Kansas Sweeps Tarleton State to Complete Undefeated Opening Trip

Sunday, February 23

Stephenville, Texas

11 a.m. CT

University of Kansas

7-0

Tarleton State

3-4

Kansas

Tarleton State

Kansas Sweeps Tarleton State to Complete Undefeated Opening Trip

2/23/2025 4:04:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats Highlights

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Kansas will return to Lawrence with a 7-0 record as the Jayhawks completed a three-game series sweep of Tarleton State by a score of 11-7 on Sunday afternoon at Tarleton Baseball Complex. Kansas earned its second series sweep to start the season, finishing off its opening 13-day, seven-game road trip.

The Jayhawks are off to their best start since 2014 when the team began the season 9-0. The seven consecutive wins on the road are one shy of the program record.

Kansas used a four-run sixth inning and a four-run eighth inning to help seal the game and series sweep. Senior Sawyer Smith hit two home runs and drove in four RBIs, while redshirt junior Patrick Steitz started and threw three scoreless innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery to earn the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kansas started out fast with a run in the first inning. Redshirt senior Michael Brooks led off the game with a double to left field on the first pitch. After a walk to senior Tommy Barth and a wild pitch, sophomore Brady Ballinger had an RBI groundout to give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead.
• The Jayhawks were able to add to that lead in the second inning. With two outs, Smith hit a towering two-run homer to center field. That made it a 3-0 Kansas lead.
• Tarleton State (3-4) closed the gap by scoring two runs in the fifth inning. The Texans scored on a failed pickoff attempt and a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.
• Kansas had a response immediately with four runs in the top of the sixth. Barth led off the inning with his first home run of the season, a solo shot. Later in the inning, senior Brady Counsell hit an RBI single, junior Max Soliz Jr. had a sacrifice fly and Counsell scored on an infield single by Smith. The four runs made it a 7-2 ballgame.
• The Texans continued battling as they scored three runs in the seventh inning. A sacrifice fly followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Sergio Guerra cut the game to 7-5.
• For a second time, Kansas answered right away with a four-run inning. Smith hit his second home run of the game on a blast to right-center field. Graduate Jackson Hauge followed a couple batters later with a two-run homer of his own. Junior Dariel Osoria then had an RBI triple to bring the score to 11-5.
• Tyson Drake hit a two-run homer for Tarleton State in the ninth to wrap up the scoring at 11-7.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Patrick Steitz (1-0)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
Loss: Holt Gibson (0-1)
Final line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sawyer Smith: The senior transfer from St. Cloud State hit a pair of home runs. He finished the day 3-for-3 with four RBIs, two runs, one walk and a hit by pitch. The multi-homer game was the first by a Jayhawk this season.

SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME

sWWWWWWWept our way through Texas ???? pic.twitter.com/ty8CuVyM7R
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) February 23, 2025

QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"I thought we did a nice job of getting on the board early and then we missed some opportunities in the third, fourth and fifth. We had a guy picked off and a couple untimely at bats and then to throw up a four-spot in the sixth inning was huge. Obviously, the four-spot in the eighth was great to just separate. You just play until the final out and in games like this it's so important that you just continue to tack on. This Tarleton team is really good. They're going to win a lot of games this year and they're very dangerous as they showed at the end of the game and throughout the weekend. Proud of the effort and the guys for continuing to tack on." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald

"I felt good today. I'm building everyday and really getting back into the competing mindset. I'm really excited for this team. It's easy to pitch when you know you have a really good defense behind you. Hitters are swinging it really well right now and it's fun to be out there on the mound." – Patrick Steitz

"It was all about being locked in every day, finishing the job and not taking a day off. We already technically won the series, but it's really just playing every day as you may not get the next one." – Sawyer Smith

• Kansas has started the season 7-0 for the first time since 2014 when the Jayhawks started 9-0. The program record is 10 consecutive wins to start a season (2002).
• Kansas has won seven consecutive games on the road. The program record for consecutive wins on the road is eight, set in 1978 and 1981.
• Kansas hit a season-high four home runs.
• Smith had the first multi-homer game by a Jayhawk since John Nett vs. Pacific on April 14, 2024.
• Barth launched his first home run of the year.
• Hauge hit his third home run in the last three games. He is tied with Smith for the most on the team with three.
• Steitz earned his first win of the season.
• Ballinger and Osoria have hit safely in all seven games this season.

UP NEXT
Kansas will return home for back-to-back four-game series against Omaha and Milwaukee. The Jayhawks will host their home opener at Hoglund Ballpark on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. CT against Omaha.