Kansas prepared for the moment in walk-off win over UCF
After getting the first two outs in the ninth, Kansas surrendered the game-tying run via an error, walk, and single. The Jayhawks’ didn’t play their best baseball on Friday night, committing three errors and struggling to generate consistent offense.
Yet, Kansas gritted its way through extra innings to beat Big 12 leading #12 UCF 4-3 in 11 innings at Hoglund Ballpark. Max Soliz Jr. played the hero, giving the Jayhawks a lead in the sixth before ultimately winning it with an RBI single in the 10th.
“I think our squad always has confidence no matter what,” Soliz said postgame. “We could be down five or whatever it is. I think all of us feel like we’re probably gonna come back, no matter what.”
The Jayhawks have started to prove again that no moment is too big for them. Kansas has racked up the come-from-behind wins. And for the second straight series opener, it got a walk-off win.
“They love the moment. They love to compete,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “They’ve become a really cool team of how much they care about each other, the process, and they just enjoy the moment.”
Kansas felt prepared for game-winning opportunity on Friday
After a pair of scoreless innings, Brady Ballinger led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk. Augusto Mungarrieta got hit by a pitch, setting up a sacrifice situation in a 3-3 game. Tyson Owens laid down a perfect bunt down the third-base line, setting Soliz up with runners on second and third with one out.
Fitzgerald calls these opportunities (runner on third and less than two outs) “free throws.” He preaches the importance of delivering in said spots, and Kansas did just that on Friday.
“Literally that exact situation of bunt them over and then make your free throw, move them score them, that we’ve practiced literally every since day since August whatever,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s fun to see it. When you actually tell them stuff and then you get to see them play it out with total confidence.”
Soliz said he felt very prepared for his at-bat in the 11th because of how Fitzgerald has the Jayhawks practice. He makes it feel like a real-game scenario, so there’s not much of a difference in the real games.
“That’s one thing I like about coach Fitz. Because he’s always on us like it’s a real game,” Soliz said. “So whenever you get out there, it’s the same thing. We go through it in practice, so it’s not that big of a difference.”
Kansas’ win over UCF on Friday marks its second straight win over a ranked opponent. The last two were low-scoring affairs, different from a team that had played a lot of shootouts. Yet, the Jayhawks are still finding ways to win.
“I think being able to play good baseball at the end of the season will always come down to how versatile you are offensively and how versatile you are on the mound in terms of bullpen options and the ability to match up,” Fitzgerald said. “You’ve gotta be able to score, you’ve gotta be able to be multifaceted.”
