Jayhawks close regular-season with K-State
May 17-19
6 p.m.; 2 p.m. & 2 p.m.
Lawrence, Kansas
Hoglund Ballpark (2,500)
Game Notes (PDF)
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After a grueling 13 weeks to the season, the Kansas baseball team will wrap up regular-season play hosting Kansas State in the annual Dillons Sunflower Showdown May 17-19 at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks (28-24, 9-12 Big 12) sit in seventh place in the conference standings while the Wildcats (25-28, 8-13 Big 12) hold down the No. 8 spot.
Friday’s contest will begin with a 6 p.m. first pitch, while Saturday and Sunday will start at 2 p.m, respectively. Sunday’s game will serve as Senior Day, where Kansas will honor its five senior ball players starting a 1:45 p.m. Sunday’s contest will also boast a Jayhawk Hat giveaway, while supplies last.
Fans attending games this weekend are encouraged to park in Lot 90 to avoid graduation traffic happening around Allen Fieldhouse.
All three games of the series will be available on the Jayhawk Television Network (ESPN+) and the Jayhawk Radio Network (KLWN).
Redshirt-junior relief pitcher Nathan Barry appeared in all three games this past weekend against TCU (May 10-12). The Horned Frogs could not manage to score a run against the southpaw as Barry threw four scoreless innings allowing only two hits with two strikeouts, picking up a win in the process.ALL
One of the mantra’s around the Kansas baseball program is that it is all about Sundays. That is the day where you can either sweep, win or salvage a series and that sentiment holds true this season as the Jayhawks have posted a 9-2 mark in 11 games played on Sunday, including a 6-1 record in Big 12 play. In those 11 contests, KU averages 7.4 runs per game compared to the 5.2 average by its opponents. In addition, KU has won the last six-straight Sunday contests.
Kansas has played 17 contests that have been decided by one run – 32.7 percent of its games played (52). KU has earned a victory in six of the 17 decisions.
SIX RUNS OR MORE
Kansas averages 5.4 runs per game in 52 contests played in 2019. That number is just shy of the Jayhawks’ magic number of six. When KU scores six or more runs in a contest, it holds a record of 20-2. Conversely, when Kansas scores five or fewer runs, it holds a mark of 8-22.
STUDENT BEFORE ATHLETE
Kansas saw 15 members of its program recognized by the Big 12 Conference when the league unveiled its 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Baseball Team Tuesday (May 14) afternoon. First team honorees included Benjamin Sems, Blake Shinkle, Gabriel Sotomayor, Jonah ULane, Ryan Zeferjahn, Brooks Asher, Blake Goldsberry, Skyler Messinger, Nolan Metcalf and Brett Vosik. Second Team honorees includes Ryan Cyr, Daniel Hegarty, Rudy Karre, Brandon Ponticelli and Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi.
SHUTTING THE DOOR
The threesome of junior Nathan Barry, redshirt-junior Blake Goldsberry and redshirt-sophomore Jonah Ulane in the backend of the Jayhawk bullpen has proven to be one of the strengths of the 2019 squad. Due to their efforts, Kansas holds a mark of 23-1 when leading after seven innings and a record of 24-1 when leading after eight.
LET’S PLAY TWO
The Jayhawks have played in six doubleheaders this season (USC Upstate, Texas Southern, Northern Illinois, Baylor, West Virginia, Jackson State). They are 3-3 in the first game of the day and 1-5 in the second game of the day. The six doubleheaders mark the most played in a season since Kansas played in six doubleheaders during the 2002 season (Milwaukee, Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas State).
BRING OUT THE BROOMS
Kansas wrapped up the first weekend in May (3-5) with a three-game sweep of Texas. The sweep marks the first series sweep of a Big 12 opponent since the Jayhawks swept West Virginia (May 9-11) in 2014. It is also the first home sweep since March 9-11, 2018, when the Jayhawks swept then-No. 20 St. Johns. The series marks only the second time in Kansas history that the Jayhawks have swept the Longhorns, with the first time coming during the 2009 series.
BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Cyr earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for his Maddux-style performance on Saturday afternoon when he pitched a complete game shutout in the second game of the series against Texas (May 4).
HE’S ‘CYR’-IOUS
Redshirt-junior starting pitcher Ryan Cyr recorded his third-straight complete game and fourth of the season in a shutout effort against Texas (May 4) to earn Kansas the series victory over the Longhorns. It took Cyr just 86 pitches to navigate his Maddux-like performance where he struck out six and allowed just four baserunners in the win – two hits and two walks.
FIRST TIME BIG 12 HONORS FOR THE ROOKIE
Freshman outfielder Casey Burnham was awarded Newcomer of the Week for his late-game heroics in the Jayhawks’ first game against the Longhorns (May 3). The freshman outfielder launched a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game for Kansas. In addition to being his first career four-bagger, Burnham has started to develop late in the season. The Nebraska native went 5-for-10 (.500) that week with a double, a triple, a home run and two walks.
SEASONED VETERAN
Kansas head coach Ritch Price is the most tenured skipper in the Big 12 Conference as he has coached in 425 league games – 257 more than any other current coach.
UP NEXT
Depending on the outcome of this week’s conference games, Kansas will travel to Oklahoma City for the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark May 22-26.
