The end of the road

The prevailing thought on the Kansas side of things after Saturday night’s Game 1 Super Regional loss to Oklahoma was that Sunday would be different and the Jayhawks would fare much better. 

Then the game began — 2 and a half hours late — and the story was the same. 

For the third consecutive day, and in painful, season-ending fashion, the Jayhawks were battered by Oklahoma, this time by the score of 13-2, bringing an end to one of the best seasons in the history of Kansas baseball. 

The fact that Sunday’s game was suspended because of weather and pushed to Monday, while momentarily giving the Jayhawks’ hope for a reset, only prolonged the pain. 

"I could break down this game and the things that went wrong yesterday and today, but I just told them after the game that I'm incredibly proud of them. We've brought this program to a pretty special place, and it's because of who they are as baseball players, but way more who they are as men. I couldn't be more proud of them."

— KU baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald on the 2026 team & the end of the ride

The loss ended the Jayhawks’ season at 45-18, tying the school record for most wins in a season. 

“(It was) just an incredible, incredible last few weeks of hosting a regional, and then a super, and so many people that did so much behind the scenes to make it happen,” Fitzgerald said during his opening statement after Monday’s loss. “So, thank you to everyone at KU for making this such an incredible last couple weeks.” 

While the Jayhawks are now done, Oklahoma heads to next week’s College World Series as one of the hottest teams in college baseball, having taken a pair from No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech last week to advance to the Lawrence Super Regional and then sweeping the Jayhawks, who entered the postseason as the No. 15 overall seed. 

“Congratulations to Oklahoma; they certainly earned it this weekend and they’ve got a great program,” Fitzgerald said. “They're the real deal, and they will be plenty ready for Omaha.” 

While Game 2 of the Lawrence Super Regional was spread out over two days, both parts looked eerily similar. 

Oklahoma pounded Kansas pitching and dominated with hard-thrown, precision pitches on the mound. 

On the flip side, the Kansas bats were ice cold and dead quiet while the KU pitching broke down around them. 

"I certainly felt like we were always one inning away,” Fitzgerald said. “We just couldn't string it together."

In short, a series that began with many thinking KU was the clear favorite was a lopsided affair won by arguably the hottest team in college baseball. 

The Sooners (38-22) led 8-1 when the game was suspended on Sunday night, with OU batting in the bottom of the third inning with no outs. Play resumed from that point on Monday and while KU closer Boede Rahe did an admirable job of keeping the Sooners’ quiet, OU eventually broke through. 

“I think it was kind of a blessing in a sense,” Rahe said of the Sunday night suspension. “It was like a reset button, almost like starting a brand new game.” 

Added shortstop Tyson LeBlanc of the pause in the third inning and the challenge of coming back on Monday down 8-1: “Our attitude going into was just as long as we have an out left, we have a chance. No matter what we came back to, (with) the score, as long as we have one out to fight with our season was still alive.” 

Rahe gave up a 2-run home run to the final batter he faced. And, a couple of batters later, the Sooners, who were the home team in this one per NCAA rules, launched another 2-run home run out of the park. 

Oklahoma’s 4-run 6th inning buried the Jayhawks even deeper and KU never found a way out of the nightmare. 

Even when KU shortstop Tyson LeBlanc gave the home fans a brief reason to cheer with his solo home run in the 8th inning (adding to his school record with No. 25 on the season), the Sooners squashed that with yet another home run of their own in the bottom of the inning. 

In all, five different Oklahoma players accounted for 7 home runs in the two-game sweep of the Jayhawks. 

Monday’s loss was played in front of a Sooner-heavy crowd at Hoglund Ballpark, as most of the KU fans who packed the place for the historic Saturday and Sunday games were not back for the completion of the sweep. 

While the end of the magical season certainly stung and was far different than anyone on the Kansas side expected to see, several Jayhawks were able to see through the disappointment to put some perspective on what this team achieved during the past couple of months. 

That was evident on the field after Monday’s loss, where the Jayhawks’ came together one last time in right field for a quick breakdown and a whole bunch of hugs. 

While they did, a few hundred KU fans remained in the stands down the first base line, providing a standing ovation and rousing round of applause for the team that gave them so many great memories.

Big 12 champs. Big 12 tournament champs. Regional champs. Super regional hosts for the first time in program history. A ride so wild that they were able to nearly double the capacity at Hoglund Ballpark for the postseason, from 2,500 entering the season to a school-record crowd of 4,415 fans on Saturday night.

“I mean, I hate to say it, but it happens every year. The season comes to an end,” said KU pitcher Dom Voegle, who took the loss in Game 1 on Saturday. “It's been awesome with these guys the whole year, and I mean (it was) just pretty heartfelt out there.” 

Added Fitzgerald: “I could break down this game and the things that went wrong yesterday and today, but I just told them after the game that I'm incredibly proud of them. We've brought this program to a pretty special place, and it's because of who they are as baseball players, but way more who they are as men, and I couldn't be more proud of them. My only regret is that we don't get to play more baseball together, because they're a special group.”

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