picture by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald addresses the gang after the Jayhawks defeated Arkansas within the Lawrence regional championship sport on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.
Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald discovered himself transported to a different time and place within the early innings of Sunday’s regional last towards Arkansas.
Another regional last, particularly, when he was an assistant at Dallas Baptist on the Fort Worth Regional in 2021 and the Patriots fell behind 5-0 towards Oregon State in a winner-take-all Game 7.
“I had one of those flashback moments of like, ‘I’ve been here before,’ and then I literally had the thought of, ‘And we’ve been here before like 20-some times,’” Fitzgerald mentioned.
Twenty-four instances previous to Sunday evening, KU had gained a sport during which it trailed sooner or later. It was solely a matter of time earlier than it erased the 5-0 deficit — simply as DBU had when it went on to beat the Beavers 8-5.
“I just knew that we just needed someone to punch it through, and the crowd was incredible, but we needed to give them something,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “They were just waiting for something.”
Dariel Osoria restored life to the Hoglund Ballpark crowd with a fourth-inning solo shot, by the top of the body it was at full blast after a go-ahead three-run homer by Tyson LeBlanc, and by the top of the evening it had witnessed one thing unprecedented: a regional championship for the KU baseball program.
“We’ve grinded through this year,” left fielder Brady Ballinger mentioned. “This is my second year in the program, and last year coming up, going to regionals and falling short, it hurt a lot, and this year, (being) able to get back to regionals and not falling short this time, being able to win the whole thing, it was awesome.”
Fitzgerald, no matter midgame flashbacks he could expertise, usually speaks about how tough it’s for him to replicate on a lot of something whereas the season is ongoing and he’s simply attempting to beat one impediment after one other. Even on Sunday evening, he mentioned he’ll want “some time in August” to internalize the significance of the regional title, as a result of his thoughts has already moved on to subsequent weekend’s tremendous regional.
But he did spare a second to assume particularly of the gamers who helped get KU the place it’s now.
“If someone had said, ‘Write down all the things you want to accomplish,’ this certainly would have been something: regional championship at home, new left-field fence, that definitely would have been on the list,” Fitzgerald mentioned.
“But the significance of it, for me, the special part is last night seeing guys from my first year, because those guys, the building block of a Collier Cranford and a Cole Elvis, and Jake English staying, and Jake Baker staying, and building that foundation in year one, and then the guys in year two building that. I think the significance is you’re seeing guys that are reconnecting to the program, so many former players here, having the time of their lives watching the guys do what they used to do.”
As a lot groundwork because the likes of Cranford and Elvis had been in a position to lay of their first two years, the 2025 and 2026 campaigns after they graduated did do fairly a bit extra to intensify the general public consciousness of KU baseball, each nationally and regionally. As half of the Lawrence Regional, the 2 most attended video games in program historical past — 4,042 followers noticed the Jayhawks face Arkansas on Saturday, and 4,007 turned out for the rematch — served as proof of that.
“I was completely overwhelmed with this entire weekend,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “I joked about it yesterday, but I was serious. You coach long enough and your emotions get pretty frayed. I don’t get scared during movies anymore. My hair does not stand up on my arms, and it stood up all weekend.”
Ballinger, a longtime fan favourite, solely lately returned from a hamate bone harm that had him questioning if he may maintain a bat correctly. Besides holding the bat nicely sufficient to drive in a pair of runs on Sunday, he discovered himself main “a few of the claps” for the tightly clustered KU supporters within the Backyard part simply past the left-field fence. (LeBlanc mentioned that “they made that fence for him,” whereas Josh Dykhoff joked that “he needs someone to talk to out there.”)
It’s the kind of factor that might have been tough to check a number of brief weeks earlier when left area was nonetheless opaque, not to mention previous to and even halfway by means of Fitzgerald’s tenure.
“It was awesome,” Ballinger mentioned, “getting to see fans up close and personal, especially in left field, it was just so cool getting to see them and being able to hear them.”
And they may hear all of them evening.
“Our student section is palpable,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “No one left. It’s the greatest thing ever. We finish the game, we look up and everyone is still there.”
Each stage of the season has introduced KU one other milestone: the primary Big 12 event title since 2006, first time profitable a regional since 1993, first regular-season convention title since 1949, first time internet hosting a regional ever.
This impending journey to an excellent regional is one thing else new for this system, as that 1993 regional title in Knoxville, Tennessee, despatched the Jayhawks straight to the College World Series. So KU is in uncharted territory as soon as once more, a spot during which it has thrived all yr.