Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price on Wednesday accepted letters of intent from 11 athletes who will join the KU baseball program for the 2005-06 school year.

Seven of the recruits are high schoolers, and the other four are from junior colleges. Studentsportsbaseball.com ranks the class the 17th-best in the nation.

Area recruits include: Nick Czyz, LHP, Overland Park; Ryan Anthony, LHP, Overland Park; Lee Epps, 3B/RHP, Merriam; Preston Land, RHP/1B, Overland Park; and Ross Kelling, 1B, Kansas City, Mo. (Maple Woods CC).

Czyz is the brother of KU pitcher Don Czyz; Land is the brother of KU pitcher Sean Land.

“This is the finest recruiting class that I’ve been associated with in my 11 years at the Division One level,” Price said.

Other recruits are: Buck Afenir, C, Escondido, Calif.; Andy Marks, LHP/OF/1B, St. Louis; Kyle Murphy, OF, Beloit, Wis. (Indian Hills CC); Steven Smith, LHP, Carmi, Ill. (Wabash Valley JC); Paul Smyth, RHP, Atascadero, Calif.; and Dylan Parzyk, C, Vista, Calif. (Palomar College).