Record-Breaking Season Concludes in Norman Regional for Kansas Softball

Saturday, May 16

2 p.m.

University of Kansas

36-20

Oklahoma

50-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Kansas	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Oklahoma Sooners	0	3	0	6	X	9	6	1

Record-Breaking Season Concludes in Norman Regional for Kansas Softball

5/16/2026 11:04:00 PM | Softball

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NORMAN, Okla. – The Kansas softball season came to a close Saturday night in the Norman Regional of the NCAA Tournament with the Jayhawks dropping a 9-0 game to Oklahoma in the afternoon and then a 12-10 thriller to Michigan at Love's Field in an elimination game in the evening.

Kansas finishes the season with a 36-21 mark, totaling the most wins in a season by the program in 11 seasons. Coach Jennifer McFalls' team also set a program record in Big 12 Conference wins (14), home runs (81), runs scored (371) and RBIs (353), while returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

"This team is exactly who this team was," head coach Jennifer McFalls said. "We fought all year long. We just never quit. It came down to the wire, and, honestly, it's a pretty strong, honorable game for these seniors. I just couldn't be more proud of what they did tonight."

How It Happened | vs. Oklahoma

Senior Presley Limbaugh led off the game reaching first base on a throwing error in the infield, but that's the only runner Kansas could get on in the first as Oklahoma was able to get the next three Jayhawk batters out.
Junior Chloe Barber got the start in the circle for the Jayhawks and worked a perfect frame in the bottom of the first, with two flyouts and a strikeout to keep the game scoreless into the second.
Senior Campbel Bagshaw picked up the first hit for either team in the top of the second, with a single to the left side of the infield. Junior September Flanagan then moved Bagshaw to second on a sacrifice bunt, giving the Jayhawks their first runner in scoring position of the game with one out. Kansas left Bagshaw stranded at second, as the next two Jayhawks struck out to end the Kansas half of the second.
Oklahoma shortstop Gabbie Garcia led off the bottom of the second with a walk, the first Sooner base runner of the game. Oklahoma then hit back-to-back home runs from designated player Kasidi Pickering and first baseman Isabela Emerling to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the third, Kansas went down in order. Barber worked her second 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of third to send the game into the fourth, 3-0.
Oklahoma scored six runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth to extend the Sooner lead to 9-0.
Kansas went scoreless in the fifth, giving Oklahoma a 9-0 run-rule win.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Maili Guachino (15-2)
Final Line: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO
Loss: Chloe Barber (9-8)
Final Line: 3+ IP, 4 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 2 SO

How It Happened | vs. Michigan

Limbaugh led the game off with a single up the middle. Senior Anna Soles then hit a line drive to center field that dropped in for a single, advancing Limbaugh to second and creating an early scoring opportunity for the Jayhawks. Two batters later, freshman Ella Boyer hit a three-run home run to left field, giving Kansas an early 3-0 lead. Senior Campbell Bagshaw kept the inning going with a one out double down the third base line. Michigan was able to get the next two Kansas batters out, sending the game to the bottom of the first with Kansas leading 3-0.
In the bottom of the first, Michigan took a 5-3 lead, scoring five runs on five hits, including an RBI double from right fielder Lauren Putz and a solo home run from catcher Lilly Valimont.
In the bottom of the second, Michigan managed to get runners on second and third with one out. A sacrifice fly and a passed ball brought both runs in and then centerfielder Jenissa Conway tripled to right-center field and later scored on an RBI single, giving Michigan an 8-3 advantage through two.
The Kansas bats came back in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs thanks to a leadoff single from Soles, a walk from senior Hailey Cripe and a single from Boyer. Bagshaw then picked up her third hit of the day, a two-RBI single, bringing the Jayhawks within three, 8-5.
Michigan scored a run in the bottom of the third off of a leadoff double and an RBI single, extending its lead to 9-5 entering the fourth.
The Jayhawks loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth after singles from Limbaugh and Soles, and Boyer getting hit by a pitch. The next batter, Bagshaw, worked a two out walk, bringing Limbaugh in from third and bringing the Wolverine lead back down to three, 9-6.
In the bottom of the fourth, Barber, pitching in relief, threw the first scoreless inning of the game for Kansas, setting the Wolverines down in order and keeping the score 9-6.
Kansas put two runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth, but couldn't get a run across. In the bottom half of the fifth, despite a two-out double, Barber was able to work another scoreless frame, sending the game into the sixth inning with Michigan leading 9-6.
The Jayhawks led the top of the sixth off with back-to-back singles from Cripe and Boyer, bringing the tying run up to bat with no outs. Bagshaw moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, putting two Jayhawks in scoring position with one out. Junior September Flanagan drove Cripe home from third with a single to right field, and junior Ava Wallace drew a walk to load the bases with the tying run at second and the go ahead run at first, still with just one out.
Senior Aynslee Linduff stepped up and hit a game-tying two-RBI double down the left field line. The next batter, Kadence Stafford, gave Kansas the lead with a sacrifice fly to left field. In total, Kansas scored four runs on four hits, taking a 10-9 lead into the Michigan half of the sixth inning.
Michigan didn't go away, as the first two Wolverine batters of the sixth got on base and Conway hit a three-run home run to left-center, giving Michigan a 12-10 lead.
Down to its final at bat of the season, Cripe hit a one out single, bringing the tying run up to bat once again, but the final two batters were retired to end the game.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Gabby Ellis (14-8)
Final Line: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Chloe Barber (9-9)
Final Line: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO

Notables:

Bagshaw drove in three runs against Michigan, giving her 40 RBIs on the year, and is one of four Jayhawks with at least 40 RBIs.
Limbaugh picked up two hits in the Michigan game, bringing her total for the season to 69, a team lead.
In the first inning of the Michigan game, Boyer hit her 19th home runs of the season. Nineteen home runs is a Kansas single-season freshman record, and put Boyer three home runs away from the single-season program record, regardless of class, of 22.
Boyer's three RBIs in the Michigan game gives her 60 on the season, making her the third player in program history to drive in 60 or more runs in a single season.
Stafford recorded her 40th hit of the season with a single in the top of the fifth, the seventh Kansas hitter to reach 40 hits this season.
Kansas recorded 371 runs this season, which is the most in a KU single season, surpassing the 331 runs during the 2015 season.
Kansas hit 97 doubles on the season, a program record, passing the 2001 team's record of 81.
Kansas picked up a program record 353 RBIs, surpassing the previous record of 301, set in 2015.
Kansas hit 82 home runs, passing the previous Kansas record of 60 from 2011.
Kansas' 36 wins this season are the most since the 2015 season (40-15).
Kansas finished the 2026 home slate with 13 wins at Arrocha Ballpark, marking the most in a season since 2016, when Kansas had 17 home wins.
Kansas finished the regular season with 14 Big 12 Conference wins, which are the most by the Jayhawks in Big 12 Conference history. KU's previous high was 11 league wins, set twice before (in 1997 and 2024).