Kansas Clinches Series Win With 5-1 Victory Against Omaha

Sunday, March 2

Lawrence, Kan.

12 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

10-1

Omaha

3-8

Omaha

Kansas

Kansas Clinches Series Win With 5-1 Victory Against Omaha

3/2/2025 4:16:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas baseball won its third straight series to start the season with a 5-1 victory over Omaha on Sunday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark. The win improved Kansas to 10-1 overall on the season which is the program's best 11-game start since 2014.

Graduate Jackson Hauge and senior Tommy Barth hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this weekend after doing so in Friday's contest. The consecutive home runs came in the fifth inning as the Jayhawks broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run blast from Hauge and a solo homer from Barth.

Redshirt junior Patrick Steitz made his third start back from Tommy John surgery, tossing four innings and allowing only one run. Connor Maggi, Kannon Carr Robbie Knowles, Alex Breckheimer and Eric Lin combined to throw five shutout innings of relief to secure the win. The pitching staff closed out the final two games of the series by limiting Omaha to only one run total.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first two innings were scoreless for both teams. Kansas had the bases loaded in the first but was unable to score.
• Omaha (3-8) was able to crack through for a run in the third inning. With two outs, Jackson Trout hit an RBI single to center field to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead.
• Kansas was able to even the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by senior Chase Diggins.
• The Jayhawks broke through for a big inning in the fifth with two home runs. Hauge and Barth went back-to-back for the second time this series. Hauge hit a three-run homer over the batter's eye in center field and then Barth hit a solo homer that bounced off the top of the wall in left field and over the fence.
• Defensively, Kansas turned three double plays in the final five innings to keep Omaha from scoring.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Connor Maggi (1-0)
Final line: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Luke Gainer (0-1)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 2 SO

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Alex Breckheimer: The junior transfer from Bryant & Stratton College entered in the seventh inning with two runners on and no outs. He induced a double play to the first batter he faced and then got a swinging strikeout to escape the seventh. Breckheimer worked around a single he allowed for a scoreless eighth inning as well. He has not allowed in five relief appearances this season (6.2 innings).

SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME

BACK TO BACK ALL WEEKEND LONG ??@tommy_barth4 hits one off the top of the wall and bounces over the fence!

BOT 5 | Kansas 5, Omaha 1 https://t.co/nOwgie70pb pic.twitter.com/d7WaGndfPS
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) March 2, 2025

QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"I think it started on the mound with Pat. He scattered five (hits) over four (innings) with three punchouts and I loved how he wiggled out of the fourth. I went out there – I make about two or three of those visits a year where I go out and a guy stays in – but I wanted to check on him and see how he was feeling. He let me know he was going to get him in no uncertain terms, which is great, so it was great that he wiggled out of it there. I thought Connor came in and did a really good job. We went to Carr to close out the sixth and I thought he was really good. We wanted to get Knowles back out there and Robbie wasn't very sharp today but that happens. Then, Breckheimer was fantastic and obviously, Lin did a good job. I thought defensively we did a really nice job. A couple of double play balls and then up and down throughout the lineup you got nine hits. Again, I think anytime you look and the walks and strikeouts are close to one-to-one, and hit by pitches, it's a pretty awesome offensive day. Loved the way they competed and bounced back and won a series." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald

"It's really comfortable being in this offense, when all of our bats that we send up there we are confident in. It's really nice because when it's your time and you get a chance to take a shot you can. That's what I think all of us are trying to do. If you look up and down the board, we're all hitting really well." – Jackson Hauge

"It's a great atmosphere. It would be great if they kept coming out and supporting us. It's a huge help for us. I love it." – Tommy Barth

• Kansas improved to 10-1 on the season.
• Kansas has hit a home run in eight straight games, including multiple home runs in the last five contests.
• Kansas scored 30 runs and hit 11 home runs in the four-game series against Omaha.
• Kansas allowed only one run in the final 20 innings of the series.
• Hauge hit his team-high fifth homer of the season. He finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
• Barth connected on his fourth home run of the year. He went 2-for-2 with a homer, RBI, two runs scored and two walks.
• Maggi earned his first win as a Jayhawk.
• Brady Ballinger has reached base safely in all 11 games this season.
• Derek Cerda had two doubles and an outfield assist on a double play where he caught the ball and threw out the runner advancing to second base.

UP NEXT
Kansas will play Milwaukee in a four-game series this upcoming week. The Jayhawks will face the Panthers beginning on Thursday, March 6 at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live audio will be available on the Jayhawk Sports Network.