Kansas baseball set for series finale against BYU
Kansas baseball will close the regular season with a little different format than what they are used to during the season.
The Jayhawks open a key three-game series at BYU Cougars baseball on a Thursday in Provo, Utah, marking the final weekend before the start of the Big 12 tournament. While the Thursday-Saturday format changes the normal routine, Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald said the timing of the season makes the adjustment easier to handle.
By the final week of the regular season, Fitzgerald said the pitching staff is prepared enough that the shortened turnaround does not create concerns. He thinks the players are ready to get back on the field quickly after a difficult week that included being swept at home by West Virginia.
“Yeah, this one is always Thursday, Friday, Saturday just because it’s the last weekend of the year,” Fitzgerald said. “So, this is the one I don’t worry about because the arms are so conditioned by this time of year. But yeah, I think it very much helps us just because the guys want to get out and play again.”
Playing in the altitude at BYU
Kansas has recent success playing in Provo. The Jayhawks swept BYU on the road during the 2024 season. It also gave them some familiarity with the playing conditions.
The altitude at BYU’s ballpark is different and the baseball carries through the air. Fitzgerald joked that the only real concern may come if one of his players has to circle the bases a little longer than expected.
“I don’t think so,” Fitzgerald said about making special adjustments for the altitude. “I think, you know, Dykhoff might be a little more winded on an inside-the-park home run at altitude, but no.”
[Fitzgerald says team still in good position]
Fitzgerald said the team learned plenty about the environment during the trip, including a unique workout. The Jayhawks hiked the Wasatch Mountains following the sweep, something he admitted tested the team more than the baseball games themselves.
“We hiked up to the Y a couple years ago after winning the series and had a great workout that morning,” Fitzgerald said. “The hike was the workout, and I don’t think we were conditioned for that. We had some guys that were dragging. But no, no adjustments other than, you know, the ball flies a little different, and that’s about it.”
Looking ahead to Big 12 Tournament and pitching rotation
Even with the Big 12 tournament beginning next week, Fitzgerald said Kansas is not approaching the BYU series with any long-term strategy. The Jayhawks still control their destination entering the final weekend, and Fitzgerald made it clear the focus remains on finishing the regular season strong.
Kansas has adjusted pitching plans in previous years entering the conference tournament, particularly when postseason seeding was already more defined. Fitzgerald talked about the 2023 regular-season finale at Texas Tech as an example of that.
This season, however, he said the approach is much different.
“I think there are times when you do it, but in our case, no, it’s all hands on deck,” Fitzgerald said. “And, you know, we’ll be playing Thursday in the Big 12 tournament and have no idea who it’s going to be against. But that’s way down the road. So, no adjustment.”
The Jayhawks will start Dom Voegele on Thursday and Mason Cook on Friday. They will wait and see how to handle the final game on Saturday. They enter tonight’s game with a one-game advantage over West Virginia in the league race.
