PROVO, Utah – For the first time since 1949, Kansas Baseball has won a regular season conference championship. No. 14 Kansas defeated BYU 7-6 on Friday evening at Miller Park to clinch only its fourth regular season title in school history (1923, 1924, 1949).
"It feels pretty good. I'm so proud of these guys," Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. "This is four years in the making. It's our families, it's all of our wives. It's the entire Jayhawk Nation, it's our administration and it's hundreds of people who have led to this moment. It's pretty special."
After taking over the program prior to the 2023 season, Fitzgerald and his staff have brought the program from last place in the Big 12 to first place in four seasons. Kansas was picked to finish tied for fifth in the Big 12 Preseason poll as voted on by the league's coaches.
Kansas improved to 39-15 overall this season and 22-7 in Big 12 play. The 22 conference wins extended the program record and the Jayhawks have matched their school record with 20 road wins. Friday night's victory also was the eighth conference series win, which sets a new school record.
The Jayhawks built a 6-0 lead, however three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings by BYU tied the game at 6-6. The tie did not last for long as Tyson Owens hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth to put Kansas ahead 7-6.
Mason Cook started for Kansas and had everything working for the first six innings. Cook did not allow a hit until one out in the seventh. He finished with his third quality start of the year as he tossed 6.1 innings and allowed three runs while striking out six. Boede Rahe allowed one hit and had an error in the ninth, but picked up the final three outs to record his ninth save of the season.
Augusto Mungarrieta and Tyson LeBlanc hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning. Mungarrieta's home run was his 13th of the year, while LeBlanc's marked his 19th long ball of the season. The 19 homers for LeBlanc are third most in a season in school history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kansas grabbed the lead in the second inning on a two-out RBI double by Jordan Bach in the second inning. That gave the Jayhawks an early 1-0 lead.
• That lead stretched out to 3-0 in the fourth inning. Bach drove in another run on a RBI single. Mungarrieta followed with an RBI double into the gap to extend the lead.
• Fast forward to the sixth inning and the offense continued to work. Mungarrieta hit a two-run homer and LeBlanc went back-to-back with a solo shot. That gave Kansas a 6-0 advantage.
• BYU (26-27, 13-16 Big 12) scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the score in half at 6-3.
• The Cougars tied it in the eighth with a three-run homer by Easton Jones. At the end of eight innings the game was even at 6-6.
• Immediately after BYU tied it, Kansas had an answer. With one out in the ninth, Owens hit a moonshot off the scoreboard for a go-ahead solo homer and a 7-6 Kansas lead.
• BYU got two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, one by an infield single and one via error, but Rahe recorded all three outs in the inning to earn his ninth save of the season.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Riane Ritter (7-2)
Final line: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Nate Gray (7-7)
Final line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 SO
Save: Boede Rahe (9)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO