall semester, obviously considers academics important, but he still hopes to receive an opportunity to play professional baseball.

“I hope to play baseball for a while,” said Baty, the school record-holder in career doubles. “I want to play baseball until I can’t play anymore, but I need a back-up plan because the odds are against me.”

A communications major with a minor in history, Baty says he’ll go to law school if his pro baseball career is short-lived.

Rome, an outside hitter from Eagen, Minn., who holds KU career records in kills and attempts, knows exactly what she wants to do after she graduates in two weeks.

“I haven’t taken the MSAT yet,” she said, “but hopefully go to med school, either at KU or at Minnesota, and enroll in October.”

Volleyball coach Ray Bechard marveled at Rome’s ability to balance academics and athletics.

“She’s a great competitor on the floor,” Bechard said, “and she’s very outcome-oriented in academics. She always had books with her when we were on the road.”

Like Baty, Rome earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during the fall semester. So did 47 other KU student-athletes.

“It’s hard,” Baty said. “It takes focus and applying yourself. There’s a lot of studying on the bus and in airplanes.”

Kansas University baseball player Ryan Baty, left, and volleyball player Sarah Rome, right, stand with former athletic director Bob Frederick after Baty and Rome were named recipients of KU's Senior Scholar-Athlete awards. The honors were presented Monday at the Holidome.

Kansas has a 63-game baseball schedule. The Jayhawks play every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for nearly three months.

“We got back from Texas at 1 a.m. after Sunday’s game,” Baty said, “and we’re expected to be in class Monday morning. Coach Price demands that. Most of our guys have classes that start at 8:30 and end at 12:20. Then we take an hour for lunch and go to practice.”

With only three nongame days during the week, Baty realized how he had to prioritize and, to a lesser extent, put on blinders.

“When you’re at the University of Kansas, you’re in one of the greatest college towns in America,” he said, “and there are a lot of distractions.”

More than 250 KU student-athletes were honored Monday night for recording GPA’s of 3.0 or higher.

Also at the ceremonies:

l Football player Zach Dyer and rower Beth Olson were recognized for earning Big 12 Conference graduate scholarships. Dyer, a former quarterback and defensive back, already has earned a masters degree in sports management and will enroll in the KU School of Law this fall.

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l Michael Godard, an professor of Health, Sport and Exercise Science, was named recipient of the Del Shankel Teaching Excellence Award.

l Senior Athletes of the Year prizes went to football’s Curtis Ansel, Adrian Jones and Bill Whittemore; baseball’s Baty and Matt Tribble; golf’s Jennifer Bawanan; swimming’s Kim Bolin and Whitney Sondall; track’s Laura Lavoie; soccer’s Maggie Mason; rowing’s Olson; softball’s Kara Pierce; and volleyball’s Rome.