One of the things Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald has attributed his team’s stellar season to is the fact that his guys absolutely love to play baseball.
Fitzgerald pointed to that passion again on Monday after Kansas learned it had earned a No. 2 seed in the Arkansas regional at this year’s NCAA tournament.
Less than an hour after hearing the KU name called on ESPN’s selection show, Fitzgerald said simply, “if we could play right now, they’d play.”
They couldn’t, of course. That comes Friday night, when the Jayhawks (43-15) take on No. 3 seed Creighton (41-14) at 7 p.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
So, instead, they did the next best thing – got back to work on the practice field with a spirited session on Monday afternoon and a back-to-business practice Tuesday morning.
R1S1 Sports was there for the duration of Tuesday’s practice, picking up the vibe surrounding this bunch as they prepare to make the program’s first appearance in a regional since 2014.
Here’s what we saw and learned.
For starters, these guys appear to be doing a very good job of managing the transition from regular season to postseason. Getting a taste of it at the Big 12 tournament probably helped with that, but now it’s on to the real stuff, do-or-die time, and these guys appear to be embracing that big time.
According to those who have seen them all, Tuesday’s practice looked a lot like the rest of the practices the Jayhawks have had this season, with a good blend of comedic relief and punchy one-liners sprinkled around sessions of serious work.
Given the fact that nearly everyone on this roster is experiencing this for the first time in their careers — assistant coaches included — the ability to carry themselves with that been-there-done-that vibe was impressive.
On three separate occasions, I was warned that I might be a little bored if I stuck around for the whole practice. One of those came from Fitzgerald himself, who, midway through the session, downplayed the environment, telling me simply, “This is what postseason practice looks like.”
It’s less rah-rah and ah-ha than one might expect, and much more about keeping the train on the tracks and not deviating too far from what got you there or taxing the players too much before the lights come on for real.
KU pitchers Dom Voegele (far left) and Kannon Carr (with Voegele and at right) get things started at Tuesday's KU baseball practice at Hoglund Ballpark. [R1S1 Sports photos]
Tuesday began with pitchers reporting to Hoglund Ballpark just before 10 a.m. They worked in groups of three, fine-tuning pitches, talking approach and taking care of their bodies while the rest of the team finished a weight-lifting session.
Starters Dom Voegele, Cooper Moore and Kannon Carr got things started, first with a light toss session in the outfield and then inside from the mound in the indoor facility.
During many practices, there’s a fair amount of live-action at-bats, with the KU pitchers throwing to the KU hitters. But not Tuesday.
KU pitching coach Brandon Scott, who worked closely with everyone on an individual basis, said this practice was all about setting the right mindset for the postseason and positioning guys to feel good when they leave Lawrence.
Instead of forcing the KU pitchers to throw strikes and letting the prolific Kansas offense pound away, the Jayhawk pitchers worked situational stuff inside and tried to hit spots, fine-tune their deliveries and keep their confidence high.
Take three-year veteran Thaniel Trumper, for example. As he worked through a series of pitches in the cages, Scott could be heard yelling, “Thaniel Trumper looks like the Thaniel Trumper of 2023. He is back!”
The next arm up only threw a handful of pitches before hearing Scott say simply, “couple more for confidence and get outta here.”
While the pitchers were attending to their minds and arms for this weekend, the KU position players were running through a regular session of hitting and defensive drills on the field.
It started in the cage with partner hitting, where players teamed up to accomplish tasks like getting bunts down, moving base runners over and executing successful hit-and-run situations.
“Move ‘em!”
“Score ‘em!”
One thing of note was the fact that all of the players were in or around the batting cage at home plate by 10:48 a.m. even though practice didn’t officially begin until 11 a.m.
There was constant chatter during every at-bat, which came off of balls delivered by a pitching machine set up halfway between home plate and the pitching mound.
The swings and the intensity grew louder when they reached the hit-and-run portion of the cage session and nearly all of it was of the supportive and competitive nature.
“That a boy!” “Nice swing!” “There it is!” and things of the like were uttered constantly. Occasionally, a few players felt the juice of competition boil over, digging in, determined to show a teammate who was calling them out nearby.
That vibe only escalated at the end of practice, when the power hitters stuck around the cage and tried to hit bombs with every swing, another routine part of practice for an offense that shattered the school record with 100 home runs (and counting) this season.
It was all in good fun, though. And, an up-close look at it, provided a real feel for just how connected this team is and why/how they have gotten to be so close. Remember, some of these guys met each other for the first time back in August.
Jackson Hauge (left) takes a swing in the cage while assistant coach Tyler Hancock (right) and some of Hauge's teammates watch the action. [R1S1 Sports photos]
Fitzgerald has said praised their togetherness all season and he has noted that the root of the Jayhawks’ camaraderie goes back to the job his staff did vetting them when they were recruiting them.
Recruiting like-minded, good human beings was and remains a top priority for the current KU program.
But a big reason it all came together so quickly is because of the way Fitzgerald runs his program.
He truly believes that Kansas baseball belongs to the players and that he is merely the man who steers the ship and puts it all together.
Because of that, Fitz and his coaches go out of their way to make sure the players feel comfortable and have the freedom and confidence to take ownership.
“We let them be who they are,” Fitzgerald told me, noting that, as long as guys are taking care of business, there’s no micromanaging, no heavy-handedness and a lot of freedom to live up to the clearly set expectations.
The Jayhawks’ 43-15 record this season certainly illustrates that business was taken care of in 2025.
Throughout their time on the field on Tuesday, there were moments where signs of leadership emerged. But not just from one or two players. From everyone. That really speaks to the fact that these guys feel that ownership that Fitzgerald has given them and they’re clearly comfortable with things running the way they run.
The leadership came from everyone from Australian infielder Chase Diggins and Dominican centerfielder Derek Cerda to first-team all-Big 12 first baseman Brady Ballinger and first-year Jayhawk Jackson Hauge, one of the nation’s leaders in home runs with 19.
A subtle comment here. A reminder there. Words of encouragement a little later on. It wasn’t that a lot needed to be said just that the words came when the moment called for them.
Fitzgerald and his coaches did their share, too, yelling, ‘Lock it up! Let’s go!” or “Back to basics!” whenever they saw fit.
For the most part, the practice was similar to one you would’ve seen if you came out to Hoglund Ballpark for any practice throughout the season.
And that speaks to the consistency and charm of this team.
They know they’re headed for a huge moment. Nearly all of them have never been in this position before. But there they were going through the same run-of-the-mill drills and practice habits that allow them to stay ready and relaxed even with the biggest weekend of the season looming.
Senior infielder Michael Brooks acknowledged that there was a little extra juice at Monday’s practice, largely because it was held immediately after the selection show. But by Tuesday it was back to the business of preparation, scouting, lifting and taking care of their minds and bodies so they’ll be ready for the weekend.
Same drills. Same basic routine. Same mindset – one game at a time, one play at a time, one pitch at a time.
Both Brooks and Hauge said after practice that one of the reasons this team is so successful in doing that is the fact that it’s full of enough characters to keep things light and fun.
Navigating that line between being loose yet locked in is not easy, but laughter plays a big role in making it possible.
Brooks said Diggins is one of the best at delivering that medicine and his one-liners and constant playful jabs at his teammates certainly came through at Tuesday’s practice.
Hauge said Diggins was great at that and added that nearly everyone on this roster has a little bit of that levity in them.
He singled out TJ Williams and Ty Wisdom as two other Jayhawks who are on Diggins’ level.
“I think it helps that we’ve got a lot of dudes on the team that really enjoy being around each other,” Hauge said. “We’ve got 40 dudes (who are) all friends, and that helps immensely when you go out there and you put it all out between the lines. So, try to make people laugh, try to make people smile, just do the simple things that keep you locked in.”
All of that was present at Tuesday’s practice, from laughs and one-liners to guys singing along with the soundtrack of the day and talking about things that had nothing to do with baseball at all.
You could look anywhere on the field, at any player in black shorts and the blue KU T-shirts and find confidence, cool, calm and collected body language and periodic laughs and smiles.
When it came time to perform, there was real intent there, too. And they were more than happy to both coach one another and receive coaching from their teammates, taking instruction and moments of encouragement and accountability as serious as they could.
It remains to be seen how the Jayhawks will fare this weekend at the double-elimination regional in Arkansas.
Win or lose, though, it’s clear that they’re ready.
Fayetteville Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
Game 1 – No. 1 Arkansas vs. No. 4 North Dakota State, 2 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 3 Creighton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 31
Game 3 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 4 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 1
Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m.
Monday, June 2
Game 7 – If necessary, only if Game 5 winner wins Game 6, TBD
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
