Kansas Baseball Announces 2005 Schedule

Sept. 28, 2004

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

After posting back-to-back 30-win seasons for only the third time in program history, Kansas baseball announced its 2005 schedule today. Hoglund Ballpark will be the site for 31 home games this season, as the Jayhawks aim for a school-record third consecutive 30-win season.

2005 Kansas Baseball Schecule

The Jayhawks will begin the 2005 season by traveling to the Hawaiian Islands for a five game series with the University of Hawaii at Hilo. On its way back to Lawrence, KU stops in Palo Alto, Calif., to take on perennial baseball powerhouse Stanford for three games at Sunken Diamond Field.

Returning to Lawrence, Kansas will see a familiar face in its first home series, as former KU assistant coach and new South Dakota State head Coach Reggie Christiansen brings his squad to KU for a four-game series. On March 5-6, the Jayhawks will square off against the SEC’s Mississippi State Bulldogs, who made the NCAA Tournament last season.

CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones, will host the Jayhawks three times this season. The final game of the Northern Colorado series (Feb. 17) will be played in Kansas City, Kan., as well as the Best of the Midwest Tournament, where Kansas will face off with New Mexico State on April 26 and Sacramento State on April 27.

The Jayhawks square off against in-state rival Wichita State four times during the season, with two games at each team’s home park.

Big 12 play gets started in late March as the Nebraska Cornhuskers make a trip to Lawrence to battle the Jayhawks on March 25-27. The Jayhawks face several key road series in April as they will travel to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Sunflower state rival Kansas State will take on the `Hawks in a three game series with the series-opener in Manhattan, Kan., on April 29 before the series shifts locations for the final two games at Hoglund Ballpark on the KU campus on April 20 and May 1.

College World Series runner-up and defending Big 12 Champion Texas comes to Lawrence on May 6-8, before the Jayhawks travel to Columbia, Mo., for a Border War showdown with Missouri on May 13-15. Oklahoma State, last season’s Big 12 Tournament champion, concludes the regular season with a three-game series at Hoglund Ballpark on May 20-22.

“I think that this is the toughest schedule in Kansas baseball history,” said head coach Ritch Price. “Its going to be nice to get Wichita State back on the schedule for four games this season and renew the best baseball rivalry in the state of Kansas. With adding Mississippi State in addition to Stanford, we now have two NCAA tournament teams from a year ago to help up prepare to play in the Big 12 and in the NCAA Tournament.”