The Kansas Jayhawks are in the midst of one of the most historic seasons in program history.
On Saturday night, the Jayhawks will be stepping up to their first Big 12 tournament championship match since 2013, and only their third ever, with the other appearance coming in 2006, where the Jayhawks took down the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win their sole conference title.
If there is one thing head coach Dan Fitzgerald has emphasized through this season’s 41-16 record its the camaraderie and unity with this team, often times deflecting praise and sharing it amongst his staff.
For example, after winning back-to-back Big 12 Coach of the Year awards, Fitzgerald was quoted as saying, “Great players, great staff around me, and incredible support on all fronts here, and I feel so fortunate and blessed to coach these guys, and to have them play the way they played. The Coach of the Year award truly is a team honor; it's a staff award, it's to all the work that my staff has done collectively…”
However, if there is one Kansas player who is deserving of special recognition as of late, it is sophomore outfielder Savion Flowers.
How Flowers has become an overnight sensation
The Chicago native spent his freshman season playing at Cisco College in the National Junior College Athletic Association, compiling a first season comprising eight home runs and 46 runs scored before making the move to the Jayhawks.
In only 10 games this season, Flowers has totaled a .353 batting average with five runs scored, six hits and five RBI.
While Flowers didn’t have a season that screams “All-Big 12,” Flowers bided his time perfectly as he was handed an opportunity to write himself into Kansas folklore in the Jayhawks’ quarterfinal matchup against the Baylor Bears.
When Flowers stepped up in the bottom of the 10th inning, it should be made clear that Kansas should not have been in that position, as just minutes beforehand, Kansas was cruising with a 6-0 lead and had to get rid of just nine more outs before a semifinal place was clutched. Yet, the Jayhawks threw away their massive lead over the course of those three innings and ended up needing Flowers in the bottom of the 10th to step up and deliver, leading Flowers to do exactly that.
"The coaches did a great job of preparing us for that in the offseason and the fall. It was just another at-bat to me. I was trying to get on base and help the team,” quoted Flowers postgame.
Flowers staying hot during crunch time
Just one day later, against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in what turned into a 9-2 win, Flowers stepped up, notching an RBI single, which later helped set up a grand slam from Tyson LeBlanc, that blew the game open.
LeBlanc later praised Flowers, saying, "Great job by Savion to get the two-out hit to begin the rally and everyone in front of me. I don't have that at-bat if my teammates don't get on. Dariel [Osoria] had a huge walk to set me up. We're going for as many runs in the late innings, trying to tack on as many as we can to help out our pitching staff and close the game.”
Saturday night will have to see Kansas’ strongest lineup out there which puts questions over whether Fitzgerald will use the in-form Flowers or not, but it would be surprising to see Flowers not have some kind of impact as the Jayhawks will be taking on the No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers.
When the two sides met this season, the Mountaineers swept the Jayhawks ouscrogin Fitzgerald and Co. by a 22-5 margin. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN2.
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