KU-OU series set for Saturday start

The Kansas baseball team is set to play in its first Super Regional in school history and now they know when.

On Monday, KU (45-16) learned that it would play host to the 3-game series at Hoglund Ballpark when Oklahoma (36-22) knocked off No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech in a winner-take-all regional game in Atlanta.

That fact, which KU coach Dan Fitzgerald admitted got him a little fired up when he watched the Sooners record the walk-off win in extra innings, was learned on Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, the NCAA released the dates, times and broadcast designations for all eight Super Regionals.

Kansas and Oklahoma — old Big 12 and Big Eight friends and foes — will start their best-of-three series at 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

Game 2 of the series is slated for 5 p.m. Sunday on an ESPN channel to be determined, and if the two teams need Game 3 to decide it, that will take place Monday, June 8, with the start time and channel to be determined later.

Fitzgerald, who met with local media members on Tuesday morning, said he went back and forth on whether it would be best for KU to start on Friday, like half of the Super Regionals will, or Saturday.

The way he saw it, the Friday start would have given KU an extra day of rest on its next opponent. The Saturday start, however, would give KU's players more time to rest, recover and get healthy.

In the end, though, it wasn't up to him anyway and he does not think it really matters.

"I'd play tonight if they'd let us," he said. "I'd play wherever, whenever. The guys will be ready."

The expectation is that Oklahoma will be, too. And Fitzgerald provided his first glance at the Sooners, whose last game against Kansas was a wildly memorable battle in the Big 12 tournament semifinals back in 2024.

KU, which missed the NCAA Tournament that year, led 6-0 after 2 innings but fell 8-6 when OU stormed back over the final 7 innings and won with a 2-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th.

"I remember that one clearly," Fitzgerald said. "That was a fun one. They've got a couple guys back from that team, as do we, but, no, that one's long gone."

This one?

"Really athletic, they can run, they're great defensively, very solid lineup, they play really good baseball," Fitzgerald began. "Great pitching stuff (and) their coaching staff has been there and done that. They're just good on both sides of the ball, very similar to some of the teams we played in the Big 12 in terms of they run but they also have power. They're really good and it'll be a great challenge for us."

Stay in touch with Wave The Wheat throughout the week for much more on this series and KU's run through the postseason.

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

• Records fall in KU's 6-3 win in regional opener

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

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