Jayhawks travel to Missouri State for midweek matchup

at MISSOURI STATE
March 27
6:30 p.m.
Springfield, Mo.
Hammons Field
ESPN+
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Game Notes

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas baseball team plays its 24th-straight game away from Hoglund Ballpark when the Jayhawks travel to Missouri State for a midweek bout at Hammons Field.

The Jayhawks (13-10) are looking to snap a seven-game skid when they take on the Bears (5-16) at 6:30 p.m. Wednseday night.
 
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or tune into a live audio broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio with Nick Springer calling the action.
 
QUICK HITS

  • Kansas’ all-time record: 1,925-1,853-18
  • Head coach Ritch Price’s record in Division I: 722-698-4
  • Price’s record at Kansas: 505-470-3
  • All-time record in March: 506-415-4
  • Kansas wraps up 24-consecutive games away from Hoglund Ballpark to start the season when the Jayhawks travel to Missouri State for a midweek matchup against the Bears.
  • The Jayhawks average 5.2 runs per contest in 23 games played this season while Missouri State enters the game averaging 4.1.
  • Conversely, Kansas’ opponents average 4.4 runs per game while the Bears give up 8.0 runs per contest.
  • According to the Kansas archives, KU and Missouri State have met 58 times on the diamond with the Bears edging the all-time series 30-28.
  • Due to the inclement weather this spring, Kansas will play its first 24 games of the season away from Hoglund Ballpark – that ranks as the most contests away from home to open up a season in program history.
  • As a result, the Jayhawks’ first home contest will not come until March 29 against Baylor.
  • Twenty-four of the Jayhawks’ 56 games slated for 2019 will be against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams, including six against squads that advanced to the College World Series.

HOME RUN LEADER
Junior catcher Jaxx Groshans leads the Big 12 Conference with eight home runs. En route to his eight bombs, he compiled two multi-home run games to become the first Jayhawk to record more than one multi-home run game in a season since 2009 when Tony Thompson (3) and David Narodowski (2) accomplished the same feat.

BIG 12 SAVES LEADER
Redshirt-sophomore closer Jonah Ulane has earned himself six saves on the season and is tied for the Big 12 lead in that category. Ulane has struck out 20 batters in 11 innings pitched and has compiled a 0.82 ERA. In his career, Ulane averages 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings including a 16.4 mark in 2019.

JAYHAWK TRAVELERS
The Kansas baseball team will spend 31 of the first 42 days of the season on the road after weather forced two home series to be moved to Texas. The season opened on Feb. 15 and the Jayhawks will not play their first home game until Friday, March 29 against Baylor. In March alone, Kansas will have spent 22 of 27 days away from Lawrence when they return from its game at Missouri State (March 27).

SEASONED VETERAN
Kansas head coach Ritch Price is the most tenured skipper in the Big 12 Conference as he has coached in 407 league games – 260 more than any other current coach.

1. 407 – Ritch Price, Kansas (17th season)
2. 147 – Tim Tadlock, Texas Tech (Seventh season)
3. 145 – Jim Schlossnagle, TCU (Seventh Season)
4. 143 – Randy Maze, West Virginia (Seventh Season)
5. 142 – Josh Holliday, Oklahoma State (Seventh Season)

BRING OUT THE BROOMS
Kansas earned its first three-game series sweep over an opponent when the squad took three-straight from Northern Illinois (March 1-2) in Grand Prairie and Melissa, Texas. It was the team’s first sweep since March 9-11, 2018, against St. John’s.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT
With the sweep over Northern Illinois (March 1-2), head coach Ritch Price reached the 500-win mark as the Jayhawks’ skipper. Price is already the all-time winningest coach in program history with 67 more victories than legendary head coach Floyd Temple (438).

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After a three-home run performance opening weekend, junior catcher Jaxx Groshans was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week (Feb. 18). Groshans reached base seven times in 13 plate appearances, including four hits and three walks during the first three games of the Jayhawks’ season-opening series at USC Upstate. Groshans finished with a league-best three homers and six RBIs in those three contests, while batting .400 (4-for-10). In addition, Groshans scored the second-most runs in the conference on the weekend at four. In the Monday finale, Groshans batted 1-for-1 with a single and a RBI while drawing a career-high three walks. He is the first Kansas Big 12 Player of the Week since 2013 when Michael Suiter earned the same distinction (March 11).

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior righty Ryan Zeferjahn became the first Kansas baseball player to earn a Preseason All-America Team recognition from Baseball America when the publication announced he landed on its third team. Zeferjahn was one of 42 players from around the country representing 35 different schools to be honored.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12
Junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn earned his second preseason recognition when the league’s coaches voted him to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. The team consists of 18 players from across the conference with Zeferjahn earning one of the six pitching spots.

PRICE NAMES 2019 CAPTAINS
Head coach Ritch Price announced that James Cosentino, Ryan Cyr and Rudy Karre will represent the 2019 squad as captains. The trio is each holding the honor of captain for the first time in their careers and represents what the Kansas baseball program is all about.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks finally open up Hoglund Ballpark when they play host to Baylor March 29-31.

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