Kansas Drops Home Opener Against Wichita State

Wednesday, March 12

Lawrence, Kan.

5 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

12-9, 0

Wichita State

11-12, 0

Wichita State

Kansas

Kansas Drops Home Opener Against Wichita State

3/12/2025 8:19:00 PM | Softball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. - The Kansas softball team dropped its home opener, 7-3, to Wichita State on Wednesday evening at Arrocha Ballpark. Senior Olivia Bruno led the way for the Jayhawks, going 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.

With the loss, Kansas falls to 12-9 on the season, while Wichita State improves to 11-12.

"The unfortunate thing is we lost because we weren't mentally where we needed to be," head coach Jennifer McFalls said. "We have to take accountability, control what we can, and find leadership within this team to strengthen those aspects of the game. Tomorrow is a new day, and the most important thing is that we learn and grow from this to be better."
Wichita State wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Kansas was unable to answer, and the Shockers continued to build momentum."

The deficit grew in the third, as Wichita State tacked on two more runs to make it 3-0. Kansas made its first pitching change of the night, bringing in junior Lizzy Ludwig to replace senior Katie Brooks after 2.2 innings. The Shockers capitalized on the transition, adding two more runs before the inning ended with Kansas trailing 5-0.

Kansas found some life in the fifth inning after Wichita State extended its lead to 7-0. The Jayhawks responded with back-to-back RBI doubles from junior Aynslee Linduff and Bruno to plate their first two runs of the game. Bruno then scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Emma Tatum, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Freshman Kaelee Washington took over in the circle in the sixth inning and retired all three batters she faced. However, Kansas couldn't generate any late offensive momentum, as the Jayhawks were held scoreless over the final two innings, sealing the 7-3 loss.

Kansas will look to bounce back quickly as it prepares to host Omaha in a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m., followed by Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. The Jayhawks aim to get back on track with a strong performance.

Pitchers of Record
Win: Chloe Barber (3-6)
Line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO
Loss: Katie Brooks (3-2)
Line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 SO

UP NEXT
Kansas will host Omaha for a double header on Thursday, Fans can catch all the action through Kansas softball's official X (Twitter) account, follow live stats, or stream the game on ESPN+.

Notables:

After four scoreless innings, Kansas found all three of its runs in the bottom of the fifth courtesy of RBI from Olivia Bruno, Aynslee Linduff, and Emma Tatum.
Kansas' recorded three doubles, just one short of tying a team high of four previously set against Wisconsin on Feb. 7 and Baylor on March 9.
Olivia Bruno hit her first two doubles of the season as she went 2-of-3 at the plate while recording an RBI in the bottom of the fifth. It's her fourth multi-hit game of the season as she's totaled 20 hits and 14 RBI for the year.
After recording her first hit in the last contest against Baylor on March 9, Karsen Griggs tacked on another as she went 1-of-3 against Wichita State.
Aynslee Linduff hit her fifth double of the season and batted in the first KU run of the evening for her ninth RBI on the year.
Freshman Ava Wallace also tallied her own multi-hit game for her fourth of the year, going 2-for-4.
Emma Tatum notched another RBI for her 14th of the season as she sits second on the team in the category, right behind Hailey Cripe's 15.