photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas sophomore Tyson Owens is tagged out at third during the Jayhawks’ NCAA Super Regional game against Oklahoma on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.
The Kansas baseball team took one on the chin in the opening game of the Lawrence Super Regional on Saturday night, dropping an 8-1 decision to Oklahoma at Hoglund Ballpark in front of a school record crowd of 4,415.
“You have to tip your cap to (Oklahoma),” KU head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “They played a great game and played clean baseball for most of the game. It’s tough to go unbeaten in the postseason, though. I knew we’d have to persevere sometime and this is our opportunity to do that because now it’s win or we’re done. I know we’re going to come out ready to play (Sunday).”
Kansas (45-17) and Oklahoma (37-22) play Game 2 of their Super Regional series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. Central time. Right-hander Mason Cook (5-1, 4.23 ERA) is expected to start for the Jayhawks, while Oklahoma is scheduled to start righty Xander Mercurius (0-2, 6.18 ERA). Oklahoma is one win away from a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, while Kansas must win to force a third and deciding game, which would be played on Monday.
“Nothing is going to change in terms of our preparation,” said Fitzgerald. “We have a lot of confidence in (Cook) and we have a full bullpen we can go to. I know we’re going to come out ready to play.”
Neither team did much offensively in the opening three innings. In the bottom of the first, Tyson Owens was hit by a pitch with one out, but was gunned down trying to get to third on a single by Augusto Mungarrieta. Then, in the top of the second, a two-out walk followed by a double put runners on second and third for Oklahoma, but Kansas starter Dominic Voegele got a groundout to get out of the inning and keep the game scoreless.
Oklahoma broke through in the fourth, using two singles and an error to load the bases with one out. Voegele got a ground ball, but the Jayhawks were unable to turn the double play, allowing a run to come in and prolong the inning. The Sooners’ next batter, Dayton Tockey, launched a three-run homer to left center field to put Oklahoma in front, 4-0.
Things got worse for Kansas in the fifth, as a leadoff double followed by a two-run homer by Camden Johnson and a two-out solo home run by Trey Gambill extended the Sooners’ lead to 7-0 and chased Voegele (6-4), who allowed seven runs (three earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 4 2/3 innings.
Oklahoma added another run in the top of the seventh, using a walk and two hits off reliever Manning West to make it 8-0 Sooners. That was enough of a cushion for Oklahoma to lift starter Cord Rager (5-3), who allowed just one hit and struck out six with one walk and one hit batsman in six innings of work. At different points in the outing, Rager retired seven and six straight Kansas batters.
“Nothing (Oklahoma) did surprised us,” Fitzgerald said. “They were well coached and disciplined and they got hits today when we didn’t.”
Jordan Bach got Kansas on the board with a one-out solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, but that was all the Jayhawks could muster, as they managed just four hits in the loss. It was the lowest hit total for Kansas since the Jayhawks got four in a 13-2, eight-inning loss to West Virginia on May 10.
Mungarrieta was the only Kansas player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.
