picture by: AP Photo/Doug Murray
Kansas’s Bailey Amezcua throughout an NCAA softball sport on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Kansas softball group opened its home slate in type over the weekend with a three-game sweep of Utah State at Arrocha Ballpark by a mixed rating of 39-3.
“I was really proud of the way our group came out ready to compete,” head coach Jennifer McFalls mentioned in a press launch after Saturday’s 14-0 win to finish the sweep. “We were aggressive at the plate, had great energy in the dugout and kept building momentum throughout the inning. When our offense gets going like that it takes pressure off everyone, and our pitchers did a great job staying composed and finishing the job.”
The Jayhawks improved to 18-7 in nonconference play coming into Friday’s league opener at Houston. They did so in dominant vogue in opposition to a group that had come to Lawrence at 10-10 and had been 26-26 and 11-11 in the Mountain West final season.
In the first half of Friday’s doubleheader, KU’s first sport in Lawrence after 21 in Florida and Arkansas and a midweek win in Wichita, the Jayhawks steadily constructed their lead with a series of solo home runs, one in every of the second, third and fourth innings. They then broke the sport open with three further homers in the span of a single inning: one from Anna Soles to chase USU’s starter after which two extra from Hailey Cripe and Campbell Bagshaw, Bagshaw’s a two-run shot to make it 7-0.
KU pitcher Chloe Barber, who struck out 13 on the day to only two walks, allowed a lone run in the sixth inning of her full sport because the Jayhawks received 7-1.
Later on Friday, Blakely Barber was in the circle for a sport that KU bought achieved much more rapidly. She allowed two runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Jasmin Ramirez and fielder’s alternative by Alex Bunton. But the Jayhawks evened the rating rapidly with RBI singles by Soles and Cripe.
They then proceeded to attain a mixed 16 runs over the following three innings in opposition to a wide range of Utah State pitchers and hasten the conclusion of an 18-2 win in 5 innings.
Freshman designated participant Ella Boyer went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs, together with a three-run homer. Bagshaw drove in three runs of her personal on a pair of singles, and catcher Bailey Amezcua hit a grand slam to conclude the scoring. Blakely Barber and Lila Partridge shut out the Aggies for the remainder of the sport.
On Saturday, KU strung collectively a dominant pitching efficiency from 4 separate pitchers as Kaelee Washington, Kennedy Diggs, Sam Claire and Lizzy Ludwig mixed for a five-inning no-hitter. Claire allowed the one two walks.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks’ offense was dominant once more, this time from the beginning, as USU’s starter didn’t document an out in what grew to become a 10-run first inning for KU. Ava Wallace and Aynslee Linduff hit home runs as a part of the early scoring outburst. They every completed with three RBIs apiece as a part of the 14-0 win.
KU will now head to Houston. First pitch for Friday evening’s sport at Cougar Softball Stadium is ready for six p.m.