Regional champs!!!

For three innings of Sunday night’s 13-10 regional baseball victory by Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark, everything Arkansas did made you think that we’d be coming back for more on Monday. 

But then the fourth inning arrived and Kansas put an end to that thought. With emphasis. 

More from Sunday's victory...

• Ballinger born to be in The Backyard

• Osoria delivers during surprise start at 2nd base

• Box Score

Behind six consecutive hits — two home runs and four singles — the Jayhawks completely erased a 5-run deficit and took a lead into the bottom of the fifth. 

It wasn’t officially over then. But boy did it look and feel like it. 

For good measure, the Jayhawks kept scoring from there, bringing another lively Hoglund Ballpark crowd into a frenzy on a special and historic day. 

"Unbelievable crowd, unbelievable atmosphere, and just could not be more proud," KU coach Dan Fitzgerald said after Sunday's win. "And couldn't be more excited to keep playing baseball. ... I'm not very often speechless, and I didn't, I didn't really know what to say — just overwhelmed. I was completely overwhelmed with this entire weekend."

The win moved Kansas to 45-16 on the season and delivered the Jayhawks’ first regional title since 1993. 

KU went 3-0 on its home field during its first ever opportunity to host a regional, defeating Northeastern and Arkansas (twice) by a combined score of 24-16. 

Second baseman Dariel Osoria, who had a monster day and ripped the cover off of the ball three separate times, started the huge inning with a solo home run to left-center field. It cleared the fence in nearly the exact same spot that his 2nd-inning double hit the fence in his previous at-bat. 

"I just knew that we just needed someone to punch it through," Fitzgerald said of Osoria giving the Jayhawks a spark. "And we needed the crowd. Like, the crowd was incredible, but we needed to give them something, they were just waiting for something."

Added KU left fielder Brady Ballinger of staying patient and poised while facing a 5-0 deficit: "We just trusted our guys. We stuck to the approach that Coach Fitz gave us, and we just grinded out at bats. We knew they had a good starter, and we knew that we could get to him and we got through in the fourth."

From there, Jordan Bach, Dylan Schlotterback, Brady Ballinger and Max Soliz Jr. strung together hard-hit singles that pulled the Jayhawks’ within two, at 5-3. And then, emerging Kansas baseball legend Tyson LeBlanc added yet another chapter to his magical season, launching a 3-run home run to center field that gave the Jayhawks the lead and completely changed the tone for the rest of the day. 

A couple of innings later, LeBlanc lifted another high fly ball toward The Backyard in left-center field, but this one was touched at the top of the wall by the Arkansas centerfielder, limiting LeBlanc to a double instead. 

Didn’t matter. The damage had been done and the Jayhawks had claimed complete control of the game. The task for Arkansas became even tougher when Josh Dykhoff turned on a pitch and hit it into the trees beyond right field to push the Jayhawks' lead to 11-5.

Arkansas mounted a bit of a comeback with a 2-run home run by Ryder Helfrick in the bottom of the sixth inning. That shot was Helfrick’s second homer run of the day. But even that just cut the Kansas lead to four, 11-7, 

The Jayhawks trailed 1-0 after an inning of play and appeared well on their way to tying it in the top of the 2nd. But a leadoff double by Osoria, that was 3-5 feet away from being a home run, was wasted when the Jayhawks stranded him at third base to end the inning. 

From there, things continued to go against Kansas, as Arkansas plated 3 runs in a stretch of 4 pitches to take a 4-0 lead into the third inning. 

KU starter Mathis Nayral, who gave up a first-inning home run to Helfrick, was pulled with no outs in the 2nd inning and reliever Toby Scheidt quickly got two outs before giving up back-to-back hits. 

Manning West came in in relief of Scheidt not long after and he gave Kansas three solid innings of 1-run ball, allowing Kansas to claim the lead and control. 

Kansas added a couple of massive insurance runs — one on an RBI bases-loaded walk by Jordan Bach and another on a sac fly by Dylan Schlotterback — and went to closer Boede Rahe to get the final six outs of the game for the third straight day.

He did.

And that set off a wonderful celebration on the field, in the clubhouse and around the ballpark of hugs and high-fives from every corner of the place.

Longtime Kansas fan and top-tier KU donor Dana Anderson watched the final out from his knees and then quickly stood up to celebrate with a huge smile and a hug with KU AD Travis Goff.

The players on the field hugged whoever was closest to them and often found the same guy a few minutes later for a second round of hugs.

"It meant a lot," Ballinger said. "Last year, going to regionals and falling short, it hurt a lot. And this year, being able to get back to regionals and not falling short, this time being able to win the whole thing, it was awesome."

Added first baseman Josh Dykhoff: "It's amazing. All I can say is God is great."

And LeBlanc: "To be able to give the fans what they've been waiting for for a long time, that was an amazing feeling. Looking up, having all the families in the stands, the student section, everyone, that was a great feeling."

There’s a lot to be written and a lot to say about what this team just achieved and what they’re still playing for as the season moves on. 

As for the immediate reaction to the significance of being the first KU team to advance to a Super Regional.... "I don't know," Fitzgerald said. "That's one where I probably need some time in August to really comprehend it because right now my brain just flips to Georgia Tech or OU and who do we need to prepare for."

Next week, KU will be playing one of them, either at home against Oklahoma or at Georgia Tech.

The Sooners and Yellow Jackets will play a winner-take-all regional final game in Atlanta on Monday at 2 p.m. (central) and the winner will face Kansas. 

In case you’re curious, the 1993 team advanced to the College World Series by simply winning one of eight 6-team regionals. The super regional round was added to college baseball’s postseason in 1999.

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