'We've got a bunch of those guys'

Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald will be the first to tell you that he doesn’t know the first thing about coaching basketball.

But during a recent home outing in which KU big man Flory Bidunga threw out a ceremonial first pitch, Fitzgerald tapped into the common thread between baseball and basketball during a dugout conversation with KU guard Elmarko Jackson, who was there to watch his teammate perform.

Jackson, you probably remember, missed all of the 2024-25 KU basketball season to rehab a knee injury he suffered last summer. And there’s a fair amount of intrigue surrounding his return to action, given that he came to KU as a McDonald’s All-American and started 17 games as a true freshman.

None of that matters to Fitzgerald, who didn’t spend a single second trying to discuss defensive principles or ball movement with Jackson.

But he is a basketball fan. And he does follow the Jayhawks on the hardwood as much as he can.

And the way he sees is, Jackson is the kind of player that any team, in any sport, would want on its roster. He told him as much in the dugout while Bidunga was out on the mound.

“I just told Elmarko, ‘Hey, man, I don’t know anything about basketball, but if being a great teammate in adversity ever gets rewarded, you’re gonna have an unbelievable year because you were an unbelievable teammate all year,’” Fitzgerald recalled this week, ahead of his team’s trip to Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 baseball tournament. “I just believe in that wholeheartedly. And we’ve got a bunch of guys who have done that.”

That last part was the whole reason the story came up.

Asked during a Zoom press conference to identify an unsung hero on this year’s Kansas baseball team, Fitzgerald pointed to the fact that there are a handful of guys who fit that description on the 2025 KU baseball roster, guys who are unbelievable teammates, hard workers and total team players without the stats to show for it.

“We’ve got a bunch of those guys,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s an interesting question because they’re not unsung on our team. They probably are on the outside looking in.”

He then went on to single out three such players — senior outfielder Mike Koszewski, senior infielder Chase Diggins and junior utility player TJ Williams.

Editor's note: On Thursday night, in the Big 12 quarterfinals, it was Williams' key, ninth-inning bunt that set up a walk-off RBI single from Koszewski to move the Jayhawks into the semifinals.

Here’s what Fitzgerald had to say about each of the three unsung heroes he mentioned during Monday’s Zoom call.

On Koszewski, who has appeared in 47 of KU’s 56 games, most often as a defensive replacement…

“Mike Kzyewski is one of the greatest human beings I will ever coach. Period. In his three years with us, this is the least amount of at-bats, the least amount of starts (he’s had) and his impact, his attitude, his presence, his leadership, all that stuff, we’re not nearly as good without him. And then, to back it up, every time he’s gone on the field, he’s performed at an extremely high level.”

On Diggins, a one-time starter at second base, who has played in 50 games with 31 starts, including some time at catcher…

“Any time guys face adversity and handle it really well, it becomes an incredible story and an incredible example (for others). Diggy started a ton, didn’t perform at the highest level, and he knew that, and all of a sudden found himself on the bench and jumped in and started catching a ton and did a great job behind the plate and has come in and played defense at the end of every game. The ball finds Mike and Diggy at the end of every game. It’s unbelievable.”

On Williams, who has appeared in 23 games with just 4 at-bats all season…

“TJ Williams (is) one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. I don’t know how many at-bats he has, but he probably deserves 100 more. Unbelievable attitude. Unbelievable worker. Team-first guy.”

“We’ve got a bunch of those guys,” Fitzgerald reiterated. “Their energy, their attitude, their effort, all that stuff. And they’re just as important as (top hitter) Brady (Ballinger) hitting leadoff and playing first.”

After securing a first-round bye with the top-4 seed, the Jayhawks will open Big 12 tourney play today at 4 p.m. on ESPNU and ESPN+. If the Jayhawks win, they will advance to Friday's semifinal game slated for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

This year's tournament will be of the single-elimination variety as opposed to the double-elimination for-mat used in years past.

The Big 12 title game will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU and ESPN+.

All games will be played at Globe Life Field, home of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers.