The Kansas baseball program has been selected for the seventh NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in its history, earning the No. 15 national seed and a home‑field advantage at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks will open the tournament against Northeastern at noon Central Time on Friday.
Hosting a Regional for the First Time
The Lawrence Regional will feature a four‑team double‑elimination bracket that also includes Arkansas as the No. 2 seed, Missouri State as the No. 3 seed and Illinois‑Chicago as the No. 4 seed. All four clubs will compete in a format that guarantees the winner a matchup against the champion of the Georgia Tech Regional in the super‑regional round.
Coach Dan Fitzgerald, a two‑time Big 12 Coach of the Year, has guided the team to a 42‑16 overall record and a 22‑8 mark in conference play. The season includes the program’s first outright Big 12 title since 1949 and a streak of seven consecutive conference series victories.
Northeastern arrives as a baserunning powerhouse, leading the nation with 210 stolen bases and having captured the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament for the second consecutive year. The two programs have met only once before, with Kansas prevailing 6‑4.
The accomplishment reflects a broader resurgence for Kansas baseball, highlighted by back‑to‑back 20‑win conference seasons that echo the early 2000s Nebraska teams and underscores the program’s rise under Fitzgerald’s leadership.