| #12 UCF (20-9, 10-2 Big 12) vs. Kansas (23-10, 9-3 Big 12) | |
| When | Friday, April 10 – Sunday, April 12 |
| Where | Lawrence, Kan. // Hoglund Ballpark |
| Watch | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Radio | Jayhawk Sports Network + KLWN (101.7 FM/1320 AM) |
| Live Stats | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Game Notes | Kansas | UCF | Big 12 |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Social Media | @KUBaseball | @kubaseball | Facebook |
| Probable Starting Pitchers | ||
| Day | Kansas | UCF |
| Fri. 6 p.m. CT | RHP Mathis Nayral (4-1, 4.73 ERA) | RHP Mateo Gray (3-0, 5.34 ERA) |
| Sat. 2 p.m. CT | RHP Dominic Voegele (2-2, 8.84 ERA) | TBD |
| Sun. 12 p.m. CT | TBD | RHP Camden Wicker (3-1, 2.52 ERA) |
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas baseball will play No. 12 UCF in a three-game series at Hoglund Ballpark this weekend in a matchup of the top two teams in the Big 12 standings. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.
“I think [our guys] love being together,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “They love competing. When you make it about other people on your team and not about yourself, there are endless things to get behind and endless things to cheer for during a baseball game. It just feeds on itself. We just try to make it about us and try to make it about us being behind each other and with each other each pitch.”
Kansas (23-10, 9-3 Big 12) has matched its best start ever in Big 12 play with a 9-3 record. The Jayhawks have won three straight conference series versus Houston, at Cincinnati and against Utah. The three consecutive Big 12 series wins marks the first time the program has done so since 2014. KU is currently in second place in the Big 12 standings.
Kansas has gone 6-0 at home to start Big 12 play. That marks KU’s longest conference home winning streak to start a season since at least 1993. Last weekend, the Jayhawks swept Utah at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansas scored 41 runs in the three games, marking the most ever by the Jayhawks in a three-game Big 12 series.
The Jayhawks have won seven straight games entering the weekend and are 13-2 over their last 15 contests. During that stretch, the offense is averaging 10.0 runs per game.
On Tuesday night at No. 19 Nebraska, Kansas tallied its 17th comeback victory of the season in a 5-3 win. Kansas overcame 2-0 and 3-1 deficits with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to claim the win. The Jayhawks set a school record with 26 come-from-behind wins a season ago.
UCF (20-9, 10-2 Big 12) sits in first place in the Big 12 standings. The Knights are ranked No. 12 by D1Baseball, No. 13 by Perfect Game, No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 17 by Baseball America and the NCBWA. UCF is coming off an impressive series win at West Virginia where the Knights won two out of three games. They have also won a Big 12 series at TCU and at home against Oklahoma State and Arizona.
FANS COMING TO THE GAME
For a smoother entry into Hoglund Ballpark, fans are encouraged to show up early and to purchase tickets ahead of time online. Students will still receive a general admission ticket for free with a valid KU student ID on a first-come, first-served basis. Student tickets can be picked up outside of Gate 6 and the student section will be in Section E. Gates at Hoglund Ballpark open one hour prior to first pitch. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the games on KLWN (101.7 FM/1320 AM) and the Jayhawk Sports Network on KUAthletics.com and the Kansas Jayhawks app.
Live statistics can be found here, while live updates will also be provided on the team’s official X page @KUBaseball.
NATIONAL AWARDS ROLLING IN
Tyson LeBlanc was named the Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Week and to the Baseball America National Team of the Week on Tuesday. He was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday.
LeBlanc hit .529/.636/1.235 (9-for-17), with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored and five walks with a 1.871 OPS in a perfect 4-0 week at Missouri and versus Utah. He connected on a home run in three of the four games and has hit nine home runs in the last 12 games.
The Maurice, Louisiana, native had a walk-off two-run homer in a 14-12 comeback victory in Thursday’s game against Utah, a go-ahead three-run home run to break an 8-8 tie in the 8th inning at Missouri and a go-ahead two-run homer in the 6th inning on Saturday when trailing Utah 8-7.
SERIES HISTORY
Kansas has played UCF eight times in school history. The teams are even at 4-4 in the all-time series. Last season, Kansas swept UCF in Orlando and outscored the Knights 32-15 in three games. Kansas had seven different players hit a home run in the series (Brady Ballinger, Derek Cerda, Michael Brooks, Sawyer Smith, Jackson Hauge, Brady Counsell and Chase Diggins). Before the 2024 season, there was not a matchup between the two schools since 1998.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts Wichita State on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. CT for the first of two midweek games between the Jayhawks and Shockers this season. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.
Courtesy of KU Athletics