The Kansas baseball team has enjoyed an incredible season, the most successful in school history. Not only did the Jayhawks win the Big 12 regular season championship for the first time for the first conference title since 1949.
KU followed that tremendous accomplishment up by winning the Big 12 tournament championship as well. It's been an exciting season for the Jayhawks.
Now, Kansas has been rewarded for its accomplishments on the diamond and will be hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament at Hoglund Stadium in Lawrence, Ks. Play will start Friday, May 29.
Kansas had to work for their right to host an NCAA Regional
After a remarkable season, the Jayhawks limped into the Big 12 tournament. They lost four of the last six games, including getting swept in a three-game series at home against West Virginia. The Mountaineers ended up finishing just one game behind KU in the regular season.
Despite the slow finish, the Jayhawks played well in the Big 12 tournament. They jumped out to a big lead early in the first round against Baylor, allowed the Bears to tie the game in the ninth, and then won it in the bottom of the 10th. Savion Flowers, an unlikely hero with only 12 at bats all season, hit a dramatic walk-off home run to advance KU to the next round.
Kansas took care of a ranked Oklahoma State team in the semi-finals, 9-2, before going up against their nemesis, top-10 ranked West Virginia. This time, the Jayhawks did not allow the Mountaineers a chance, blowing them out 9-0.
The KU offense scored 26 runs in three games, and after giving up seven in the first game against Baylor, the Kansas pitching staff surrendered only two runs in the last two games.
What schools is Kansas hosting in the NCAA Regional?
Sunday morning, Kansas found out whom it would be hosting during the regional. On a national telecast broadcast on ESPN2, it was announced that Kansas was the 15th seed, which seemed slightly low, but those late-season losses probably cost them at least a couple of spots.
KU will face Northeastern (38-20) in the first round of the double-elimination regional. The other two teams are Missouri State (34-19) and Arkansas (39-20). While no opponent should be discounted, the Razorbacks look like the toughest competition of the teams coming to Lawrence.
Arkansas was one of two schools mentioned during the broadcast that just missed hosting. That means they will be tough competition for the Jayhawks, and KU will need to be at their best to beat them.
Interestingly enough, West Virginia, who swept KU late in the season and whom the Jayhawks shut out in the Big 12 championship game, is also hosting a regional. The Mountaineers are seeded 16th. You have to wonder if KU had lost to West Virginia, would those two seeds have been swamped, or would Kansas have been left out? Fortunately, no one has to ponder that very long.
The Jayhawks need to stay hot to survive the regional and advance. The goal is to make it to Omaha for the College World Series. It would be only the second time ever KU has advanced that far. The only other season the Jayhawks made it to the College World Series was 1993.
Hopefully, Kansas baseball will continue its magical season and make an impact during the World Series. Getting to host a regional for the first time is an incredible first step toward that goal.
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