⚾️ Kansas Aims to Stay Undefeated at Home Against Missouri State Tuesday

Missouri State (13-13) vs. Kansas (12-14)
When	April 4 at 3 p.m. CT
Where	Lawrence, Kan. // Hoglund Ballpark
Watch	Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio	Jayhawk Sports Network
Live Stats	Stats
Notes	Kansas | Missouri State | Big 12
Tickets	Purchase Tickets
Social Media	@KUBaseball | @kubaseball | Facebook

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas wraps up its five-game homestand and will look to extend its four-game winning streak and undefeated home record against Missouri State on Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks are 5-0 at home this season for the second time in the last three seasons after a weekend sweep of Big 12 foe Baylor.

The series sweep against Baylor marked the first by Kansas against a conference opponent since 2019. The Jayhawks scored 30 runs in the series, which was its most in a Big 12 series since the 2009 season. The offense scored 12 runs on Friday and 13 runs on Saturday, marking the first time since 2010 that Kansas scored at least 10 runs in consecutive conference contests.

Freshman Kodey Shojinaga had a monster weekend against Baylor, hitting .643 (9-for-14) with three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored. The Honolulu, Hawaii, native had back-to-back career-high four-hit games on Friday and Saturday. He raised his season batting average from .306 to .381 over the weekend and is hitting .524 in conference play.

Senior Cal transfer Cole Elvis also had a very strong weekend at the plate. Elvis hit home runs in Saturday and Sunday’s games, including the game-tying homer in the 7th inning of Sunday’s contest. He finished the series batting .538 (7-for-13) with five extra-base hits (three doubles and two home runs), eight RBIs and five runs scored. He played a role in over 40% of the runs scored this weekend by driving them in or scoring himself.

Sophomore Chase Jans has been consistent all season at the plate and is currently riding a 22-game on-base streak. He is slashing .341/.427/.500 with five doubles, one triple, two homers, 19 RBI, 14 runs and 11 walks during the stretch.

Another strength of the Jayhawks this season has been the defense. Kansas has a .981 fielding percentage as a team. That superb mark ranks 18th in the country and second in the Big 12, trailing Oklahoma State by percentage points. The Jayhawks defense has only committed 18 errors in 26 games this season.

Kansas and Missouri State have met 63 times in program history with Missouri State holding a narrow 32-31 edge. Kansas has won four of the last six matchups, despite dropping both games a year ago.

Missouri State (13-13) is heading to Lawrence on Tuesday fresh off a series win at Illinois State this past weekend. The Bears have a lot of power in their lineup already with 62 doubles and 41 home runs on the season. Freshman outfielder Zack Stewart has been the offensive catalyst for Missouri State this season. He is hitting .324 with a team-high 19 extra-base hits.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for the season by contacting the Kansas ticket office at 785-864-3141 or by visiting the ticketing page here. Students will receive free admission on Tuesday and all season long by presenting their KU student ID at the ticket booth.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Brian Hanni (play-by-play) and Kevin Wheeler (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on KLWN and the Jayhawk Sports Network on KUAthletics.com and the Kansas Jayhawks app, with Derek Johnson and Gus Baylow calling the action.

Live statistics can be found here, while live updates will also be provided on the team’s official Twitter page @KUBaseball.

UP NEXT
Kansas (12-14, 3-3 Big 12) heads back on the road this weekend for a three-game series in Morgantown. Kansas takes on West Virginia beginning on Friday with a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch.