| Maybe starting pitchers | |||||||||
| day | Kansas | Samford | |||||||
| Tu. 6:30 pm CT | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| Friday 6:30 pm CT | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| Sat. 2 pm CT | TBA | TBA | |||||||
Lubbock, Texas – Kansas baseball concludes the 2023 regular season this week with a three-game series against No. 28 Texas Tech at Dan Lowe Field at Rip Griffin Park. Following the series, Kansas will travel to Arlington, Texas to compete in the Big 12 Baseball Championship for the first time since 2021.
Kansas (23-28, 7-14 Big 12) has secured its spot in the Big 12 Championship and is now ranked eighth. Before the playoffs begin, the final Big 12 game is this weekend.
Kansas won last Friday at Samford behind 6 home runs. That included three home runs in the second inning, marking the first time since 2010 with three homers in one inning. Cole Elvis, Janson Reeder and Chase Jans all hit homers in that game and all have at least 10 home runs this season. The last time Kansas had three players hit double-digit home runs in a season was in 2011. It was 2004 (Travis Metcalf, Sean Richardson, Ryan Baty).
Jayhawk freshman Kodei Shojinga is looking to finish his first regular season in college baseball. Shojinaga is sixth among true freshmen this season with a team-best .390 batting average. The Honolulu, Hawaii, native is hitting .442 in conference games, and his 38 hits in the Big 12 lead the conference. He currently has a 17-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in 28 of his last 29 games.
Opposite Shojinaga, graduate pitcher Colin Baumgartner will begin his final college baseball regular season. Baumgartner has three-straight quality starts and is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in those outings. He has 16 strikeouts compared to three walks in three starts. Baumgartner is 5-1 with a 3.95 ERA this season and has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his 13 starts. He leads the team in wins, tackles and assists.
Another fresh bat in the Jayhawks lineup is redshirt sophomore Michael Brooks. Since April 16, he has hit .423/.512/.887 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 21 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 10 walks. and slugging percentage (.571), he is second in hits (63) and OPS (.976).
Kansas and Texas Tech They have a streak that dates back to 1981. The Red Raiders hold a 50-28 advantage in the all-time series. Kansas won the most recent matchup between the schools, then-No. On April 3, 2022 in Lawrence Texas Tech was 8-5 with a score of 4. The win was his first against a top-five ranked opponent at Hoglund Ballpark since 2018.
Texas Tech (35-18, 10-11 Big 12) has been ranked in at least one poll all season. The Red Raiders are currently ranked No. 28 in the NCBWA poll. Texas Tech dropped the series at West Virginia last weekend, but they hold a 28-6 record at home this season. Kevin Bazel and Gavin Cash led the nation offensively, with Bazel batting .375 with 23 doubles and Cash with 22 home runs.
How to follow along
All three games this weekend in the Big 12 will now be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game on KLWN (101.7 FM/1320 AM) and the Jayhawk Sports Network at KUAthletics.com and the Kansas Jayhawks app.
Live stats can be found here, live updates are also provided on the team’s official Twitter page @KUBaseball.
Next
Kansas travels to Arlington, Texas to compete in the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. The double elimination tournament begins on Wednesday, May 24.