Maybe in the next few seasons Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price won’t have this luxury, but at least this week the third-year KU coach will be conducting his team’s baseball business in paradise.

Today the Jayhawks open their 2005 campaign against Hawaii-Hilo in the Aloha State, but Price said the trip was more about business than pleasure.

“It’s going to be a fun trip, but the great thing about the guys is that they know it’s all about baseball,” said Price, whose squad opens with a six-game series in Hawaii before heading to Palo Alto, Calif., for a three-game set against sixth-ranked Stanford.

“Everyone’s really excited to get the season started, and being able to play in such great conditions this early in the season is all a part of the plan that I adopted for a cold-weather school such as ours ever since I took the job at KU,” added Price, whose team is seeking a third straight 30-win season for the first time in school history.

But whether the Jayhawks get any future jumps on the competition with a return trip to the “Aloha State,” is up to the NCAA.

The NCAA is considering a uniform schedule change for Division One teams in an attempt to make climate less of an issue.

But such a proposal — which would push the start date back until March 1 and allow a maximum of 56 games — can’t be considered by the NCAA Management Council for another year, and wouldn’t go into effect until the 2007 season.

“As a whole, I think it would be good for college baseball,” senior pitcher Mike Zagurski said. “But for a team like us, where we’re able to get enough support from the school to send us out to Hawaii and California and those places, I don’t think it would effect us as much as say other cold schools.”

Last year, Kansas took five of seven game from Hawaii-Hilo and had impressive outings against then-No. 4 Stanford. KU held a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning of its final game, but the Cardinal rallied for a 10-6 victory and series sweep.

“We have to close the door in those kinds of games,” said Price, whose squad returns seven hitters who all hit .300 or better for a 31-31-1 team that led the Big 12 Conference in batting at .316.

More importantly, though, Price said his team — which went 7-19 in the Big 12 last year — is much deeper on the mound.

“My first two years here, we could not pitch all three days of the weekend,” he said. “Usually, that is the case with every team in the country that is under .500 — they lack pitching depth. We feel we have made significant strides in that area.”

Zagurski, who was 4-4 last year with 70 strikeouts, likely will be the No. 1 starter. Junior Kodiak Quick, a transfer from Stanford, senior right-hander Clint Schambach (4-3), sophomore lefty Sean Land (4-2) and 6-foot-5 freshman Logan Murphy will round out the rotation.

While the Jayhawks lost a trio of hitters in the heart of its order to graduation and the pros, Kansas does return first-team all-Big 12 outfielder Matt Baty, who hit .344 and scored 62 runs.

Senior catcher Sean Richardson, who was the team’s MVP, leading KU with 69 RBIs and also hit 12 home runs. Price’s oldest son, Ritchie, broke the school record for hits by a sophomore with 84 and was second-team all-Big 12 at shortstop.

Despite the Vulcans’ 0-5 start, Zagurski said that KU players mentally are prepared to start the season despite the temptations of the locale.

“This trip … I know a lot of people like our teachers and other students, look at it like you get to go to Hawaii and that must be great — but we’re taking a business approach,” he said. “We’re fortunate enough to get to go there, where a great majority of other baseball programs do not.”

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Four Lawrence products are on KU’s roster — second baseman Ryne Price, shortstop Matt Berner, pitcher Matt Lane and outfielder Derek Bailey. Price, Berner and Lane are Free State High grads. Bailey went to Lawrence High.