Completed Event: Baseball at Missouri on March 31, 2026 , Win , 11, to, 8
Final
Baseball
11
at Missouri
8
Friday, April 3
Lawrence, Kan.
11 a.m. CT
University of Kansas
21-10, 8-3
14
vs
9
Utah
16-12, 5-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 14 | 16 | 0 |
Kansas Claims Series Win with 14-9 Victory Against Utah
4/3/2026 3:37:00 PM | Baseball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas baseball clinched a series win with a 14-9 victory against Utah on Friday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks have now won 11 of their last 13 games, including five straight victories.
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Kansas has matched its best 11-game start to Big 12 play in program history and has won eight of its last nine Big 12 games. The Jayhawks have won three consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since the 2014 season. KU improved to 21-10 overall this season and 8-3 in conference play.
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Offensively, Kansas built a double-digit lead with six runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the fifth. Every Jayhawk hit safely on Friday and the offense finished with 16 hits on the day. Mathis Nayral started on the mound and pitched five strong innings in which he allowed only one run and recorded four strikeouts with no walks.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
• Utah (16-12, 5-6 Big 12) took the lead in the first inning for a second straight day. Daniel Arambula hit a two-out solo homer to give the Utes a 1-0 lead.
• Similar to Thursday night, Kansas answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the first. Brady Ballinger hit an RBI single to make it 1-1.
• Kansas opened up the game in the fourth inning with six runs. The first two runs scored on a Max Soliz Jr. RBI single and Dylan Schlotterback bases loaded walk. The next pair of runs scored on a two-run double by Jordan Bach. The Jayhawks closed out the scoring on a two-run ground-rule double by Ballinger. Kansas led 7-1 at the end of the fourth.
• The Jayhawks stretched the lead in the fifth with five more runs. Soliz Jr. started the inning with a solo homer. Then, a run scored on a throwing error and three more scored on bases loaded walks to make it 12-1.
• The Utes pushed four runs across in the sixth inning. Two wild pitches and a two-run single by Blake Eckerle moved it to 12-5.
• Utah scored two more runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to bring it to a 12-9 game.
• KU added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Tyson LeBlanc RBI double and an Augusto Mungarrieta RBI single. That brought the score to 14-9.
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PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Mathis Nayral (4-1)
Final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
Loss: Payton Riske (2-2)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
Save: Kannon Carr (1)
Final line: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
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SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME
QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"Any series win in the Big 12 is a really big deal. Mathis (Nayral) gave us a great start. We struggled in the bullpen, but the lineup gave us enough to work with early. We tacked on a couple good runs late. Unless it's a 10-run rule, which is pretty rare in Big 12 play, you know you're going to play for nine innings. It's just about how many runs you can score and how quickly you can get off the field defensively. The guys did a good job. It's a good series win. Now, we have to finish it tomorrow." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald
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"It's awesome seeing those guys produce. I know how good everyone is in this lineup and it's a great feeling watching them all produce. Sixteen hits today and 14 runs is a great offensive day. I think everyone's just finding their groove and doing what they do. During the fall, we saw a lot of good offensive days, so I think we're going to have a lot more to come." – Brady Ballinger
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"It's awesome when you have a lineup like that. You feel really confident that we're going to go out there, put some runs on the board and have a really good shot to win." – Max Soliz Jr.
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• Kansas improved to 21-10 overall this season and 8-3 in Big 12 play.
• Kansas has matched its best 11-game start ever in Big 12 play. The only other time Kansas started 8-3 was in 2025. The first season of baseball in the Big 12 was 1997.
• Kansas has won three consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since the final three series of the 2014 season.
• Kansas is riding a five-game winning streak.
• Kansas has won 11 of its last 13 games, including eight of its last nine Big 12 games.
• Kansas now has 15 comeback victories this season.
• Kansas has a 18-5 record this season when hitting at least one home run in a game.
• Every Kansas player in the lineup recorded a hit.
• Kansas has scored at least 10 runs in four consecutive games for the first time since April 9-14, 2024.
• Kansas has at least 10 hits in five straight games for the second time this season.
• Soliz Jr. hit his third home run of the season and his second in as many games.
• Ballinger and Soliz Jr. each matched their season highs with three RBIs.
• LeBlanc's two doubles were a career high.
• Carr earned his first career save.
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UP NEXT
Kansas and Utah will play the series finale on Saturday afternoon. First pitch has been pushed up an hour to 12 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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Kansas has matched its best 11-game start to Big 12 play in program history and has won eight of its last nine Big 12 games. The Jayhawks have won three consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since the 2014 season. KU improved to 21-10 overall this season and 8-3 in conference play.
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Offensively, Kansas built a double-digit lead with six runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the fifth. Every Jayhawk hit safely on Friday and the offense finished with 16 hits on the day. Mathis Nayral started on the mound and pitched five strong innings in which he allowed only one run and recorded four strikeouts with no walks.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
• Utah (16-12, 5-6 Big 12) took the lead in the first inning for a second straight day. Daniel Arambula hit a two-out solo homer to give the Utes a 1-0 lead.
• Similar to Thursday night, Kansas answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the first. Brady Ballinger hit an RBI single to make it 1-1.
• Kansas opened up the game in the fourth inning with six runs. The first two runs scored on a Max Soliz Jr. RBI single and Dylan Schlotterback bases loaded walk. The next pair of runs scored on a two-run double by Jordan Bach. The Jayhawks closed out the scoring on a two-run ground-rule double by Ballinger. Kansas led 7-1 at the end of the fourth.
• The Jayhawks stretched the lead in the fifth with five more runs. Soliz Jr. started the inning with a solo homer. Then, a run scored on a throwing error and three more scored on bases loaded walks to make it 12-1.
• The Utes pushed four runs across in the sixth inning. Two wild pitches and a two-run single by Blake Eckerle moved it to 12-5.
• Utah scored two more runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to bring it to a 12-9 game.
• KU added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Tyson LeBlanc RBI double and an Augusto Mungarrieta RBI single. That brought the score to 14-9.
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PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Mathis Nayral (4-1)
Final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
Loss: Payton Riske (2-2)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
Save: Kannon Carr (1)
Final line: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
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SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME
Â2 bombs in 2 days ??@JR_Soliz_BOOM hits his 3rd HR of the year!
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) April 3, 2026
BOT 5 | Kansas 8, Utah 1 pic.twitter.com/B7glzz9ANJ
QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"Any series win in the Big 12 is a really big deal. Mathis (Nayral) gave us a great start. We struggled in the bullpen, but the lineup gave us enough to work with early. We tacked on a couple good runs late. Unless it's a 10-run rule, which is pretty rare in Big 12 play, you know you're going to play for nine innings. It's just about how many runs you can score and how quickly you can get off the field defensively. The guys did a good job. It's a good series win. Now, we have to finish it tomorrow." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald
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"It's awesome seeing those guys produce. I know how good everyone is in this lineup and it's a great feeling watching them all produce. Sixteen hits today and 14 runs is a great offensive day. I think everyone's just finding their groove and doing what they do. During the fall, we saw a lot of good offensive days, so I think we're going to have a lot more to come." – Brady Ballinger
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"It's awesome when you have a lineup like that. You feel really confident that we're going to go out there, put some runs on the board and have a really good shot to win." – Max Soliz Jr.
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• Kansas improved to 21-10 overall this season and 8-3 in Big 12 play.
• Kansas has matched its best 11-game start ever in Big 12 play. The only other time Kansas started 8-3 was in 2025. The first season of baseball in the Big 12 was 1997.
• Kansas has won three consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since the final three series of the 2014 season.
• Kansas is riding a five-game winning streak.
• Kansas has won 11 of its last 13 games, including eight of its last nine Big 12 games.
• Kansas now has 15 comeback victories this season.
• Kansas has a 18-5 record this season when hitting at least one home run in a game.
• Every Kansas player in the lineup recorded a hit.
• Kansas has scored at least 10 runs in four consecutive games for the first time since April 9-14, 2024.
• Kansas has at least 10 hits in five straight games for the second time this season.
• Soliz Jr. hit his third home run of the season and his second in as many games.
• Ballinger and Soliz Jr. each matched their season highs with three RBIs.
• LeBlanc's two doubles were a career high.
• Carr earned his first career save.
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UP NEXT
Kansas and Utah will play the series finale on Saturday afternoon. First pitch has been pushed up an hour to 12 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nayral, Mathis (4-1)
L: Riske, Payton (2-2)
S: Carr, Kannon (1)
Batting:
2B: Long, Jake 1
HR: Arambula, Daniel 1
RBI: Long, Jake 2 ; Gurney, Cameron 1 ; Arambula, Daniel 1 ; Eckerle, Blake 2 ; Miller, Cal 1 ; Gilliam, Jet 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Long, Jake 1 ; Smith, Derek 1 ; Arambula, Daniel 3 ; Eckerle, Blake 1 ; Jacobs, Luke 1 ; Miller, Cal 1 ; Gilliam, Jet 1
SB: Flaharty, Matt 1
HBP: Smith, Derek 1 ; Eckerle, Blake 1 ; Miller, Cal 1 ; Gilliam, Jet 1
Batting:
2B: Ballinger, Brady 1 ; LeBlanc, Tyson 2 ; Bach, Jordan 1
HR: Soliz Jr., Max 1
RBI: Ballinger, Brady 3 ; Soliz Jr., Max 3 ; LeBlanc, Tyson 1 ; Owens, Tyson 1 ; Schlotterback, Dylan 1 ; Mungarrieta, Augusto 2 ; Bach, Jordan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ballinger, Brady 1 ; Soliz Jr., Max 2 ; LeBlanc, Tyson 2 ; Owens, Tyson 1 ; Schlotterback, Dylan 2 ; Baldridge, Cade 1 ; Dykhoff, Josh 2 ; Mungarrieta, Augusto 1 ; Bach, Jordan 2
HBP: Owens, Tyson 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/C
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballC/1B
/ BaseballBaseball Media Availability
Wednesday, April 08
Baseball Highlights vs. Nebraska
Tuesday, April 07
Baseball Highlights vs. Utah
Saturday, April 04
Baseball Highlights vs. Missouri
Tuesday, March 31