Why the KU Jayhawks baseball, softball teams are enjoying record-breaking seasons
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas softball reached a 30-win season for the first time in a decade.
- Kansas baseball is 14-4 in Big 12, the program’s best start, leading the conference.
- Both programs feature multiple players with double-digit home run totals this season.
Whether it’s a softball or a baseball, the Kansas Jayhawks can hit, throw and catch it well.
The KU baseball and softball programs are having record-breaking seasons. Last week, Kansas was the only Big 12 school ranked in both the Softball America Top 25 and Baseball America Top 25.
The Jayhawks softball team improved to 30-15 (11-7 Big) with a series win over UCF on Sunday. It’s the program’s first 30-win season in a decade. They earned their first win over a ranked foe in two seasons when they beat Arizona State in early April and are fourth in the Big 12 standings.
The top two teams, Texas Tech and Arizona, aren’t on KU’s schedule.
The Jayhawks have two double-digit home run hitters, in freshman catcher Ella Boyer (17) and senior infielder Hailey Cripe (14). Boyer, a Spring, Texas native, has already set a freshman record for home runs and has been recognized as the Big 12’s freshman of the week three times.
This is the most success the team has enjoyed in head coach Jennifer McFalls’ eight year run. KU hasn’t made an NCAA Tournament since 2015.
The softball Jayhawks have one last homestand, against Iowa State and Wichita State, before ending the regular season on the road against Oklahoma State.
On the baseball side, Kansas is off to its best Big 12 start in program history with a 29-11 record (14-4 Big 12). They are the top team in the conference, holding a two-game lead atop the standings with 19 comeback wins this season.
Kansas had an 11-game win streak snapped against Oklahoma State over the weekend but still won the series. It’s the program’s fifth-straight Big 12 series win, a first in program history.
KU is currently ranked 16th by D1Baseball.com and 15th by Baseball America, with six wins over ranked opponents. The Jayhawks haven’t played the two teams closest to them in the Big 12 standings, ranked West Virginia (27-9) and Arizona State (28-13). But they play host to WVU for a three-game home series starting May 8.
The Jayhawks are a year removed from their first NCAA tournament appearance in more than a decade, having reached that milestone in head coach Dan Fitzgerald’s third season. They have two double-digit home run hitters, in junior Tyson LeBlanc (15) and junior catcher Augusto Mungarrieta (11).
KU faces Nebraska at home before going to Manhattan for the Sunflower Showdown Series against rival Kansas State starting on Friday.
