KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas is no one-hit wonder. We're talking baseball, not the popular band of the 1970s and '80s.
For an encore to their record-setting 2025 breakthrough, the Jayhawks have put themselves on track for their best season since the standard-bearing 1993 team made the program's only College World Series appearance.
The Jayhawks have won 10 straight games, 21 of their last 22 after sweeping Arizona and have a four-game lead in the Big 12 Conference. They achieved their highest ranking ever Monday when they landed at No. 7 in the D1Baseball.com poll. They are No. 9 by Baseball America.
“I think they just love playing baseball,” coach Dan Fitzgerald said. "They’re tough, they work hard and they take their preparation very seriously. They’re really fun to be around. There’s a lot of work that goes into this. Still a lot of coaching, a lot of preparation and specific to each player. There’s a lot of stuff right now that they’re just running with — the energy in the dugout, their attitude towards each other. It’s a very selfless group.”
This is all new for Kansas (37-11, 20-4 Big 12), which hasn't had much sustained success in its 136-year baseball history. The Jayhawks' all-time record is just a little over .500, and their most recent of three regular-season conference championships came in 1949. They did win the 2006 Big 12 Tournament, but 22 of their 29 conference regular-season records have been sub-.500.
KU has ascended in the four seasons since Fitzgerald took over after assistant coaching stops at Dallas Baptist and LSU. The Jayhawks' 2025 win totals — 43 overall and 20 in conference play — were program records. Their 80 total wins since the start of last season are tied for the third most in Division I.
A major roster overhaul led by an influx of junior-college transfers has not slowed Fitzgerald's momentum. Of the 35 players on the roster, 26 are newcomers and 24 had not previously played in Division I.
Tyson LeBlanc, who played juco ball for LSU-Eunice last season, leads the Jayhawks with a .337 batting average, 16 homers and 49 RBIs. Dominic Voegele is emerging as the top arm with four straight quality starts, including a 15-strikeout complete game in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Friday.
The Jayhawks don't have numbers that jump off the stat sheet, but they find ways to win. They're 14-1 in games decided by two runs or fewer and they've come from behind to win 24 times. Once they get a late lead, they keep it: They're 30-0 when leading after the sixth inning.
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