photo by: Richard Gwin/File photo

Free State senior Hunter Gudde pitched a complete game shutout against Derby in a five-inning victory at Hoglund Ballpark at Kansas University in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament on June 19, 2016.

A few hours after losing in extra innings in the state baseball championship game last month, former Free State High pitcher Hunter Gudde received an unexpected phone call.

On the other line was Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price, offering a spot on his team.

Previously signed to play at Johnson County Community College, Gudde announced on Twitter on Sunday afternoon that he has committed to play for the Jayhawks. He will join the team as a walk on.

“It feels awesome,” Gudde said. “It’s always been my dream to go play at a big Div. I school. I get to live that dream. Just go out there and try to win games, put in work and try to get some playing time as soon as possible.”

Gudde, who was named the Sunflower League’s Pitcher of the Year, led the Firebirds to back-to-back Class 6A state title games, winning a championship in 2015.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander was one of the most dominant pitchers in school history, posting a 17-2 record over the past two seasons with a school-record 0.61 earned-run average. In 29 career appearances, he struck out 90 batters and walked 11.

Gudde said the decision to play at KU over Johnson County was “the hardest decision of my life.” His goal, when he previously committed to Johnson County, was to work his way up to a Div. I program.

“I didn’t want to go to KU and end up not really doing anything there,” Gudde said. “Of course, the first year I probably won’t play as much as I would at Johnson County. It was kind of a big decision I had to make, decide which one I really wanted.

“If I go to Johnson County, I don’t have a 100 percent chance that I might be able to come back to KU. If I’m already going to KU, I’m already here and I can just already start trying to work my way up.”

One of the biggest question marks for Gudde at the collegiate level was the speed of his pitches. His fastball was clocked in the low-80s this spring, but the impressive command of all of his pitches helped him find success at the prep level.

Gudde said he talked to Price after his junior season, when he earned all-state honors, about a potential spot on the team.

“He pretty much told me the same thing — I needed to increase my velocity,” Gudde said. “If I increase it to a certain point, he was going to offer me, which I didn’t increase it to the point where it needed to be. But he kind of went ahead and offered me (a spot) anyway, which was kind of cool.”

During the middle of this season, Gudde moved into Free State’s closer role, giving the Firebirds a dominant option in late innings. He started in the state quarterfinals, pitching a one-hit shutout, before pitching in relief in the next two games.

“That was, I think, an opportunity that he capitalized on,” Free State coach Mike Hill said of Gudde’s pitching at state. “A lot of it’s timing, and his timing was really good to perform well. Coach (Price) was able to see his performances there and I think that probably solidified thoughts on their behalf.”

Now, Gudde is looking forward to proving his pitching success can translate to the Big 12.

“It’s a big leap, for sure,” Gudde said. “Going to Johnson County, the whole goal was to go get prepared to go to a school like KU — just go to a big Div. I school. I skipped a few steps, I feel like.”