Fitzgerald's philosophy proving true

Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald has a simple view of how things go when the postseason rolls around. 

“It’s been my experience,” Fitzgerald began Tuesday, repeating a claim he made eight days earlier and probably many times before that, too. “That whoever enjoys the postseason the most usually does the best.” 

Look out, world. 

Super Regional Schedule for Hoglund Ballpark

Game 1: Saturday, June 6, 5 p.m. (central) on ESPN2 

Game 2: Sunday, June 7, 5 p.m. (central) TV TBD 

Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 8, Time & TV TBD 

You can look around the college baseball universe and find plenty of joy. It’s kind of a prerequisite for this game, dating back more than a century, when fathers and sons played catch in the backyard with only the sound of the ball hitting the mit narrating their moment.

Heck, even the pros, way back when, were worried about having fun first and many of them kept playing the game simply because they didn’t know how to live without it. This was before money took over and changed everything, and long before things like individual brands and record-breaking contracts mattered above all else. 

So, yeah, having fun has always been an important part of the game of baseball. It’s a grind. From pitch to pitch, inning to inning, game to game and week to week. 

But I’m not sure any team has had quite as much fun, from start to finish, day in and day out, as this Kansas baseball team. 

So, if that’s what wins in the postseason, this team is ready to keep doing it. And they’ve got a whole army of fun-having joy seekers behind them to help bring them across the finish line. 

From the fans in the stands and around the venue to KU’s raucous student section, the newly built Backyard and even the support staff in their own dugout, the Jayhawks have put on a master class in how to have a good time at the old ballpark this season. 

“It’s just a lot of guys having fun, that’s the biggest thing,” centerfielder Jordan Bach told R1S1 Sports this week, when asked about the dugout antics. “You see us with our water guns, everybody’s throwing water in the air. It’s awesome.”

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s a long list of things that go down that demonstrate the Jayhawks’ joy. 

But the easiest to spot comes after home runs. That’s when the dugout cam gets flipped on and the guys on the bench gear up to go wild. 

“My favorite part is the dugout chains,” Bach said of the oversized Jayhawk bling that goes around the neck of the home run hitter when he returns to the dugout. “I love to run and go grab those so I can be the one who puts them on. I usually try to get there first, but sometimes I get too excited.”

It’s not just game days when these things go down. 

Freshman outfielder Savion Flowers shared a story with R1S1 Sports this week about hitting a home run during live ABs at a recent practice and receiving a chain from Bach when he got back to the dugout. 

“He hit a bomb, man,” Bach said. “He needed the chain.” 

“I think it’s just an example of how close we are,” said Flowers, the hero of KU’s Big 12 tournament quarterfinal win over Baylor. “We all want to see everybody succeed and every time somebody hits a home run or scores, they gotta get some love.” 

Added second baseman Cade Baldridge: “I’ve never seen anything like our dugout.” 

Baldridge said the closest he’s come to experiencing it came during one of his summer ball stints. But even that paled in comparison to what this group has done all season long. 

“They started going crazy there for a little bit and we started winning a few games, so it just built off of that,” he added. “Now, it’s to the point where it is now; it’s a lot of fun. You might come out soaking wet, when they spray you with water guns and pour water on you, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Fitzgerald and the KU coaches love it. 

For one, it’s genuine and they appreciate the engagement and team-first mentality that the dugout celebrations demonstrate. 

For two, it’s a great indicator of how loose this team has been and remains heading into this weekend’s Super Regional at Hoglund Ballpark against Oklahoma. 

“I think at times I have to remind our guys the game is here, not there,” Fitzgerald said earlier this season. “But what an incredible problem to have.” 

The whole celebratory nature of Hoglund Ballpark is sort of a chicken or the egg thing. 

While the KU players are into it day in and day out — many on the team credit Landen Lozier, Blake O’Brien and Daniel Lopez for being the leaders of the energy surge — their fans, and, in particular, KU’s student section, have been just as into it and that has added to the atmosphere around KU’s home stadium for the past two seasons. 

“We just really feed off the energy,” Baldridge said. “No matter if we’re on the road or home, our dugout brings a lot of energy. But, whenever we’re here (at Hoglund), to put the fans on top of (that), the more energy (there is) it’s just way better for us. That’s when we play our best baseball.” 

Of the Jayhawks’ bench mob trio, Bach said simply, “They’re a huge reason why we’ve been successful. They’re guys who have really accepted their role and they just bring the juice every single game.” 

This season, the student section was moved from behind the Jayhawks dugout on the first base side of the field to behind the visiting dugout along the third base line. 

In addition to that change making life tougher for KU’s opponents, it also has allowed the Jayhawks to better experience some of the wild and crazy things happening in the stands, too. 

“Being able to see them across the field this year has given me a new appreciation for how into it they really are,” Fitzgerald said. “I couldn’t see ‘em last year because they were above us. But I heard every word the entire season and it was fantastic. A couple times, Will and Ben (two of Fitzgerald’s three sons who hang in the dugout) kind of turned around and I had to explain what that was later.” 

“I do think there’s a real connection between our team and our fans,” he added. 

And there’s been absolutely no doubt that all parties involved are having fun. 

Here are a few recent editions of the Jayhawks' famed Dugout Cam

— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com

R1S1 Sports coverage from KU's Regional Championship...

• Jayhawks clinch regional title

• Dariel Osoria delivered in more ways than one

• Ballinger born to be in The Backyard

• A generational joining of hands

• Cook goes toe-to-toe with likely 1st-round pick

• Juiced up Jayhawks top Arkansas to move to 2-0 in regional play

Some of our favorite Jayhawk stories from the season so far...

• Jayhawks win outright Big 12 title - Putting KU's first ever Big 12 crown in the proper context and perspective

• Stop us if you've heard this one... - Jayhawks validate regular season title by winning school's second ever Big 12 tourney trophy

• Jayhawks draw No. 15 national seed for this weekend's regional at KU - KU opens postseason play at Noon on Friday against Northeastern at Hoglund Ballpark

• Meet the Jayhawks - A deeper look at who these guys really are, outside of their baseball stats and stardom

• Hoglund upgrades 20+ years in the making - and they may still be just getting started

• The man behind the mask - What catcher Augie Mungarrieta has meant to KU

• From France to Friday nights - The story of KU pitcher Mathis Nayral

• Coming out of his shell - This season has been so much fun even normally-reserved KU ace Dom Voegele has allowed his emotions to show

• All he does is win - KU shortstop Tyson LeBlanc has done nothing but win in the game of baseball since he started playing and he hasn't slowed down in Lawrence

• Ready and willing - How KU's starting infield set the tone for this team's incredible work ethic

• Red-hot Jayhawks working magic recipe for another memorable run - Juco recruiting, hard work, being incredible teammates, it's all part of the magic that KU coach Dan Fitzgerald has brought to Lawrence